OT: Need new car buying advice

[Orangeyes]

Going to help a family member purchase a Toyota Camry SE 4 Cylinder today after I remove snow from cars, driveway, walk and roof.

Just looking for some last minute advice from some of our great folks out there.

Not looking at the Limited Edition and am not interested in any other brand or model.

Leaning to having a moon roof and probably side body molding and not much else.

I do use Edmunds to see what the dealer pays for the car and each option. It also gives the fair market value which shows the average price people are paying in this area for the car.

Right now they have .9% financing on the 2013 models & 0% on the 2012's.

The person doesn't want to lease and tends to hold on to the car for a very long time.

We are leaning to a 2013 because there ia an abundant supply with the color and features wanted.

There will be a trade but we hold that off until we get our bottom price.

Some say you can't get a reduction off dealers destination charges, I was able to negotiate that down on one deal. The advertising fee was also something I was once able to bargain down.

The dealers have incentives to sell, dealer hold backs, but the public usually can't get that information.

The best deal I ever got was the last day of the year. Toyota will cut their best deals then to ensure they are #1 in domestic sales.

The end of the month is usually the time I buy because the dealers are trying to fill quotas.

Any tidbits you could provide would be appreciated whether they be on negotiating or anything else.

Thanks!

 

[richmondcuse03]

Seems like you've got a lot of good tips already! Only one I'd add is to use the car buying services available through someone like USAA or even Geico offers it now...where you log on, plug in what you want, and a get a fixed price from certain participating dealers. There's no haggling and the prices I've gotten on there have been lower then I've been able to negotiate from non-participating dealers. Often, though, non-participating dealers will match it if one of their competitors offers that price...beats the several hours of fighting with a dealer to save a few hundred bucks and is stress free.

 

[rosconey]

avoid the big place out by cicero that has yodas-service is horrid after the sale

 

[OburgOrange]

All of the above. I have bought my last three vehicles from Berlin City of New England. They just delivered a 2013 Toyota Tundra Crewmax to me. Yes, I said delivered! They drove it to my house from New Hampshire. did the paperwork at the kitchen table. Local guys just won't deal. They actually pursued me, wanted my Honda Ridgeline back and gave me stupid money for it. A lot of people from my area buy from them and they will deliver anywhere.

 

[Nick44]

I've had great success with figuring out a number beforehand that I want to pay and then using that number to determine if the sale is made. That way it puts the pressure on the salesman to get to that price while also meeting your car demands.

While I too would prefer the 2013, you're are likely going to get an excellent deal for any 2012s that remain. The 0% apr is a beautiful thing. I have that for 60 mos on my 2012 rav4.

Lastly wait until the very end to add on any small accessories like mud guards all weather mats etc. you can use those as a bargaining chip and you may be able to get them thrown in for free.

Ive used Northway Toyota in Latham NY and have been happy with them so far. 5 minutes north of Albany.

 

[OburgOrange]

Also, consumer reports has a car buying service if you subscribe to them

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Stare at the dealer for a uncomfortable period of time when you meet them and shake their hand. To prove you're the alpha dog then swiftly kick them in the balls and/or lady balls as the case may be. Not only will you get the best price of your lifetime, you'll also make some lifelong friends while doing your turn at county for assault.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[rocklloyd]

take a look at truecar.com

 

[Townie72]

avoid the big place out by cicero that has yodas-service is horrid after the sale

Isn't it true that no matter where you buy the car that service after the sale can be done at any dealership.

Because the dealership bills the factory for all warranty work. its good business for them.

The sale of the car and the post sale service are two separate transactions ... as I understand it.

 

[Sufran]

You also have to remember that you usually have to give up rebates to get that 0%, sometimes $1000-$1500. You could always get money for 1-2% right now. The rates are the lowest they have ever been. I would believe that holdback would be between $600-800. If you can buy for $200-300 under invoice you are doing great. Just remember don't abuse the sales people, just doing their jobs. Good luck and enjoy.

 

[tbonezone]

AH the dreaded trade . "therin lies the rub". like your friend i too like to hold onto my vehicles and only ever buy new. that way i know exactly what maintenance or malevolence has been done. however i prefer to sell my old ride first and come at the dealer strictly with cash. that way you hold ALL the cards. with a trade in you're both buyer and seller and the dealership is more experienced and likely better at both. that said it sounds too late for that strategy. so know your blue book and of course dealer cost of the vehicle and every option you want. let them know you know the numbers but keep in mind they want to make a profit also.don't be too greedy.FWIW i bought my wife a lexus es350 (basically just a camry with bells and whistles) at burdicks and the service has been outstanding. this is second car i bought there. both very dependable and trouble free cars. i myself drive a tacoma. good luck.

 

[UnderHisOwnPower]

take advantage of favorable terms negotiated with manufacturers by credit unions, or the big box retailer clubs like Costco. They have negotiated terms such as dealer invoice +$500, or rock bottom financing, and when you arrange through your affiliated club, there is a no haggle policy, just show up and purchase according to the pre arranged terms. It takes some of the hassle out of it, but you will generally be restricted to what is on the lot, the terms do not apply to ordering new with bells and whistles. If you're talking Camry, you should have plenty of options under the club terms. Good luck.

 

[orangecuse]

Isn't it true that no matter where you buy the car that service after the sale can be done at any dealership.

Because the dealership bills the factory for all warranty work. its good business for them.

The sale of the car and the post sale service are two separate transactions ... as I understand it.

True.

 

[BlueCurtain]

buying new is the worst investment you can make. the second you drive it off the lot, you've pissed away several G's in trade-in value.

 

[tbonezone]

of course. and you can also buy a hoagie with a couple bites missing at a "sub"stantial discount.

 

[Sufran]

take advantage of favorable terms negotiated with manufacturers by credit unions, or the big box retailer clubs like Costco. They have negotiated terms such as dealer invoice +$500, or rock bottom financing, and when you arrange through your affiliated club, there is a no haggle policy, just show up and purchase according to the pre arranged terms. It takes some of the hassle out of it, but you will generally be restricted to what is on the lot, the terms do not apply to ordering new with bells and whistles. If you're talking Camry, you should have plenty of options under the club terms. Good luck.

You can also get that same deal if you oredr one as well. If they have to dealer trade then they lose hold back, so the price goes up $500-800.

 

[mark79]

Start with a couple of dealers you dont really intend to buy from to find out how
low you can get them to. It is less pressure because you know you're
probably mot going to purchase there. don't be afraid to walk away when you don't get your best price. Once you get a good price from a dealer, start using that as a bargaining chip with a couple of dealers you do want to buy from. As some have said, if you come in with a number and ask them to beat it you have taken away all of their advantages. Can't play that game for too long though as they will grow tired of it and take an offer off of the table. You have to do it within say a week at max.

 

[donniesyracuse]

If there is still time, sell the old car rather than trading it in. The difference can be thousands of dollars. The dealer offered me $2,000 for my old car. I sold it the next day via craigslist for $4,200.

 

[AlaskaSU]

If you have a small business, buy the car from the fleet sales dept of any large dealer. Fleet sale prices are much lower and you can just buy one car. No need to haggle on price.

another criteria I use is whether a particular model comes in orange. No orange, no car.

 

[bozophobe]

buying new is the worst investment you can make. the second you drive it off the lot, you've pissed away several G's in trade-in value.

This has become a bit overdone. Sure, if someone needs to immediately sell it back, they COULD lose thousands. But after (say) a 6 year payment plan is done, then he'll have a six year old car to trade in or sell, rather than an 8 year old car or so. Also, repair bills may be lower, or more fully covered under warranties.

And as others mentioned, rates for new cars are usually lower than those for used cars., plus incentives. Just take good care of it, and don't drive like a texting teen.

 

[ImperialOrange]

Another fun trick is to find a competing manufacturer with a similar model and play them again one another until you attain the price on the car you actually want. "Well Bob over at the Nissan dealership offered an Altima for $xx,xxx and offered me $x,xxx as trade in on my Yugo". That works especially well if you're not looking to trade but could help you get a bit more for the trade in as well.

Tell them you plan to purchase a car today, just debating which car and where. They'd be foolish to let you off the lot, especially end of month.

Works wonders with Chevy v Ford dealers so I'd imagine similar results if you can find the right competition to play off of.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Start with a couple of dealers you dont really intend to buy from to find out how
low you can get them to. It is less pressure because you know you're
probably mot going to purchase there. don't be afraid to walk away when you don't get your best price.

Last car we bought was a Toyota and had not previously dealt with any of the local Toyota dealer. We knew what we wanted and had some pretermined discounts already coming to us through work, etc. However we were still about $1500 to $2000 apart on our price. We were there for three hours and still wasn't happy. We left, drove to another dealer across town and within five minutes of walking in, we got the price we wanted.

 

[fairfaxcuse]

Going to help a family member purchase a Toyota Camry SE 4 Cylinder today after I remove snow from cars, driveway, walk and roof.

Just looking for some last minute advice from some of our great folks out there.

Not looking at the Limited Edition and am not interested in any other brand or model.

Thanks!

OE- Given you know what you want, you have a huge advantage and should use it to contact dealers via telephone or e-mail (but definitely not in person). When I buy a car, I go to cars.com to spec out the model and send e-mails to 4-5 dealers generate off the site. I provide the exact specs and get bids from them. Typically, their first bid will be high, but when they know they are in competition (my first response to them will often be "is this your best deal", and they will ask if I got a better one...I of course tell them that I will only go with the best offer). The advantage to the dealer is that they know they can make a quick sale with a fair price. My sister-in-law and I did this experiment in MA. She negotiated the car in person and I negotiated the exact car via e-mail. I got an offer $700 lower than her offer. The trick of course is e-mail because 1) it is easy communication and 2) it transparenty shows that you are getting other offers and know the market. In the end, a variety of the aforementioned strategies could work as long as you effectively communicate that you know what the car should cost.

 

[OrangeSky]

I have used a strategy of telling the dealer that my wife has a car buying service through her work and they are willing to sell me the car at $XXXX. I usually use the invoice price. I tell the dealer it would be more convenient to buy locally, and I'll buy the car at that price today, and they have always met that. I also give them an interest rate to meet or beat that comes from my wife's credit union. They have always met or beaten the rate.
That's the same as going in with a predetermined price that you're willing to pay, but puts extra pressure on them because your story is totally feasible.

The trade-in is a separate negotiation. I usually end up telling them that another dealer has offered $XX and hoping they meet it.

Good luck. Buying a new car is a battle.
Be hard-nosed!

 

[Frozen]

Take a look at my brother in law's company, fromcartofinish.com