Haggling with car salesmen

[3E8]

How do you:

 

A. Know how much under the sticker to shoot for?

 

B. Come off like you are in control of the situation?

 

C. Translate haggling to monthly lease price?

[The Critic]

I can't f***ing stand it.

Stupid back-and-forth, "let me talk to my manager" bulls***.

Walked out of a lot this morning, in fact. Stupid f***ers don't even list the prices of used cars anywhere on the car, they want you to go into the goddamned office to get the STARTING price now.

No f***ing way.

[Soxy]

When I bought my car I went in, told him how much I wanted to spend total, how much I was putting down and told him to show me what was in my price range. I didn't haggle, I just told him exactly what I wanted and would pay upfront; I think I got a good deal.

[Queen Prawn]

The times I went into a dealership, I always made sure I knew exactly what I wanted and how much I was willing to spend. If something started to seem shady to me, I was outta there.

[southsider2k5]

How do you:

 

A.  Know how much under the sticker to shoot for?

 

B.  Come off like you are in control of the situation?

 

C.  Translate haggling to monthly lease price?

 

Don't let them negotiate with you in terms of lease price. MAKE THEM negotiate each piece of the deal separately. Workout the price of the car, then the trade in, then the financing.

[Wong & Owens]

I work in the industry, I can help you weed through the bulls***. PM me if you want any help.

[Middle Buffalo]

I haven't bought a new car for 5 years, but I know that there's plenty of info on the internet.

 

When I did it, I called all the dealers in my area and asked what it would cost for the car I was interested in. As I called each subsequent dealer, I told them what each place told me was their bottom price. It saved a ton of time to do this by phone first. Then I went to the dealer with the best price and haggled some more.

 

They absolute key is being prepared to get up and walk out if you are not comfortable. Remember, they want to make the deal TODAY, so they don't want to let you walk. If you stand up and say "Is that the best you can do? Well, I'll have to think about it." Chances are, they'll try to do better.

[Wong & Owens]

I just thought of something else. If you tell me what kind of car you want, and where you're located, I can find you a good, no-monkeybusiness dealer in your area.

[Queen Prawn]

If you are looking at used cars, I suggest Carmax. Brian got his Mustang GT there and purchased the warranty - it has already paid for itself. The price was as advertised, gave a great price on the trade in and got us a good interest rate.

[Middle Buffalo]

Wong,

What about all that extra stuff they try to sell? Undercoat rustproofing, window etching, etc. Should you just say no to all of that stuff and get it on your own? That's what I did. I didn't want to finance all of that over the life of my loan.

[3E8]

I just thought of something else.  If you tell me what kind of car you want, and where you're located, I can find you a good, no-monkeybusiness dealer in your area.

The thing is, I'm not looking right at this moment, but definitely within the year. The area I'll be in is wherever employment takes me. I am young, never purchased a car before, and never watched my Dad go through this process. I mainly don't want to get taken advantage of and at the same time don't want to be overzealous.

[Soxy]

The thing is, I'm not looking right at this moment, but definitely within the year.  The area I'll be in is wherever employment takes me.  I am young, never purchased a car before, and never watched my Dad go through this process.  I mainly don't want to get taken advantage of and at the same time don't want to be overzealous.

I think the main thing is, to go in and look like you know what you're doing. I made the sales guy show me the engine, so I could check in various places for corrosion, check the floor mats and carpet for signs of wear and tear or repair, and stuff like that. I really did my homework and feel like by being an informed consumer they couldn't take advantage of me.

 

Oh, and I walked out of any dealership whose first question to me was What color do you want. Ummmmm, let's see do you have the sedan in a lovely f*** off?

[Wong & Owens]

Wong,

What about all that extra stuff they try to sell?  Undercoat rustproofing, window etching, etc.  Should you just say no to all of that stuff and get it on your own?  That's what I did.  I didn't want to finance all of that over the life of my loan.

 

 

Yes, all that stuff is either useless or grossly over-priced.

[Wong & Owens]

The thing is, I'm not looking right at this moment, but definitely within the year.  The area I'll be in is wherever employment takes me.  I am young, never purchased a car before, and never watched my Dad go through this process.  I mainly don't want to get taken advantage of and at the same time don't want to be overzealous.

 

 

Well, when you decide what you want to do, keep me in mind if you want some help. I'm here most days lol.

[Kid Gleason]

I'm terrible at haggling, but my wife is REALLY good. She usually leaves the salesman with the tail between their legs.

[Art Vandelay]

You can get all the information you need off the internet. Also, if you're buying new, ask them to show you the invoice price. I kept telling them I wanted to go to at least 1 other dealer and they just wouldn't let me go. Kept lowering the price. I eventually got them at $300 below invoice then I chimed in that I had $700 in GM points (they just LOVED that) LOL

 

(Oh, plus my $4000 (?) cash back)....I think I got a really good deal

Edited September 2, 2005 by Art Vandelay

[Texsox]

Oh, and I walked out of any dealership whose first question to me was What color do you want. Ummmmm, let's see do you have the sedan in a lovely f*** off?

 

Good for you.

 

now little lady let me show you something you really should know how to use

 

 

[Iwritecode]

This brings up the question whether it's better to buy a car from a dealer or from a private party?

 

My first two cars I bought from dealers. The first one was from a little privately-owned used car lot. I walked in, found something I liked, told him how much I wanted to pay, paid it all in cash and had no problems. The car was put in my parents name but it was still "mine". We ended up selling it for about half of what we paid for it.

 

The second car I bought was the first one that I got to put in my own name. I made the mistake of going to one of the larger dealerships, falling in love with a car and paying way too much for it. With the length of the loan I ended up owing more that it was worth within a couple of years and couldn't get rid of it. I ended up totaling it in an accident and luckily the insurance paid most of it off. I had to borrow some money to make up the difference.

 

The two vehicles I currently have were both found in the classified ads. One has been paid off for a couple of years and the other I only have another one and a half years left to pay. I could probably sell it now and make get most of what I paid for it back.

 

 

Maybe it's the fact that I got burned by a dealership or the fact that I put almost 30,000 miles a year on my car (making any warranty I get short-lived) but I don't plan on buying a car from a dealer again. I seem to get a better deal from private parties.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Iwritecode

[Wong & Owens]

This brings up the question whether it's better to buy a car from a dealer or from a private party?

 

My first two cars I bought from dealers. The first one was from a little privately-owned used car lot. I walked in, found something I liked, told him how much I wanted to pay, paid it all in cash and had no problems. The car was put in my parents name but it was still "mine". We ended up selling it for about half of what we paid for it.

 

The second car I bought was the first one that I got to put in my own name. I made the mistake of going to one of the larger dealerships, falling in love with a car and paying way too much for it. With the length of the loan I ended up owing more that it was worth within a couple of years and couldn't get rid of it. I ended up totaling it in an accident and luckily the insurance paid most of it off. I had to borrow some money to make up the difference.

 

The two vehicles I currently have were both found in the classified ads. One has been paid off for a couple of years and the other I only have another one and a half years left to pay. I could probably sell it now and make get most of what I paid for it back.

Maybe it's the fact that I got burned by a dealership or the fact that I put almost 30,000 miles a year on my car (making any warranty I get short-lived) but I don't plan on buying a car from a dealer again. I seem to get a better deal from private parties.

 

It depends on how car-smart you are. If you know enough to be aware of what to look for, then you're better off going with a private seller, because that's where you will generally get better deals. But, if you don't have greasemonkey tendencies, then a dealer is the way to go. Especially if you're looking at late-model used cars, every model has a certified category that comes with warranties and are well worth the extra $$. In either case, you need to have as much knowledge as possible-- that will protect you from getting screwed more than anything

[Texsox]

I've heard of more problems with private deals than dealerships, although obviously there are good and bad deals from both. Turned back odometers, temporary repairs, etc.

 

Be smart and do your research and add up all the payments.

[Iwritecode]

It depends on how car-smart you are.  If you know enough to be aware of what to look for, then you're better off going with a private seller, because that's where you will generally get better deals.  But, if you don't have greasemonkey tendencies, then a dealer is the way to go.  Especially if you're looking at late-model used cars, every model has a certified category that comes with warranties and are well worth the extra $$.  In either case, you need to have as much knowledge as possible-- that will protect you from getting screwed more than anything

 

I guess that's part of it too. I do a lot of my own repairs which saves me a lot of money rather than paying for any kind of warranty.

 

The problem is that the newer cars a getting more complex and more difficult to diagnose for a do-it-yourselfer...

[Iwritecode]

I've heard of more problems with private deals than dealerships, although obviously there are good and bad deals from both. Turned back odometers, temporary repairs, etc.

 

Be smart and do your research and add up all the payments.

 

A friend of mine bought a car from a used-car lot and later found out that one of the engine mounts was missng. They used a chain to hold it up instead...

 

In my experience private sellers have been pretty good. A lot of them aren't really looking to make a profit. Just get rid of a car.

Edited September 2, 2005 by Iwritecode

[smalls2598]

use Edunds.com, its a very valuable site.

 

I used the site probably 20 times a day back in 2003 before i made my purchase (a 2003 Monte Carlo SS). You can look up pretty much any car, and find prices, pictures, options availible, Tips and Advice on how to buy a car, and there are even links to get a hold of sales managers to get quotes.

 

Give it a try; soo much info is availible on the site.

Edited September 2, 2005 by smalls2598

[Heads22]

My uncle owns a dealership. I'm going to him....LOL

[DePloderer]

Late Saturday afternoons toward the end of the month are always good times to buy anything over here in England. If the salesman is struggling for target he'll normaly give and equaly if he's already made target he won't fight you as hard...........being a salesman myself (who's in the process of being head hunted WA-HEY!) these things I know.

Edited September 2, 2005 by DePloderer