Posted on 02/08/2022 6:36:02 AM PST by devane617
Thinking of buying a car? Kimberly Walker, a mother of two in Columbia, S.C., can tell you exactly what that's like these days.
She recently found herself having to shop for two vehicles on opposite ends of the market. For herself, she wanted a late-model electric Audi, and after looking around, she was able to find a used 2021 e-tron at a local dealership.
The price? An eye-popping $68,000 with no room to negotiate.
"We went back and forth. We were there for four hours," she says. "They did not budge on that price."
For her teenage daughter, Walker was looking to spend just a few thousand bucks on an old car. The experience wasn't any better. For four months they tried private sellers and kept losing bidding war after bidding war. CarMax didn't have a single option under $15,000.
They eventually found a car. There was just one catch.
"We ended up purchasing a 2009 Toyota Camry that actually was not running at the time," Walker says. "But the mechanic agreed to put a new engine in it and gave it to us for $3,500."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsbreak.com ...
Where do you shop that you have $68k and they won’t negotiate?
Perhaps it wasn’t $68k cash.
Suggestion. Bring $68k cash.
As for buying a junk car for your teenager...you might want to rethink that.
That’s because for a while now used cars have been appreciating and the price actually goes up the longer it’s on the lot
An electric Audi...that’s a really bad choice.
“This is a loser article. The woman is whining about spending 68k on an all electric Audi.”
Given my Mercedes experience, electricity and the Germans are not friends.
In fact, they are competing with Lucas for the “prince of darkness” label.
edit: Of course, you could always just pay the sticker price, but that was dumb.
Mount Prospect used to let used police cars go for a song according to Elwood Blues.
Never see those days again.
Buy at the end of the month from a dealer for the best price. Fleet managers have a quota to make every month and they will become more flexible as the month and year come to the end.
Talk to a half dozen fleet managers within driving distance and say that you will pay cash to the one with the best price.
That used to work in the past for a good deal. Donno about today.
Yes but in our area they’ve gone virtual or scrap / dealer only. The cove that hangs out in impound lots don’t you know?
Yes but in our area they’ve gone virtual or scrap / dealer only. The covid hangs out in impound lots don’t you know?
Corrected because Google still won’t type covid
Re: 21 - I don’t know. In summer 2020 when I bought another car, one salesman told me they were not dealing at all on Mercedes AMG models. Demand was high then. The price was the price. Nice cars.
Show the car to your wife and ask if she likes the color then take her back home and go make the deal.
Sorry, is this sexist?
“Are police auctions still a thing?”
They are where I am....for some reason da “bruthas” be lovin’ dem old po-po cruisers....and for some reason they leave the spot light at the A post and the push bar at the front bumper in place.
See ‘em everywhere
If you see her hesitate on the price, dicker!
She was intent on committing a political action
Don’t forget that undercoating!
carmax——easiest way. fair pricing no hassle..competes with real price on used cars. My latest purchase was an hour.
I was going to be looking to trade in the Jeep on a newer model, since I like the technology upgrades, but there is no room to negotiate. If a vehicle sits on a lot for more than 60 days, it get wholesaled to another dealer and they move it to another area where it will sell. No breaks for the customer while they are fat on used prices.
“The woman is whining about spending 68k on an all electric Audi”
Wait ‘till she has to change the battery(s)......you think she’s whining now?
I can tell you how to buy a car successfully, but I charge for the service. It’s not much, but you save thousands. I have worked for two different dealerships recently. They are all crooked, every one of them. I have offered to help people buy a car, but they won’t act on it. You can’t help people who won’t help themselves.
CAR MAX!
I used to get the prices from my brother that worked in a dealer’s office.
Find the car and go over the price line by line...
HOURS! Mostly wasted time.
Our daughter’s first car and she saw it at Car Max...
One price, take it or leave it.
The service people were not only helpful, but they were also PUNCTUAL!
The difference in price between wrestling with the dealer and Car Max was ~$150.00 on a new Suburban... That was the last time I went to a dealer.
We use the old school one easy payment plan, save until you can pay the total +tax+ license +++ out the door.
At Car Max the process took about 15 minutes total.
TIME IS MONEY.
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