Has anyone here used a buyer's agent for car purchasing?

You don't want to test drive different cars to see what you're paying for? Why not just use E-Bay then or something....that way, you won't even have to pay an agent, or waste a trip to the dealership to pay.

 

I bought two cars in three years and never had to deal with the dealers directly because I did everything via email with them. I did everything online, negotiated my price, played them against each other, etc. Then I walked in, test drove the car I wanted and finished the paperwork. Made it much easier, saved a bunch of money, and didn't have to deal with most of the dealership BS. I wouldn't pay a buyer's agent for something you can do yourself.

 

How much commission does the agent take typically?

 

I've never used one, but I can definitely understand the allure. I freekin hate negotiating with dealers. Goddam weasels. I've pretty much decided to buy used for the rest of my life just to avoid them.

 

So they get you their "best deal" and you pay them regardless of whether you buy the car or not? It seems like their is some risk that the deal isn't good enough for you to buy the car, but you still pay the $500.

 

Just go to Edmunds.com, read all the pricing information, go the their forums for the specific model you are looking at and read the "prices paid" threads. You should then be able to email various dealers and get a good price in writing. Its the "new" way to buy a car and it takes a ton of the hassle out of it. (In fact I've read that the floor salesmen hate the internet sales guys for stealing a lot of their business and working basically on volume rather than tryin got squeeze every buyer for every dime)

In fact, what car are you looking at purchasing?

 

If you really don't want to hassle with anything, call The Car Guy Jerry Reynolds on 610, tell him what you want and then he will hook you up with a dealer. You apparently get a "car guy" set price which is a good deal, according to many people. Worth a try if you know what you want to buy

 

If anyone in your family owns a Honda, they are offering a "double" rebate that amounts to about $1800. ($900 if you don't have a Honda).

You should be able to get the car for about $400-$450 under invoice plus any rebates. Email around to see what they'll offer you, especially if you are looking for a Honda and there are probably about 30 dealerships within an hour of wherever you are.

 

If the agent gets a flat fee, what motivation does het have to find you the best deal?

Seems to me, that, as long as he gets his $500, he doesn't care what kind of deal you get.

 

Some companies have this as a free service (pending membership), where you put in the car you want and you can buy it at pre-negotiated prices.

Costco: http://www.costcoauto.com
AMEX : http://amexnetwork.zag.com/main.html

I recommended the AMEX service to someone on here and while he didn't use it, he was able to get a better price.

Either way, you can view the price for the car you want, no commitments to buy.

 

AMEX:

2010 Honda Accord Sedan

<pre>
INVOICE MSRP AMEX
Base $20,022 $21,765 $19,122
TOTAL $20,022 $21,765 $19,122
Savings off MSRP: $2,643
</pre>

 

Never, NEVER, EVER negotiate a car price using MSRP as a base.

 

This.

I could never EVER buy a car without driving it first.

 

Right .... Invoice is there too.