Can someone give me some advice on buying a car? Spent 10 hours at a dealer:disgusted, exhausted?

Question

Buying a new car: worst experience - a nightmare
Having to deal with salesmen for hours on end
Finally signed a deal. Then, a bunch of surprise add on costs that drove the price up by almost $3000! Dealer prep, destination, paperwork (handling) charges, title transfer charge,cleaning charge, "courtesy" fees (for coffee & donuts?),
safety inspection fee(not the state's), transport fee, etc.
This whole thing was worse than what I had imagined: as close to a perfect crime as you can get. Any advice on buying a car and how to avoid this mess?

Answer 1

That dealer saw blood and went for it.



You have to know what you are dealing with before you enter the showroom. kbb.com and edmunds.com both give invoice and retail prices as well as any incentives. Edmunds will list what most people are paying which will be less than the MSRP in most cases. Research can save you thousands. Unless you are buying a car in demand (such as a Toyota hybrid), you should be in the driver's seat (pardon the pun) as most automakers are experiencing sales declines.



You should print out all the options available and invoice prices of the car(s) you are interested in. Do not expect the salesman to be forthcoming with rebates and incentives either. If you don't know there is a $2,000 rebate, they may never tell you. Also research "holdback" as it may be 2-3% of the invoice price, so even if the dealer sold a car to you at "invoice" price, they still make some money on the sale. Also, depending on sales numbers, they might also get added incentives from the manufacturer.



The end of the month is usually a decent time to buy in case a dealer needs a couple more sales to reach a certain goal.



DO NOT be afraid to say no and get up and walk away. If they want your business they will contact you or stop you before you leave. Tell them upfront you are not gonna hang around for hours on end. If things haven't gone your way within 30 minutes or so tell them you are done and head for the door.



DO NOT tell them what the most you can afford to pay otherwise your car will cost that plus a few dollars more.



DO NOT discuss trades until after you have gotten a price, based on invoice prices + some modest amount of profit (but NOT full MSRP). Otherwise they will make up your "great" deal on the new car with a sucker punch on the trade in. Know the value of you trade in from the sites listed below.



DO NOT pay for the "extras" such as undercoating, rust proofing, paint sealers, fabric protection, etc. These are usually listed separate of the "Maroney" Label (the sticker on the side that lists standard and options equipment and gas mileage figures).



I've even seen such things as "price level adjustment" or "adp" (additional dealer profit) added to a sticker. These are pure added cost - do not pay!



Come to the dealership with financing in hand. Get pre-approved with your bank or other financial institution (shop around for the best rate). Otherwise they may stick it to you on the back end with a bad rate. When I bought my last car (a 2004), they offered me 6.95%. I told them I could get 4.5% from my local credit union, they offered me 4.44% from Bank of America. I took that since I didn't really have a credit union (but I did look up their rates for new cars so it wasn't a real big lie)



USE THE INTERNET to research and locate a car you are looking for. Most automakers allow you to search a dealer's lot and even view the stickers and prices for actual cars on the lot. Email the dealership and ask for their best price on the car you want. I honestly believe that when you do this, they will often throw you a pretty decent price right off the bat, because if they do not, you may not even come to the showroom.



Lastly, do not allow yourself to be bullied. If you feel like you are walk away. They generally need you more than you need them.



Did I say do not be afraid to walk away. They are trying to wear you down and agree to their terms.

Answer 2

I'm working on a consumer seminar to cover the subject of "How to Buy" but it is not quite ready yet... but here are a few tips.



Start by going to edmunds.com, completing their checklist, and getting some online quotes for the vehicle you want. You will also see what people are actually paying for the vehicle you want.



Create a form that says all price negotiations will be inclusive of all costs except for sales tax and state fees. Take it with you and have an authorized dealer representative sign it. If they refuse to sign, walk out. The threat to leave is one of your most powerful tools. (The negotiation session is all about control and they lose complete control if you leave their dealership.)



Put time on your side. Never go to a dealership more than two hours before close. Friday and Saturday nights are the best time. As the negotiations drag past normal closing, time becomes your friend. The dealership will have three to five people that have to stay until your deal is closed...and they probably have other things to do on Fri or Sat.



End of month, quarter, year can also be on your side if the dealer's sales are below their goals. You have no way of knowing their situation but the end of an accounting period is usually better than the beginning.



If you are a couple, never discuss the deal when the salesman leaves the office -- they may be listening to your conversation. If you need to talk, walk to the restroom or buy a drink at the vending machine. Have your "private" conversation anywhere but in the salesman's office.

Answer 3

You're better off buying a car that is 2-3 years old. I just picked up a 2005 neon with not even 16,000 miles on it, 5 year warranty and the whole shot. That was at cheapercar.com. Another place that is good is enterprise rent a car, or any other car rental place depending on the kind of car you want. Carmax is also good. Also don't forget to check kbb.com and maybe get a carfax report.

Answer 4

Nothing stated about if it's standard or automatic but I would assume automatic as it's a small compact car. The fact that it has had head gasket work is where I would be concerned. I would question who and where the work was done. If not by a professional, you could be buying a potential giant paperweight. Head gasket problems are not easy to fix and extremely costly due to the location of the head gasket and the difficulty of parts necessary to remove to access the head gasket for replacement. Do your homework on all of the vehicles you potentially are interested in buying. MAKE SURE to test drive before buying ANYTHING. Make sure to drive for at least 15 minutes to make sure there are not cooling issues etc. or other various problems (windshield wipers not working, not shifting, not braking well, knocking, smoke, shaking, squeaking, leaking, etc.)

Answer 5

Sure, buy a used car. New cars aren't worth the money or the hassle.



Look in the Autotrader, find a car you like, do your homework then hand the man a check. Then you drive home in a great car. Saved yourself a huge hassle, saved at least several thousand dollars and didn't feel like you got ganged up on in the process.

Answer 6

next time you go to a dealer just tell them



i have a check for xxxx amount in hand.



i will pay xxxx amount out the door.



take it or leave it