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.
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.
I have never spent more than a half hour buying a car
I’m going through this myself right now. My beloved little Z4 roadster recently died after 18 years of faithful service (engine is shot and its not worth replacing).
After searching on the internet I found what I wanted and agreed to buy the car I’d been looking for from a dealer in another state. I electronically signed the paperwork and paid the $1,000 up front money. Then a week passed in which they did not talk to me and nobody got back to be despite me calling every day and leaving messages.
Then they finally actually bothered talking to me. We worked out the terms and the manager said he was going to Fedex me the documents to sign and return - then we could hand the car over to the transport company to ship down to me which will take about 2 weeks. That was a week ago. I have not received any Fedex package. I called every day starting Friday to ask what was going on. On Sunday he sent me an email saying he would look into it and get back to me later that day.
Its now Tuesday. He still hasn’t gotten back to me and I still have not gotten any Fedex package. I bought the car over 2 weeks ago and we are not even ready to BEGIN the 2 week process to deliver the car to me.
I have never seen a business more disinterested in collecting money. Its incredible. Meanwhile, I am enduring the enormous PITA that comes with not having a car for the now 3rd week.
I haven’t purchased a new car in over 20 years. I keep my eye out for older cars with low mileage (usually estates). Whenever I find one in good condition I snatch it up, whether I need vehicle or not. If it has less mileage and is in better condition than a car we are driving, then I sell one of our older cars, usually at a profit. Otherwise I give it to one of our kids or keep it as a spare.
I am currently driving a 2012 truck with less than 35K miles on it. It had only 20K miles when I bought it. My wife is driving a 2003 Lincoln with less than 30K miles. My adult children and their spouses are each driving 10+ year old vehicles with less than 40K miles. I bought each of them for less than $10K in the past 3-4 years.
What crazy person thinks they’re gonna get an all electric Audi for a low price? You’re not going to buy any used electric vehicle for the same price as a used IC of similar make and model.
“Looking to buy beachfront property in Maui. Offering $3000 per acre. Firm.”
Are there any manual shifts still out there?
“For her teenage daughter, Walker was looking to spend just a few thousand bucks on an old car.
“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.””
Nice. Camry is a good choice. Wife has had good luck with one.
$68K for an Audi? I guess those are good cars but that’s a lot of change to put into something to take out into the world.
The sales staff leaves you pretty much alone so you can browse without a shadow, then don't be afraid to walk away until you find what you like, not what they want off the lot.
I sold a three year old, low mile car to Carvana for $6,000 over original MSRP a few months ago. A month later i ordered a new little sports car for MSRP (that’s doing well these days). Then i got a $500 loyalty coupon from the manufacturer because i had bought one of their new cars 18 years earlier ( still have that car). Took all of 30 minutes to order the car online. Only problem is the buyers flying in from out of state to buy. And a long wait for delivery.
Walk out.
She stayed four hours?
Ridiculous.
They had her and they knew it. Of course they won't negotiate.
know what your car/pickup is worth on trade-in. Know what the new car is worth. Tell them those numbers. Don’t change your mind. And have really good credit. Buying a car does not have to be difficult.
We went to the dealership we bought our F150 from, nearly ten years ago.
Just lookin’. Tried out a F150 Lariat. Wonderful truck! Tried out a Bronco Outer Banks. Gutless wonder.
Couldn’t afford to buy the Lariat, so we went with a 3-year lease. At the end of it, we might finance and purchase, or go on to another lease.
The Lariat is in our driveway, waiting on a tonneau cover.
I bought my 2019 Equinox last year and paid $19,000 for it. I got a notice last week that my trade-in value is now $22,000. The price of used cars is escalating.
I love negotiating with car dealers .... and ticket scalpers too. I recall once my ex-wife asked me to go with her to buy a car. I told her no matter how much she liked the car to seem indifferent and even fickle about buying it. I strongly emphasized that she should never tell the dealer how much of a monthly payment she could make. She ignored all my advice: she found a car, announced that she just had to have it, and when the dealer asked her how much she could pay a month, she just went on and told him. The wheels turned, and the price of the car, the interest rate, and everything else magically adjusted themselves upward to match the amount she said she could pay.
I had a good experience with Enterprise Car Sales. They sell their rental cars after about 40,000 miles. In 2019 I got a late-model (2016) Toyota Corolla with 47,000 miles for $13,900 with no hassle. I’ve had no problems with it except for replacing the battery. I probably could have talked them down a few hundred bucks but it wasn’t worth the trouble. I was in and out of the dealer in less than two hours.
- Don't do a trade-in. This just complicates the transaction and allows the dealer to "lower" your price on the new car while making up the difference on the trade. Sell your old car privately, to even to a CarMax, who gives a fair price. That way you walk into the dealer unencumbered.
- Have your own financing in place. Getting financed through the dealer is another way to get yourself fleeced. (Don't tell the salesman that until you are ready to close the transaction.
- Extended warranties are not a good deal and mostly pure profit for the dealer. Do have money in the bank to pay for repairs as they come up. But typically, if you maintain the car well, you are very unlikely to have a major issue over the first 100,000 miles.
- Watch out for dealer installed options you don't need like VIN etching, locked lug nuts, winter floor mats, etc. The dealer will tell you they are factory installed - just keep pushing back and be prepared to (politely) walk out if necessary.
- Never talk about your desired "monthly payment" as that allows the sales rep to adjust the price of the vehicle to fit that payment. You should have your own financing lined up so monthly payment is none of their business.
- Finally, the biggest shark in the building is the "finance guy" and you will see him at the end. His entire job is to add margin back to the deal so he/she will guilt trip you into all sorts of things you have no use for such as gap insurance, roadside assistance plans, extended warranties, etc. Just go in there prepared to politely say no to everything and it should be a brief meeting.
That all said, it does not have to be an unpleasant experience. So no need to be a jerk. I have nothing against car salesmen. I always make sure to be polite and pleasant with them. My goal is always to have a polite and fair transaction.
I enjoy the process but I wouldn’t attempt it right now.