OT: Need new car buying advice

[pfister1]

I had success with my last new car purchase by identifying the exact model and feature set I wanted in advance as it sounds you have. Then going to several dealers' website and finding that vehicle in their inventory and asking their internet sales teams for a price quote on the vehicle. I was able to get several different prices, I even managed to get two different quotes that were $1,000 apart on the same vehicle from the same dealer (I guess they don't do a very good job assigning inquiries and taking notes on the responses they give). With the internet quotes don't feel like you are limited to getting quotes from the dealership that is geographically most convenient to you. Use the lowest quote to go back to your dealer of choice and bargain them down, if they are not the best price.

I was also able to get another price point check by getting a bid using the Costco auto buyer's program. Incidentally, using Costco's program I had one dealer tell me I needed to come to their lot to get their price and another give me a price that was fair, but considerably higher than the price I ultimately negotiated using the dealers own internet department.

All of this information helped my to determine what I felt was a fair price. I don't know if I got the "best" price possible, but I left feeling that I got a very good deal...and in the end all you want is to feel good about the deal you cut.

Might be too late in the game for you to do this if you are trying to make a purchase today. Good luck.

 

[Jeepers]

As previously stated, definitely shop around and bounce the prices off the other dealers. Also, always leave once you get their best price. They will call you back. Then you can get all the accessories thrown in that you want (mudflaps, floor mats, moonroof visor, etc.).

It's too bad that carorder.com went out of business. They would do all the haggling for you and you were basically guaranteed to not give the dealer more than $400 in profit. I got a car through them before they went out of business. They had a screw up on the specs of my special ordered car, and they basically had to cut a check to the dealer I bought from for $2k, to make amends.

 

[Orangeyes]

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!

Coach Shafer?

 

[Crusty]

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.

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I was hoping that you would reply to this post and I wasn't disappointed!

 

[arrow2arinzesknee]

I work for Toyota at a dealership, (service not sales) and lease a Camry. Absolutely love it a.d its an awesome car. I leased because residual after the lease to buyout is lower by far than a used car price and buys me three years of lower payments, gives me the option to upgrade on three years without having to have car paid off before then and we don't put on 12000 miles a year so it works . Any questions on the mechanics and features of the car pm me ans I'll help anytime

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I was hoping that you would reply to this post and I wasn't disappointed!

I do what I can. We're a family here.

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[Townie72]

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.

And if you turned around and sold the car the second you drove it off the lot, you would take a huge bath.

But, Blue Curtain, that isn't what people do. So its a nonsense point. They tend to own the car for many years. Cars these days can be expected to go 150,000 miles and last 10 to 15 years.

People who plan to keep their cars for a long period of time probably ought to buy new cars. That way they get exactly what they want and get the entire warranty and the assurance that the car hasn't had major problems previously or that maintenance has been ignored.

 

[cuserulesall]

Coach Shafer?

Always get the 10 year 120,000 mile warranty . You are the boss !

 

[PeteCalvin]

I'm printing this thread and tacking it on the refrigerator for later this year. You guys are awesome.

 

[IthacaMatt]

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!

I did this with Burdick a few years ago when I was looking at a RAV4 and they looked at me like I was from Mars. I wound up buying a different car elsewhere. The most important tip I would share is get your financing elsewhere before you go to a dealer, because that's where most of the shenanigans take place, while they keep you waiting for hours while they are "trying to get you" the loan.

 

[Orangeyes]

First, I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. You do not know how much your input is appreciated...pro, con, humorous or otherwise.
There is some great advice contained herein. Pete Calvin even said he was going to copy the suggestions and tape them to his fridge for future reference.

My only regret is not having put this on the board earlier in the week. Some of the advice could have been followed prior to visiting any of the dealerships. Unfortunately, the wheels had already been set in motion that Saturday was going to be the target date to see the cars in person. Confirmation of models, colors, features and availability were to be determined as well as the commencement of negotiations.

The spouse showed an interest in being a part of the process. With a family that has three children heavily involved in weekday and weekend activities as well as a couple who have different work schedules, getting everything to sync together can be difficult if not next to impossible. In addition, lining up someone to watch the children can be a challenge too. Grandma was willing to give up her craft show and what with the children's activities ending at one, that gave us four hours to implement the plan before the dealership closed. One more thing, the salesman we wanted to deal with was on duty.

After the deal is done I will fill you in on the negotiation process so that it might provide some insights to those of you in the market for a new car.

Once again, I want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who responded to this post. This is starting to take on the semblence of a syracusefan.com reality show, lol.

 

[Ghost]

And if you turned around and sold the car the second you drove it off the lot, you would take a huge bath.

But, Blue Curtain, that isn't what people do. So its a nonsense point. They tend to own the car for many years. Cars these days can be expected to go 150,000 miles and last 10 to 15 years.

Wait, what??????

I've been doing that for years now - it was part of my retirement planning.

Buy new car.

Sell car next day.

Profit.

 

[HarrisonJBounel]

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

Before you negotiate for the trade with the dealer, you may want to get a quote for the old car from Carmax. It takes about half an hour, and is good for 7 days, as long as you drive it less than 300 miles, and no material issues occur in that time. I have done this more than once, and I was pleasantly surprised at the offers I got from them. There is no commitment on your part, and it can't hurt to say you have a firm offer and know what it is before you go in to the dealer.

Free markets are society's greatest asset.

 

[OrangeSky]

One other thing that I think is worth sharing FWIW-told to me by a former car salesman-
When you get to the point in negotiations when you're close, but perhaps a few hundred apart and the dealer asks you to "split the difference", the correct response is no. It's almost always an indication that your deal is acceptable, and it's a last minute technique to try and get a few more bucks to the dealer.
Similarly, when the dealer says "it's just a few extra dollars, per month, are you willing to lose the car for a few dollars?", that's also an indication that your deal is acceptable, but the dealer is trying to extract just a few more dollars.

 

[llandz]

Haven't read all the answers, but my husband has this down to a science. First of all if you can wait, buy the car the last week of the month. That is when they are trying to meet quotas, and will do almost anything to get to number of sales where they get big dealer, and sales person incentives. So the price becomes less important than the importance of attaining total number of sales for the month. Secondly, instead of going into the dealership, he goes through their online sales department. He emails every dealer, and gives them the exact same car details. These departments seem to give better deals. Usually they know if you are going through them, you are going to all of them. Go to every Toyota dealer in your area. Usually only the most savvy buyers use them, and they go right to the best price, and best deal. If you don't like the deal tell them to sharpen their pencils, and they usually still come down more. It is much less intimidating to deal with someone this way as oopposed to in person. Of course the transactions ends up in person, but you have a written price they have already promised you in hand when you get there. And you have the option to sit at your desk and play one against the other.
Lastly, it is always more cost effective to sell a car yourself than through a trade in. But you have to be comfortable doing that. If now deal with them on the trade in. But do the sales deal first, and just tell them you have a car to trade in, and will talk to them about it when you come in.

 

[llandz]

We have also used Orangeeyes approach where we know of a low price somewhere, it could be anywhere. Cause dealers ship cars. Then we go in and say this is the deal we want to make. And don't bend on it. That is what we used to do before we used the online sales departments of each dealer.

 

[chop block]

The best advice I can give you is do not over complicate things. the dealerships do this everyday, you will do this a handful of times in your life. Be upfront and honest and you will get the same (from most dealerships). Get several quotes online then pick the closest dealer and tell them if they make you the same deal you will buy right now. Do not hold back on the trade. All you will do is piss off the sales person and their manager, and prolong your time at the dealership. Most sales people make a flat commission on new cars. There is not the mark up like there was even ten years ago ( thank you internet).
You should also find out your credit score in advance. even if you plan on leasing, dealers make money by marking the rate up; Typically 2%. 0% financing is usually just a gimmick to get you in the door. The rebates almost always work out better.
When you are purchasing a car all you need to know is what the "out the door price" is.
You should also return for service from where you buy the car. when you need things like loaners, people who purchase their cars from where they buy them get first dibs. They also get preferential scheduling, and if a part fails recently after your warranty expires, most times they can get the manufacture to pick up at least part of the tab for you. If you purchased elsewhere they will probably look at you like your stupid.
Also dealers do not really want to do warranty work. The manufacture's pay at a much lower rate for labor and parts. So if they only see you for warranty work again you will not get the best service.
You should at all costs follow the owners manual for service, and avoid any chain repair shop or stand alone garages. New cars are very complicated. If they make a mistake you may void your warranty. If the dealer makes a mistake you can call the manufactures customer service. The manufacture will almost always take the customers side. Cousins joe's garage will tell you to take a hike.

 

[suhoops4life]

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!

The 2013 Camry Hybrid is ranked #1 in class by Consumer Reports.