How do you approach buying a new car

[Rose Pink]

I approach buying a 'new' car like I do timeshares. I don't buy them from the developer (dealer). I buy them used on eBay.

DS bought a Volvo (or was it a Saab?) from e-Bay. He said he bought it "by accident." He put in a bid not expecting to be the high bidder but he was.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Accidental eBay.

DS bought a Volvo (or was it a Saab?) from e-Bay. He said he bought it "by accident." He put in a bid not expecting to be the high bidder but he was.

I bought several eBay horns "accidentally" but (so far) no "accidental" cars.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[tompalm]

I get the Dealer Invoice price from kbb.com and check to see is there is a rebate for the car. Once I know that price, I will walk into the Dealership and tell them what I want and how much I will pay. Sometimes that conversation only last about 10 minutes as they tell me that it is not possible to sell it so cheap, or that my info is wrong and I walk out. I went to three different dealerships to get my last car and finally found one that was willing to work a deal. The dealer actually buys the car below invoice, so don't let them tell you different. I bought five cars in the last 15 years and always got one for close to invoice. The last dealership was very nice and honest about the price but said that they have to pay the electric bill, rent on the building, etc.....and asked what I thought would be a fair price. I said $300 over invoice and they sold it to me. Take control of the conversation and don't play their game. Be ready to walk out at any time.

All this work might have been avoided by going to Costco or another buying service, but when I tried USAA service, they were not able to do any better.

http://www.kbb.com/index.html

 

[capjak]

1. Pick the car and the options.
2. Go to your nearest dealer and get a price.
3. Start e-mailing every dealer within (how far are you willing to drive to pick up the car?)
4. Let them bid against each other.
5. The lowest bidder wins.

Charles

I did this and it works great and you do not have to leave your computer. As soon as one gives you a price you can go to the next and if it is not lower just say already got xxx your price is too high and so on actually bought from a dealer that came down 2xs on the price to get the business.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Putting On The Squeeze -- Not That There's Anything Wrong With That.

I did this and it works great and you do not have to leave your computer. As soon as one gives you a price you can go to the next and if it is not lower just say already got xxx your price is too high and so on actually bought from a dealer that came down 2xs on the price to get the business.

I assume it works best close to the end of the month, when the sales staff is suffering under intense pressure to make quota.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Steamboat Bill]

I assume it works best close to the end of the month, when the sales staff is suffering under intense pressure to make quota.

I actually just got a new car last month for my wife and we went on the second to last day of the month (I just assumed this was a good strategy) and I asked my sales and finance guys that exact question...his response was that it made no difference in price.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Well, What Would You Expect ?

I asked my sales and finance guys that exact question...his response was that it made no difference in price.

Well, shux, you wouldn't expect the guy to volunteer any trade secrets, would you ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Steamboat Bill]

Well, shux, you wouldn't expect the guy to volunteer any trade secrets, would you ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

nope...just wanted him to confirm or deny that buying a car at the end of the month was true or not.

no matter, I still believe that is the best time to buy, I just found it interesting he said it did not matter. He made the sale anyway.

 

[pranas]

:hysterical: :hysterical: Precisely my point. I'm already paying for one in the price of the car. Don't tack on more charges. Warranties are insurance that the warranty company is betting the buyer won't use. The buyer is betting they will need it. I think it is makes more sense to take the cost of the warranty and put it in a CD or some sort of savings account. If you need it for repairs, it is there. If not, you haven't lost the money to some third-party warranty company. And, for your information, the "less than reputable" (your words) dealership that sold me the policy did make good on the repairs at their own expense when the warranty company went belly up. It was a huge inconvenience to me to have to fight for it and even though I "won," it would have been much easier on me to have just used the money DH had spend on the warranty to pay for the repairs. It would have been the same out of pocket for me.

Rose Pink, my experiences have been very different from yours. I am very glad that I purchased the extended warranties. I did negotiate seriously on the the price but it was worth it in the long run.

 

[Mosca]

The reason more cars get sold at the end of the month and the deals get made more quickly is urgency. If we sell and deliver a car on the 31st, we get paid on it in about a week; if we deliver it on the 1st, we get paid on it in a week and a month.

So, the price isn't any better, but it might be easier to get to it with less hassle.