Need your tips on buying a new car!

[dakcp2001]

I do not feel confident when dealing with car sales-pwople. Please give me some tips on negotiating a decent price, and in all honesty, I am not 100% sold on buying the new car. I wil def not be buying the car the first trip to the dealer.

I know the MSRP of the car I want. I know what incentives the dealer is offering. I have secured my own financing but will go with the dealership if they offer me 0% only otherwise, using my credit union. I fear they are going to low ball me on my trade in.

How can I get the most for my trade in?
How can I get the most incentives & the best price?
Any things to avoid or look out for?
ANy things to say or not to say?

Should I wait until labor day weekend?

 

[jfortsch]

Hi - this is a good time to be buying a car if you can swing it, it's a buyer's market.

It does depend on what make and model you are going for, but I just bought a Honda Odessey (yes, officially now a soccer mom ) and got a really good deal on it. So here's my advice:

Definitely shop around at more than one dealer - by personal visit or by phone, whatever fits your schedule.

Don't deal with any high pressure sales people. If they don't make you feel totally comfortable that they are dealing fairly, walk out. There are too many dealers who want to sell right now, so don't stand for any high pressure tactics. You can be respectfully blunt, if they are worth dealing with, they are not going to kick you out

Have an idea of the final price of the car and how much you think is fair for your trade. If you find a dealer you feel comfortable with, just tell them "give me this price and this much for my car, and you've got a deal." At least that's what I did, I have 2 kids under age 4 so I had no time for wheeling and dealing!

I think you're smart making sure you've got your own financing available. Get "pre-qualified" if you can. I wouldn't even talk about financing with the dealer until you're happy with the car price and trade value.

So that's my advice for what it's worth. Good luck and I hope it works out well for you.

 

[dakcp2001]

Thank you!

 

[deva]

Absolutely check out Edmunds.com. It will give you a suggested value for your purchase and your trade in.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

Don't trade in your car. They give you very little compared to what you could make selling it yourself. You'd be better off selling your vehicle outright and then using the cash you make towards a down payment on the new one.

Make sure you buy a vehicle you can afford. You don't want to end up upside down on a car you can't make payments on. DH and I no longer buy brand new cars because as soon as you drive it off the lot you've just lost $3000-$4000 in value. Let someone else take that hit and buy a car that's a year or 2 old.

Don't let a salesperson push you around. Definitely shop around and if you don't think you're getting the best deal, leave. When I bought my Toyota Sienna I went to several dealerships and one just wouldn't give us the best price so we left. They weren't going to budge and neither were we. Found another dealership that would and we bought from them.

 

[IDoDis]

Hi - this is a good time to be buying a car if you can swing it, it's a buyer's market.

Actually, due to the Cash for Clunkers program, it's a seller's market right now. The dealers have been holding out and getting higher prices since CARS was given more funding. Some dealers have waiting lists for certain models (smaller cars). You might be better off waiting until CARS is over -- maybe even wait a month.

Check out truecar.com. The site will give you a low, average, and high price for what others are paying for the same vehicle in your city or region. Use that as your negotiating tool.

Go to the edmunds new car forums and look up the make/model and year of the car you want. Look for the thread at the top for your car that says "buying experiences." See what others are paying.

Good luck.

 

[johnnymo99]

Actually, due to the Cash for Clunkers program, it's a seller's market right now. The dealers have been holding out and getting higher prices since CARS was given more funding. Some dealers have waiting lists for certain models (smaller cars). You might be better off waiting until CARS is over -- maybe even wait a month.

Check out truecar.com. The site will give you a low, average, and high price for what others are paying for the same vehicle in your city or region. Use that as your negotiating tool.

Go to the edmunds new car forums and look up the make/model and year of the car you want. Look for the thread at the top for your car that says "buying experiences." See what others are paying.

Good luck.

IDoDis is right. It is a sellers market due to CFC. I would wait(if you are able) till a month or two after CFC ends. There will probably be no one buying and you can get better discounts and financing. Good Luck.

 

[annagirl]

If you do decide to trade in rather than resell your old car, do not mention that you are trading until you have the price of the car you want to buy. Dealers will lowball you on your trade in and make is sound like you are getting a lot off your new car but you won't.

Say the car you want to buy is MSRP $25,000 - you haggle down to $22,500. At that point, you can ask what they would offer on a trade in. That way, your final price should be $22,500 - $trade in offer.

Good luck! I really want a new car but mine doesn't qualify for the clunkers program and I've not got enough cash saved up to make a good down payment.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Go to www.consumersunion.org which is the non-profit publisher of Consumer's Reports. They have a lot of information available about car buyg. One thing they have, which costs about $12.00, is a report on the wholesale and dealer's costs of each model of car and the options and their pricing. They recommend that you start working from there and not the MSRP since they do not show any additional manufacturer to dealer payments.

Additionally, go to the manufacturer's web site to find out all incentive programs which are being offered for the car you want.

 

[mbanks21]

If you do decide to trade in rather than resell your old car, do not mention that you are trading until you have the price of the car you want to buy. Dealers will lowball you on your trade in and make is sound like you are getting a lot off your new car but you won't.

Say the car you want to buy is MSRP $25,000 - you haggle down to $22,500. At that point, you can ask what they would offer on a trade in. That way, your final price should be $22,500 - $trade in offer.

Good luck! I really want a new car but mine doesn't qualify for the clunkers program and I've not got enough cash saved up to make a good down payment.

I was just gonna mention this. Theyll lowball your trade in or give you more for the trade but raise the price on the new car. Get a price for the new car in writing then talk about the trade in.

 

[ceecee]

If you don't plan on trading a clunker, you may want to wait. Dealers inventories are very low now. We got $1000 off invoice at the Honda dealer and they had exactly one 2 wd CRV on the lot that wasn't sold.
Ask for the "out the door" price, one thing I really hated was one dealer worked up a deal and put the monthly payments and NOT the total price of the car. Didn't even ask if we planned on financing! Does anyone buy a car based on the payments and not know the total cost? I think not.

 

[mikehn]

You might also try googling for dealerships in your area that offer 'no haggle' pricing. That way you wont have to deal with the nonsense.

 

[blanq]

My recommendation is to do the researrch as others have suggested, so you are armed with what a fair price for your vehicle is. Then, do all of your negotiations by email. You should be able to seal the deal via email and it should be fairly painless if you are prepared.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

It is definitely NOT a buyer's market right now. Good luck even finding the vehicle on the lot that you want. We are shopping right now only because our beloved SUV died and the repairs just aren't worth putting into an 8 year old vehicle. We do not qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program but have found that every single dealership we have talked to - from SC to PA - has a very low inventory right now. For the most part they aren't motivated to sell at super low prices because they have SO much business from the CFC deal.

Check to see if your bank/credit union offers a "car buying service". This is a pre-negotiated price for the vehicle you want at a preferred dealer. We bank with USAA and have been able to walk into a dealership armed with a computer printout with a guaranteed price that is well below MSRP. Our only negotiation is really for our trade.

There are a few manufacturers that are offering rebates. Jeep has up to $6500 on certain models and Chrysler has up to $4500. There is also an additional $500 rebate for military on some vehicles right now.

Good luck in the search. Don't be scared to get up and walk out if you don't feel like you are being treated well. I don't play the "good cop/bad cop" games with the salesman and the sales manager. I go in armed with my information, know what I am willing to pay, know what I am willing to allow for my trade and have my own financing. Arm yourself with information and don't let them push you around.

 

[swilshire]

You might also try googling for dealerships in your area that offer 'no haggle' pricing. That way you wont have to deal with the nonsense.

But what's the fun in that? I think the haggling is all part of the fun.

I refused to even look at the Scions because of their no haggle policy.

Sheila

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

A lot of good tips on this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2262096

 

[JoiseyMom]

If you belong to Costco or Sam's go through them. I have been looking for a car, but it isn't on anyone's lot and the ones coming in are sold . The Costco dealer was willing to order one for me for 100.00 under invoice, that is great for a car selling at sticker right now. But I still cna't do it, since I want to use C4C, and the moeny will be gone by the time the car gets here.

So I have to see if there are any other models I want rigfht now..