What should I offer $ wise when buying a car?

E

eeyoresmom

Guest
I'm shopping for a new ( or slightly used ) car. I really want a Subaru Outback wagon, but can't afford a new one right now. It's hard for me to narrow down my choices on the internet because I don't know what I'll be "really" paying. What % off of the asking price should I agree to? Does it matter if the car is new or used as to how much less I should expect to pay? TIA
 
Here's what I did since I knew specifically what vehicle I wanted (like you do).

I spent quite a bit of time on autotrader.com and cars.com to get a feel for the prices (there are plenty of dealers on there which is what I wanted). I narrowed it down by the mileage and options I wanted. The more I looked, the better the feel I had for price.

I called about all of the vehicles I was interested in. Once I narrowed it down to 3 vehicles (one in GA, one in MO, and one in TX - I'm in MS), I called those salesmen back and told them that I was going to purchase one of those three cars - the one that gave me the best total price (including everything - fees, taxes, etc.). Since I actually included searches up to 500 miles, the dealer also had to include the cost of shipping the vehicle to me.

My vehicle was like brand new (I made it plain in my phone conversations that I did not want even one tiny scratch or ding and the paperwork stated that it was in like new condition with no scratches, dings, etc.) with approximately 10,000 miles and lots of warranty left.

The dealer (from MO) that offered me the best price also had the car with the most options (including a moonroof and heated seats)! :thumbsup2

One other thing, I actually bought this vehicle for at least $3000 cheaper than I could have bought it in my local area. :thumbsup2
 
I'm shopping for a new ( or slightly used ) car. I really want a Subaru Outback wagon, but can't afford a new one right now. It's hard for me to narrow down my choices on the internet because I don't know what I'll be "really" paying. What % off of the asking price should I agree to? Does it matter if the car is new or used as to how much less I should expect to pay? TIA


Check out edmunds.com and they have a forum section with prices paid for all vehicles plus all kinds of other topics.

Big picture though is you should pay what you think the vehicle is worth. Make an offer an be prepared to walk.
 
Research, research and research. Edmunds is a good place to look. Once you know what you are willing to pay do it out the door price, after taxes, fees, etc.
 


i jsut bought a new subaru impreza last year. And your only problem your going to run into is that subraus that are used dont coast that much less then new ones. i could have gotten a 3 yo impreza for only $5000 less. Not really a good deal with the shorter warrenty and 30000+ miles on it. Definately look at KBB.com and vehix.com. And dont hesitate to play dealers aganist each other.
 
Just wanted to say that I loved my Subaru Outback. Unfortunately, my college age son killed my Subaru Legacy (also a great car, as was my 1986 Subaru GL) at 197,000 miles so I had to let him have the Outback.

Don't hesitate to buy a high mileage Subaru if you can find one at a good price. My Outback was pushing 100,000 miles when I bought it and I haven't had a moments trouble with it. I did buy it from my mechanic, who I trust a lot.

Sheila
 
We bought a new Accord last year. Looked up the invoice cost online and came back to the dealership with that number. We ended up getting our car for just about $500 over invoice, which was about 3k off the sticker price. Not too shabby for a Honda! It also helped that it was the last day of the month.
 


Subaru's are awesome! I commend you on your taste!

And yes, don't shy away from higher milage on a used Subaru - they run like crazy.

Can't advise you on price - husband always did the dealing for me. :lmao:
 
Sheila
Your situation with the Outback is almost exactly mine:lmao:Mine is my daughter. I'm giving her my 1999 nad buying new or newer. I'm going back and forth with a dealer now on a 2006 with 33,000 miles. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks everyone
 
I spent a lot of time and money getting my Legacy towed home (200 miles) only to find out there was a lot more wrong with it than DS had admitted. I couldn't complain too much though. I had paid $5000 for it and we'd driven it 5 or 6 years and added almost 100,000 miles to it.

My only regret was that I had spent more than $300 for new tires for it just a month prior to the "death". The car was pretty worthless, but my mechanic gave me $300 for it and has actually been driving it some.

Good luck on your potential purchase. The new Subarus are so expensive that my last two purchases have been slightly used Honda Elements. I just love them and they are very cheap for Hondas. DH and I have twins except for the color now.

Sheila
 

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