New Car Shoping

[popawalker]

I hate shoping for a new car. Drove off from the first place we went to when 4 salesmen came piling out the door,wasn't ready for that. Decided to get pre approved with the credit union first, they gave me a "no haggle list", mostly pricing is still higher than I think it should be. Edmunds.com has been helpful so now I am trying the online approach. Maybe they'll deal on friday.
I know I'm rambling, it's just bothersome to me. Thank goodness I usually keep a vehicle a long time, 10 years on the last 2.

Steve

[d2creative]

As long as you go in with your research, knowing exactly what you want and how much you are willing to pay, you should be fine. End of the month is a great time to deal. Be willing to walk out if you need to. Get their final offer in writing if you need to leave and think about it.

[Rson]

Play the internet game.....log on and apply to buy a vehicle. Use a side email account so you can delete it later.

In a few days you will have quotes that will beat anything on paper. Take the lowest one to the dealership of your choice and get your car. Then make them beat the quote. (free oil changes, upgraded rims, etc.)

[RandySmith]

Shop around with the same make/model with other dealerships on the "Extended Warranty" ... You can save some money at the back-end knowing that you have a competitive price on the warranty program.

[kenw]

All things considered, I would rather have a root canal. Without novacaine.

I hate buying cars. It's why we have bought several from CarMax: no haggle and fair prices. Sure you can sometimes beat their price, but the no questions returns, guarantees and huge selection in one place make it worth it to me.

as far as new cars, I did everything on the phone with the last one, mostly because I was looking for a particular model and color; and wound up buying it in San Marcos (we live NW of Houston). They had what I wanted and made a good enough deal. Some of the idiots in Houston wouldn't even talk on the phone, they wanted me to come in and "discuss my needs" with them. Didn't even darken their doorway even tho I knew they had what I wanted in one case. When I talked to the others I had the stock # on the exact one I wanted to talk about and that's the ONLY one we talked about.

(a good clue is to find one that's been on the lot the longest. They're more anxious to sell it than an exact one they've had less time). In my case, they added a lot of dealer options and couldn't move it, and by the time I came into the picture they came down to a price fairly equal to the stock version. So I got about $5k of options for "free".

[kimberley]

OMG I love car shopping I love playing the "game" they play....love it!!

[SCone]

Be prepared to ask for way less and don't back down.

Whatever you're looking for, DO NOT FALL IN LOVE with it..... there's plenty more of them out there.

Be ready to walk at a moments notice.

Let them know up front that you're not going to play games, you came in to make a purchase, you have the cash, and all you want from them is to know thier inventory & prices.

Bought too many vehicles in my day.... we can either deal or I move on.......


Oh, and my NUMBER ONE rule.... NEVER buy new.... let someone else take care of the 1st year depreciation. Buy last year's car and save yourself 25-30% right off the bat.

[dryicerx]

One of my friends is remarkable at buying cars, and this is a trick he has used. I'm waiting to try it on my next buy, but this is the short version of it.

Never listen to the car salesman, all they want is to sell, and honestly I've never run across a salesman who knows what their talking about, and after buying they treat you like crap.

First thing is to research and narrow the cars down to 1-3 models. Then go test drive them (say it up front, saves both of you the hassle and time). Seriously say "Please don't describe the car, this is the model I'm interested in, I want to test drive it and see it in person". After the test drives and checking your top picks out, go back home, and figure out your favourite.


Now call every dealership that carries the model you want within your reach, and tell them you are calling everyone, and will buy the car right off who ever gives the Best deal (price and financing) and that you are not up for negotiations. Their immediate response would be to hesitate and say "oh what if the other person beats by a dollar" to which you say "tough luck". This will piss them off, but also leave them no choice. This will save you the hassle and force the dealer to give you the absolute best deal they can. You might have to let the ball bounce between dealers over a few days, but at the end, you will be one coming out the top. (think of it as the dealers trying to win a bid to sell you).

It's a dick move on your part, but so are the sleazy tactics used by salesman. Own it at their own game and good luck.


Disclaimer: I really really hate car dealers

[dbphotos]

Deals will depend on what vehicle you are looking for. I just purchased a truck on Friday. I went in knowing what I wanted and how much I wanted to pay. I told the sales manager that but he still spent 30 seconds trying to high ball me - its their job I don't take it personal. I focused on the difference I would pay between his vehicle and my trade in. I told him I was willing to pay X difference out the door between the 2 vehicles and if he could do the deal I would write him a check. It took about 5 minutes of playing with #'s and asking me if I could come up $500, etc. and me saying no and the deal was done. I was in and out in 1 hour.

New vehicles; you should be able to get most vehicles at "supplier pricing" less promotional discounts. (Sam's & Costco auto programs use these $'s.) Suppier pricing is less than invoice.

Used vehicles; you should be able to get it for close to the trade in amount, depending on the popularity of the vehicle. Dealers pay less than trade in value for the vehicle whether they buy from an auction or take it as a trade in directly.

I wouldn't call every dealer as recommended. Check with friends and family and look for a dealer that has a consistent positive reputation and go with them.

Good luck!

[johnastovall]

Go see your local Smart Car dealer. Simple straight forward pricing as one would expect from Daimler.

[groovyone]

I always seem to get the dealers where no one runs out to talk to me, but I do enjoy quizzing the sales people on the vehicles until I find one that knows most of his stuff.

[Spec A!]

I don't think anyone has really mentioned dealing solely with the Internet Sales managers- they, unlike the floor sales people, have the ability and authorization to make the deal. They don't make the repeated trips back to the floor manager or finance manager negotiating the price. The Internet sales manager should be able to do all the price negotiations themselves, better yet, do it all online and/or through email. We've had the best/faster/most enjoyable new car buying experience when we got our Subaru in 2007. We knew exactly what we were looking for, we're educated on the specifics and pricing, and contacted several dealers through email. He responded with exactly what we wanted and arranged a test drive for us during our lunch hour. No pressure- we got there and the car was waiting, running with the AC on full blast (this was July), shook our hands and let us take off. We returned and thanked him and said we'd be in touch. Did all the negotiating through email, including our trade in (which they evaluated when we took a test drive). In short we got the price we wanted on the trade in, the sales price we wanted on the Subaru, the financing we wanted, and all we had to do was walk in and sign papers. 45mins later we were on the road home. Never had it take less than 4 hours in the past!!

I highly suggest doing alot of test driving and researching before you commit. Never buy when you are in a bind if you can manage it- once a dealer knows you NEED that car, they usually win out. Always be prepared to walk even at the last minute.

[kenw]

If the person you are talking to can't make the deal without his mommy's ("manager") approval, find one who can.

[jeffkohn]

I too hate buying cars. I don't like the games, I don't like the BS, and I don't like spending the whole day standing around waiting for them to do whatever it is they do in the backroom. I also hate when the on-hand selection sucks and they try to sell me a car that doesn't have the options I want (or has options I don't want).

I tried the "Request Quote" feature from Edmunds this time around (we just went through the car-shopping process for my wife). Most of the replies didn't have actual price quotes, or if they did they were at or just below sticker price. So that was pretty much useless (maybe it varies depending on what make/model you're shopping on, the vehicles we were interested in are fairly new and in pretty high demand I guess).

Definitely get pre-approved financing on your own, so they know you're not shopping for a car payment. Let them try to beat the financing deal you got if they want though.

For our most recent purchase we ended up getting the best no-haggle pricing through the Costco Auto Program. How good of a deal you get may depend on what you're shopping for though.

[KJ Smith]

I think you are better off contacting the specific dealer through the Internet. That has worked well for us.

There are also deals available trough partnership programs if your company has one.


Real, Actual New Car Prices Paid | Includes Rebates and Incentives | Real Car Tips

Ford has a website that shows partnership pricing, I can't find it now. I think it was Ford Direct or something similar.