I drive an A4 right now, and after spending $15,000 in the last year and a half keeping running along with all the huge long waits for parts, I'm staying away from the Volkswagen lines for now. While I've heard many people have very good luck with VW, I'm just not trusting enough of their company's reliability right now, especially when I had to get the Texas Attorney General involved last year just to get an air conditioner hose (they didn't have ANY of them in the United States last summer and didn't really feel liker importing more). I love the way my A4 drives. If I could count on it to not be so expensive to maintain, I'd be buying the new bodystyle A4.
I can't do that. I just can't stand to pay for something I don't want, especially since it tends to add at least a grand to the price of the car. On my Audi, I ended up taking the big money sunroof package even though I didn't want it because the salesman was motivated to sell me something off the lot and all they had were ones with the sunroof, so he knocked down the price to a point where I was paying virtually nothing for it. That was worth it because I would've had to wait for him to find me a car or order me one otherwise. But the option that most people have on thier lot is the auto transmission, and I ain't buying that (and at North Texas Nissan, they have that $3,000 worth of sealant). I just wish that once it became clear that I wasn't a sucker, these people would go to the tack of just trying to sell me the car as quickly as possible. So far, many salesmen have just been persistent in trying to get me to be a sucker. I did finally have the Internet guy at Bankston get back to me and say that my price was fair, but now he's not sure he can locate the vehicle I want (they don't have it on the lot. They don't have any manuals). He found one that has the sunroof that's $814 more. In the end, it might be worth it just buy the one with the sunroof (the offer on that one they've made is a fair one) just to get it over with, even though I will never have use for the sunroof (though I guess it might be nice when I'm in Los Angeles for ten weeks this summer).
Anyone ever see the movie "Suckers"? Overall the movie's not that great, but it gives a little insight into the whole car-buying scam....the ruthless part of it at least. Rent it and watch it the day before you start dealing with the sales scum.......you'll definately be sporting a 'tude when you hit the lot.
All this talk about $3000 sealant reminds me of the great scene in Fargo where Jerry Lundegard (William H. Macy) is selling the guy the car with the undercoating he doesn't. Jerry goes to talk to his boss, but really goes into the break room to check on the score in the hockey game before coming back. Jerry: Well, I've never seen him do this before. He knocked $500 of the price of that undercoating. Carbuyer: What?! You're a liar, Mr. Lundegard. A farking liar. Where's my check book?
<B>In the end, it might be worth it just buy the one with the sunroof (the offer on that one they've made is a fair one) just to get it over with, even though I will never have use for the sunroof (though I guess it might be nice when I'm in Los Angeles for ten weeks this summer).</B> I use my sunroof all the time in the winter!!
Major - In houston we only have 3-4 weeks winter, so thats not crazy. I agree with Behad on this issue, bringing cash with you does get better deals. At least for me it did.
Most car dealerships suck ASS! Here is my story: I bought my Lexus two years ago. Didnt have a GS300 with a navigation system in the entire state of Texas. Well my dad flew to LA cause they had one there. He makes a deal I think on 11-20-00. They promise to ship the car to us within two weeks. That would make it around 12-04-00. Well like 12-08-00 rolls around and still no car. We call em and they said its on the way. We told em we wanted it by the 12-13-00 cause its a special day for my family. They said "oh sure" the car is in San Antonio and we will get it much befor that day. 12-20-00 rolls around. Still no car. We obviously have called em many times already. Told em we better get it by Christmas. They said "oh sure, definitely" by Christmas. But the car was in Phoenix! I was like thinking wtf is the car doing back in Phoenix?!?!? Thought that thing was in San Antonio. I am not a geographical expert, but I am not that dumb. They kept on telling us some bs. 12-29-00 rolls around before we finally got the freakin car. I called back the company and the manager was rude enough to just hang up on me! THIS IS A FREAKIN LEXUS DEALERSHIP PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Its not a Kia dealership. I obviously contacted the North American Lexus Association (or some crap like that). They said "yeah Keyes Lexus is just like that"! :wtf: I finally gave up.
When you ship a car from a different location does the dealer pay for it or do you have to? If you have to how much is the shipping?
The dealer payed for it. Though I imagine it varies case by case. I think the dealer said he paid $300 to ship it.
www.edmunds.com www.kbb.com Look for things such as dealer withholding, rebates, etc. as well. I ended up getting my car for about $200 under invoice because of these sites. Most of your run-of-the-mill cars can be had for below or near invoice pricing if they're wildly popular.
Shanna had the right idea. Do all your haggling before you ever get to the dealership. Know exactly what kind of car you want. Know what color you want. Know what features you want. And know what the general price range is on the vehicle. Then, you call one of them up. (I don't know why the fear of phone calls, but email/fax is OK too I guess). Get them to commit to a price (NOT payments - bottom line price). Make it clear that you're making your decision over the phone. Then call up the next dealership. Repeat the process above. If his price is higher than dealer #1, let him know. He'll make a lower bid. Then go to the 3rd dealer and do the same thing, etc. In smaller cities like Austin it's harder, but not impossible. You can always call back a dealership that you've already spoken with and tell them you've found a lower price. Their "best deal" price will come down some more. Once you've arranged a price over the phone, you can work out the payment plan with the dealership who's given you the lowest bid. Since they'll give you the run-around on that too, it's best to take care of it before you ever set foot on the lot. I did this when I got my Toyota two years ago. Took maybe an hour and a half, tops, and saved endless hassle when I got to the dealership.
The Consumer Reports Auto Buying Guides presents very balanced information for negotiation. They also discuss invoice price and holdbacks/dealer incentives etc. so you really have a good idea how much the dealer paid for the car - what the dealer might get back from the maker. That gives you a good starting point to negotiate (true price they will pay to sell you the car). The zero-financing plans (Nissan had one up until a couple of months ago) sounded pretty good. I wonder if you could declare you wanted to do that after you settled on car price. What is scary to me is it is this bad in a reccession. Think what will happen when their are more buyers than the sought after cars models.
I havent had any experiences on new cars, but on used ones I have had quite a few. Here are some facts: 1. All car salesmen are compulsive liars. Dont believe a word that comes out of their mouths. 2. Buy a used car cash. The last thing you want is a car payment on a USED car. I think I have shared my Honda Accord experience. Let me tell you that its not much fun paying $225 a month for a used car when over the past year and a half, you have had over $4,000 in REPAIRS. So basically I have been paying around $500 a month for a 7 year old Accord with 98,000 miles on it. 3. If you do buy used, try using Lemon Busters. They come out and do like a 200 point full inspection on the used car you are looking to purchase, and I think it costs around $125, which I will GLADLY pay on my next used car purchase. 4. Its a HELLUVA lot easier to deal with an owner than a car dealer. They will tell you honestly what they are trying to sell it for, and usually have poor poker faces, which is why #3 is a good thing. 5. NO CAR PAYMENT. If you can afford to pay cash for a used car, do it. A car is the only expensive purchase you will ever make that is GUARANTEED to DECREASE in value. Save yourself the $250-$600 a month and buy a big screen. 6. Personally I would much rather pay $500 a year to maintain a used car (excluding the disasterous lemon that I bought in my Accord) than $500 a month to own a new one over the next 3,4,5 years. Just some of my thoughts. I will always buy from an individual, NEVER from a compulsive liar.
They don't have the Civic Si-Type R in the United States yet. The Type R has the 200 hp Honda engine as in the Acura RSX Type S, the highest Civic has the 160 hp motor. The Type R won't hit these shores until 2004, according to Honda.
Just an update, the Internet guy from Bankston in Lewisville is checking in to finding me the car I want with the options I want. e said he found 13 of them in his 12 state area that he has immediate access to on the computer. He's going check and see if those are available. I offered a price that was a little above invoice and he accepted it on the caveat that we are able to get one. So it may work out after all. I guess I will find out soon enough. But now I'm pissed at Verizon since they've delayed my DSL installation another week. If it isn't one thing, it's another (I did make them guarantee the service would be on by the 27th in writing, though. And I'm going to keep calling up the food chain until I can get someone who will actually expediate the order. They are the ones who screwed up. They will pay for their screw up one way or another. I've gone beyond the point of allowing myself to be dicked with). Makes me wonder if there is a single well-run company out there any more. I don't think I'll be seeing Verizon on "Profiles of Excellence" anytime soon.
How to buy a car 101: From a dealers perspective 1. BEFORE COMING TO THE LOT KNOW WHAT YOU WANT!!!!!!!! By this I mean is it a car is it a truck is it an SUV with 24" rims and low pros? A salesmans worst nightmare is for a customer to come into the lot and say I don't know what I want, but then turn around and ask him about every car in the lot to later find out that what the guy really was looking for was a Ford F-350 Dually. I mean that drives salesmen nutts. 2. Once you decide on the type of vehicle you want, do your homework. Research every aspect of the model's you are interested in. So if your looking at Mustang's, Eclipse's, and WRX's don't come to the dealership and ask to see the V8 model of the WRX. Time is money for a salesman. You do your homework and know the invoice for all the models and how much the option packages cost then you will a) save yourself a lot of time b.) save yourself a lot of money c.) make a buddy with a salesman who will hook you up anytime you need a car. 3.) Once you have narrowed your decision to one vehicle then its time to do some wheeling and dealing. If you don't really like a car don't go and waste the salesmans time to find out how cheap you can get car X versus the Toyota Camry that you like. Don't ever settle for a car that you don't like because you will have to live with that car for a while. If you get a really good deal on a car you don't like you will end up paying a lot more trying to trade it in. With that said don't try to buy a Bugatti with a Daewoo budget. Tips on getting the best price 1. Always be nice to your salesperson. Don't believe the movies, salespeople are actually homosapians just like your selves, well at least most anyways. Your salesman/woman is not exactly working for the Dealer, he is in fact working for you. When a customer leaves the lot without purchasing a vehicle he gets paid nothing. No matter how long he was with a customer. I as a dealer will make a deal where I am losing money on a car that I need to move or want to move just because I don't want my salesman/woman to get burnt out. So if your salesperson has a brain, which they should if they want to continue in the profession he knows that when you leave, so does his money. 2. Buy cars on weekends at the end of the month. Car dealers LOVE sports, and for most dealers selling is a way for their fat asses to compete with other dealers. So hypothetically at the end of the month the dealer is willing to blow out some units so he can be #1 in the city, state, region, or nation. Also by buying on the last day of the month you make yourself more money. Look at it this way you have up to 31 days to keep your money invested in a financial institution before you have to make your payment. 3. When you look at the ad's always read it carefully. When it says 0% APR and $5000 rebate make sure it says you get both at the same time. If your not sure call and ask. I would say 75% of the time it will say "Rebate in lieu of financing" That means if you get the 0% you don't also get the $5000 rebate. It can be written in fine print but it is there. 4. When you are dealing with the salesman never make him go to the manager with a ridiculous offer. If even you know its not possible then why waste everyones time? Not to mention the fact that the salesperson will get his ******* chewed out. Make an offer that you feel is fair and if you are not willing to budge then don't**BUT MAKE SURE ITS FAIR**. When buying a car realize that every auto maker has different markups. A Chevy dealer will have a MUCH higher markup between invoice and MSRP than say a Mazda dealer. Offering $500 over invoice will get it done at some dealers and will cause utter chaos at others. Make sure you know what type of car it is also, meaning is it a high volume car like an Accord, Taurus, and Camry or is it a profit driven car such as a Subaru WRX, Nissan 350Z, Vette? If you are talking about an Accord or Camry hell I wouldn't be surprised at dealers doing it for $200 over invoice, but if your talking about a WRX be prepared to pay over MSRP. Drewdog Stay away from used cars as much as possible. Its better to pay a little more than what you were willing to pay and get a new car then to go with a used car. For one thing you don't know who drove the car, having me as the previous owner and a nun will make a world of a difference, even if we maintained the cars exactly the same. Don't trust a private owner just because he's not a dealer. When you get sick of that car and trade it in and realize that instead of having only 32,935 miles you really had 189,278 miles on the engine you are responsible for it and thats punishable by jail. There are numerous things that can go wrong when buying from an owner. I'm not saying to overlook all private sellers because most have good intentions and really have a genuine need for the money but be carefull. Zac D DO NOT OFFER INVOICE! Offer some number above it but well below MSRP unless it falls into the "Hot" car category. I hope this helps some of you, I know I left out a lot but this will have to do for now because I have to go. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask me as I'll try to help if I can.
Thanks much, I'll try to keep all this in mind whenever the time comes that I can somewhat afford a new car...
