Anyone have any good tried-and-true methods? We're in the market for another car, not new, but used with low mileage. We hardly ever buy cars. We tend to fall in love with them and drive them until they fall to bits (which is what is happening to mine, '93 Explorer with 130K miles on it--the poor thing needs to rest in peace). So we're not very experienced with what to do at the dealership. I need some bargaing tips!
One thing that confuses me is that we've done the research on the internet so we know what the ballpark price ranges are for particular mileages and years. We're going to take a look at a car this weekend. The ad (think it was from autotrader) said "Bring in this ad for the special internet pricing on this car." What does that mean? I thought you bargained for cars? Does this mean that even though it doesn't say "no haggle price" that's what it is, and that's what the price is, firm?
Replies
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Beach Lover
Although I can't help with your questions, I've heard that the best time to go to a dealership is on the last day of the month as they want to get cars out of inventory. I'm not so sure it would make much of a difference in price, but thought I'd pass it along anyway. Can't trust car salesman, but as long as you're happy with the car, don't have major problems with it, and are happy with the price I'd say you have gotten a good deal.
Good luck on the shopping and let me know how it goes...we'll be looking for a new (used) one soon and always appreciate tips :funn:
Good luck on the shopping and let me know how it goes...we'll be looking for a new (used) one soon and always appreciate tips :funn:
Edited
SoWal Insider
I am expert at this 
I have purchased all the cars we have had in the past with the exception of my husbands car which is now a vintage car. I always bought used, but 4 years ago I treated myself to a new Saab which was my decadent purchase and because you can hit a moose safely with it. :funn:
When I bought the used cars, first, I removed all jewelry, got dressed in my worst gardening and or painting pants and I never went with my husband. I looked around and test drove the used cars that interested me.
When I found one I liked I returned to the dealer at a later date, a few days later, and acted as though I had seen another car that I was interested in.
I voiced concern that I wanted to make sure the car had not been in any prior accidents and wished to have it inspected by my own auto technician.
I had wanted a Mitsubishi years ago and went to the Misubishi dealer who had an over run of leases turned in.
I took it to my tech who thought the car may have rolled over a speed bump too fast, but said the car was sound.
I then went back to the dealer and voiced my concerns that maybe the car had been in an accident, yadda, yadda, you know laid it on a bit.
They threw in a 2 year service warranty, gave me a free sunroof, AND lowered the price a bit as I said I had a specific budget.
One month later something broke, and they came and picked it up, lent me a loaner car, and I picked it up 2 days later. I never had a problem ever again after that except routine maintenance.
If you are in the market for another Explorer, I am sure you will have your gammut of them to choose from as people are tending to go towards though hybrids due to gas prices now.
As far as price and miles comparison, I used the Kelley Blue Book.
Good luck!
I have purchased all the cars we have had in the past with the exception of my husbands car which is now a vintage car. I always bought used, but 4 years ago I treated myself to a new Saab which was my decadent purchase and because you can hit a moose safely with it. :funn: When I bought the used cars, first, I removed all jewelry, got dressed in my worst gardening and or painting pants and I never went with my husband. I looked around and test drove the used cars that interested me.
When I found one I liked I returned to the dealer at a later date, a few days later, and acted as though I had seen another car that I was interested in.
I voiced concern that I wanted to make sure the car had not been in any prior accidents and wished to have it inspected by my own auto technician.
I had wanted a Mitsubishi years ago and went to the Misubishi dealer who had an over run of leases turned in.
I took it to my tech who thought the car may have rolled over a speed bump too fast, but said the car was sound.
I then went back to the dealer and voiced my concerns that maybe the car had been in an accident, yadda, yadda, you know laid it on a bit.
They threw in a 2 year service warranty, gave me a free sunroof, AND lowered the price a bit as I said I had a specific budget.
One month later something broke, and they came and picked it up, lent me a loaner car, and I picked it up 2 days later. I never had a problem ever again after that except routine maintenance.
If you are in the market for another Explorer, I am sure you will have your gammut of them to choose from as people are tending to go towards though hybrids due to gas prices now.
As far as price and miles comparison, I used the Kelley Blue Book.
Good luck!
Edited
bean
If you're at the dealership and they come back with a price and that's not the one you wanted or hoped for----walk out. They will most likely call you back with a very sweet deal. At least that's what happened to me. 
This was also an american made car. I'm not sure the imports haggle as much. It was a different experience when I bought my Honda. They sell themselves, no high pressure at all.
This was also an american made car. I'm not sure the imports haggle as much. It was a different experience when I bought my Honda. They sell themselves, no high pressure at all. Edited
fartblossom
i am ashamed to say how i shop for a car.....
i go to the dealer, say i want this one, get it ready i'll be back later and that's the way it goes. the honda dealer loves me !
i go to the dealer, say i want this one, get it ready i'll be back later and that's the way it goes. the honda dealer loves me !
Beach Fanatic
I would make sure to get a Carfax report. From what I've heard there are some flood cars out there for sale. I also used the Kelly Blue Book for an estimate on trade in value.
Good Luck! I do not think this is a funn process.
Good Luck! I do not think this is a funn process.
Beach Fanatic
Be prepared! It sounds like you are. Have the Blue Book price available or tell them you want to see the blue book/retail/wholesale/loan value on the car. Try not to buy without walking away and calling your bank to check on the loan value. I try to get the price as close to loan value as possible but of course you will have to go over some. I don't know what the percent is that it should be over loan value.
SoWal Insider
Try to get a free warranty added in. Be aware that it is a usually a big money maker for the lot and they push these on alot of people who may not need them. If you do decide to buy the warranty be sure you know the guidelines for maintanence you need to follow or a future repair may be denied under the warranty.
That being said I do try to get a certified preowned car and since I'm by myself I have a warranty. But if I was married to someone who could fix cars I would not. Good luck Mermy, let us know what you get.
That being said I do try to get a certified preowned car and since I'm by myself I have a warranty. But if I was married to someone who could fix cars I would not. Good luck Mermy, let us know what you get.
margarita brocolia
Mermaid, Here's a link to an article I enjoyed reading.
Confessions of a Car Salesman: http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html
The writer is a Journalist who had written a couple books about cars and decided he'd like to get a job writing for Edmund's internet site. The first job they gave him was to go undercover as a car salesman for 3 months.
It is interesting and I think written in a fair manner.
We've been looking off and on all summer for something for Jackie to learn on. We've always prefered 5-speeds but will get a smaller automatic for her to learn on.
Last weekend we walked out on a deal on a new 2006 corolla. We offered less than invoice - the car had more on it than we needed. As was mentioned, they called us back the next day with an offer $100 over ours. That car is still available, but now I'm a bit concerned about the safety rating on the corollas without the side airbags.
Now are looking at the Honda FIT and Civic.
Anyone have experience with the FIT? Reading mixed reviews on the transmission.
Mermaid - Good luck and do your homework before stepping on the lot. Take it with you also, as they are getting used to people researching stuff and justifying the price.
I am also confused as to how the internet pricing and incentive certificates work. One relatively new salesman said the "on floor" salespeople weren't getting as much business because of people buying on-line. I'm pretty sure you just haggle by e-mail or phone until you reach an agreement. Check sites for any up-to-date incentives offered.
.
Confessions of a Car Salesman: http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html
The writer is a Journalist who had written a couple books about cars and decided he'd like to get a job writing for Edmund's internet site. The first job they gave him was to go undercover as a car salesman for 3 months.
It is interesting and I think written in a fair manner.We've been looking off and on all summer for something for Jackie to learn on. We've always prefered 5-speeds but will get a smaller automatic for her to learn on.
Last weekend we walked out on a deal on a new 2006 corolla. We offered less than invoice - the car had more on it than we needed. As was mentioned, they called us back the next day with an offer $100 over ours. That car is still available, but now I'm a bit concerned about the safety rating on the corollas without the side airbags.
Now are looking at the Honda FIT and Civic.
Anyone have experience with the FIT? Reading mixed reviews on the transmission.
Mermaid - Good luck and do your homework before stepping on the lot. Take it with you also, as they are getting used to people researching stuff and justifying the price.
I am also confused as to how the internet pricing and incentive certificates work. One relatively new salesman said the "on floor" salespeople weren't getting as much business because of people buying on-line. I'm pretty sure you just haggle by e-mail or phone until you reach an agreement. Check sites for any up-to-date incentives offered.
.
Edited
Admin
DO NOT GO TO A DEALER!
The last 3 slightly used cars I bought over the internet - do your homework and get a handle on the value of the car you want. You have to know what you want and the more common it is the better. Once you have your knowledge you can find many of your car for sale by perusing ads online and offline.
You then email the owner or dealer and tell them what they have is exactly what you are looking for and what is their bottom line. Once you are confident you have a price that is in the ballpark go check out the car and offer a bit less but you are already prepared to pay what they are asking because you know it is at least a fair deal.
I even had a dealer who offered to drive a car down from Montgomery JUST FOR ME TO LOOK AT and buy if it was what I wanted. He was fairly confident that I was for real and would buy it if it was what he promised. It was and I handed him a check and signed the papers on the hood in my driveway.
Dealers are well acquainted with the "internet buyer", people who have done their homework. The "internet price" is usually tied in to that. They sell a lot of cars with a minimum of effort at a small profit over the internet. Of course that doesn't mean they won't take advantage of you if you give them a chance. And no price is ever firm until they're holding your money.
Be sure to also check out ebay which is usually a good source, especially in a big city.
The last 3 slightly used cars I bought over the internet - do your homework and get a handle on the value of the car you want. You have to know what you want and the more common it is the better. Once you have your knowledge you can find many of your car for sale by perusing ads online and offline.
You then email the owner or dealer and tell them what they have is exactly what you are looking for and what is their bottom line. Once you are confident you have a price that is in the ballpark go check out the car and offer a bit less but you are already prepared to pay what they are asking because you know it is at least a fair deal.
I even had a dealer who offered to drive a car down from Montgomery JUST FOR ME TO LOOK AT and buy if it was what I wanted. He was fairly confident that I was for real and would buy it if it was what he promised. It was and I handed him a check and signed the papers on the hood in my driveway.
Dealers are well acquainted with the "internet buyer", people who have done their homework. The "internet price" is usually tied in to that. They sell a lot of cars with a minimum of effort at a small profit over the internet. Of course that doesn't mean they won't take advantage of you if you give them a chance. And no price is ever firm until they're holding your money.
Be sure to also check out ebay which is usually a good source, especially in a big city.
SoWal Insider
I only bought one used car from Mitsubishi years ago, but prior to that I bought used cars from private citizens and got great deals. I always checked with my technician and he would look up the values for me based on year and mileage. I bought my Explorer (which I still have 11 years years now has 130K miles too) from someone who was moving to Florida and did not need 4 wheel drive anymore and got a great deal.
Edited
superJfunn
mermy what kind of car are you getting and are you sure it will hold all your stuff? ex. 2 yaks, 2 bikes, beer cooler, ect ecte ctetetcete
SoWal Insider
Every car we have bought, we have haggled over the price then we have always walked out. Every single time, the dealership has called us back either that night or by the weekend and offered a deal we couldn't refuse. It's hard for me to walk out but Mr. JR seems to know it works. I always want the car right then. And this does work for imports and new. (Mr. JR will not buy used.)
Try to narrow down your choices of what you think you might be interested in and do all the research you can possibly do. That way you can feel completely confident when you start haggling on the price. It takes us months to buy a car after all the research, test drives, haggeling.
And for Hondas, I believe that is true what was posted above. They sell themselves and there is no high pressure. We've had 2 and they have been perfect.
Try to narrow down your choices of what you think you might be interested in and do all the research you can possibly do. That way you can feel completely confident when you start haggling on the price. It takes us months to buy a car after all the research, test drives, haggeling.
And for Hondas, I believe that is true what was posted above. They sell themselves and there is no high pressure. We've had 2 and they have been perfect.
SoWal Expert
Mermaid,
When car shopping, do your research for prices online. Two great sights are Edmunds.com and KBB.com. Both
have customer reviews which should be read after narrowing your field of choices. Look for the negative reviews and search for common things in the negative columns. (remember that sometimes bad or good reviews may be written by people paid to represent a car manufacturor.) Chances are though, if enough people are saying the same thing, take a serious look at that when you go for a test drive.
Next, go for some test drives. Tell whomever is showing you the cars that you probably won't buy for several months, but that you are just checking out some vehicles.
When you finally find the car which is right for you, and you know the real price which you should pay, call up the dealership and ask to speak to their internet sales manager. This person is usually working on commission for quantity of sales, not the actual price of the sales. The internet sales manager is more like an internet business as opposed to the bricks and mortar business. He never goes out to the parking lot for test drives, etc. Instead, he looks for cars for people online thru inventories at other dealerships. He has very little overhead on the products which he moves, because in reality, he doesn't need the bricks and mortar. He could just as easily work from his house if the boss allowed him to. So, when you talk to this guy, tell him that you know which vehicle you want and that you want to buy the car today (very important), and tell him that you have been shopping for cars online. Also tell him that you want his best price up front so that you can quickly make your decision. He will know that his price needs to be great to sell you the car, or that you will call someone else who will sell you that car today.
Think about it. That internet sales mgr spends 10 minutes with you and makes a sale. He is loving life. He may sell 5 a day, where the floor sales rep may sell 1 or 2 per week. The internet sales mgr will be your best shot at eliminating all of the back and forth chatter of price bids and offers and he will get you the best price, often with the first shot.
Good luck!
When car shopping, do your research for prices online. Two great sights are Edmunds.com and KBB.com. Both
have customer reviews which should be read after narrowing your field of choices. Look for the negative reviews and search for common things in the negative columns. (remember that sometimes bad or good reviews may be written by people paid to represent a car manufacturor.) Chances are though, if enough people are saying the same thing, take a serious look at that when you go for a test drive.
Next, go for some test drives. Tell whomever is showing you the cars that you probably won't buy for several months, but that you are just checking out some vehicles.
When you finally find the car which is right for you, and you know the real price which you should pay, call up the dealership and ask to speak to their internet sales manager. This person is usually working on commission for quantity of sales, not the actual price of the sales. The internet sales manager is more like an internet business as opposed to the bricks and mortar business. He never goes out to the parking lot for test drives, etc. Instead, he looks for cars for people online thru inventories at other dealerships. He has very little overhead on the products which he moves, because in reality, he doesn't need the bricks and mortar. He could just as easily work from his house if the boss allowed him to. So, when you talk to this guy, tell him that you know which vehicle you want and that you want to buy the car today (very important), and tell him that you have been shopping for cars online. Also tell him that you want his best price up front so that you can quickly make your decision. He will know that his price needs to be great to sell you the car, or that you will call someone else who will sell you that car today.
Think about it. That internet sales mgr spends 10 minutes with you and makes a sale. He is loving life. He may sell 5 a day, where the floor sales rep may sell 1 or 2 per week. The internet sales mgr will be your best shot at eliminating all of the back and forth chatter of price bids and offers and he will get you the best price, often with the first shot.
Good luck!
Beach Fanatic
And for Hondas, I believe that is true what was posted above. They sell themselves and there is no high pressure. We've had 2 and they have been perfect.
Honda!
We have an 89 Prelude 4-wheel steer with 252K miles and it's still going strong, a 97 Accord with 170K miles and still going strong, and a 2000 CRV AWD with 105K miles that's like new.You just can't wear out a Honda! :clap_1:
SoWal Insider
Honda!
You just can't wear out a Honda! :clap_1:
Wow!
I feel the same about Acura's too.
Beach Fanatic
Wow!
I feel the same about Acura's too.
Oh yes....they're the "Cadillac" of Hondas! That's going to be my next car. They have an awesome new SUV I've been eyeballing! wub:
fartblossom
Honda!
You just can't wear out a Honda! :clap_1:
amen luvthe beach ! i adore hondas, wouldn't have anything else for myself. my 2001 crv has 22,000 miles and my s2000 has 2000 miles. as you can tell, i am a shut-in !
SoWal Insider
One of the best cars we ever had was a gold Civic hatchback. It was a dream, always reliable.
I have my eye on the Acura TL - - a little more reasonable than the RL, I believe. (but they are both fairly small and I'm 5'9")
I have my eye on the Acura TL - - a little more reasonable than the RL, I believe. (but they are both fairly small and I'm 5'9")
SoWal Expert
Definitely internet shop. We e-mailed the local dealers and told them what we wanted, and the bloodbath commenced. We literally could not keep up with the e-mails, dropping prices every time we shot back replies on the current low price being offered. After 3 days, one internet sales guy was left standing with a very low price, and we gave another salesperson a chance 'cause we liked him but he couldn't touch the price. And we got an incredible deal.
We found out about buying cars this way from a story on NPR. Basically, there are some websites that tell you the top price you should pay on any car, then you negotiate from there. It proved to be very accurate- and the dealers seemed to understand that we had done our homework, knew what we wanted, didn't have the time to bullsheet, and did not want cheesy phone calls.
I will try to find the links on the NPR website for you.
We found out about buying cars this way from a story on NPR. Basically, there are some websites that tell you the top price you should pay on any car, then you negotiate from there. It proved to be very accurate- and the dealers seemed to understand that we had done our homework, knew what we wanted, didn't have the time to bullsheet, and did not want cheesy phone calls.
I will try to find the links on the NPR website for you.
SoWal Insider
This is good to learn. I guess the internet is the way to go now.
No more wastin time using feminine charm? Now that's no funn.
No more wastin time using feminine charm? Now that's no funn.
pickyAuthor
Wow~ I knew I came to the right place for asking for car tips! This is great & I really appreciate all the comments and words of wisdom I'm feeling a little better about having to get another car now.
Jessica, since you asked about us hauling all our beach toys, er, necessities, around, I'll tell you how this all came about.
I have the Explorer and it's been an okay car to drive except now it's getting crochety. All sorts of things are messing up--the key sticks, the little alarm bell for lights rings even when the lights are off, the A/C's gone AWOL, you name it. None of this has bothered me in the least. I am the mother of teens and driving a dinged up old car is something that comes with the territory (they put the dings in, not me). I lower the tone of every neighborhood I drive in, but that's alright. The only thing that has bothered me is that now the car has a hex on it. It's jinxed. I mean it! It's operating under a cloud of bad luck. I know it's not me, because I'm a lucky person. So, by process of elimination, it has to be the car. It flirts with danger and tries to find accidents to be in. Again, I know it's not me because I'm never the one who's at fault for all these near-misses that I get involved in. For example--one of many I could present--last week Philippa and I almost got crunched by an idiot mother running a red light at high speed (late to school, I suppose). I shudder to think about what could have happened. And then only this weekend Philippa locked the keys in the car while the motor was running and we had to pull two thugs off the street to help us break in. We'd have called AAA but we used up our goodwill allowance with them when we had the Explorer towed long distance last month. See? If it's not one thing it's another.
After the red light incident I was really frightened--anyone would have been--and I told Merman I had to have another car. He was very sympathetic but thought the hex was a piece of hooey and even my (sincere) crocodile tears wouldn't convince him to fix me up with something safer and nicer. That did not sit well with me, not a bit. So I thought and thought and steamed and steamed and finally told him that I didn't care what I drove as long as it was safe and sound, that I'd even drive his old car, and BINGO. Those were the magic words.
So now I'm going to take the Durango--the fabulous beach toy hauling workhorse that has had
professional Kurt photos taken of it --and Merman gets a new car. Funny how quick that man opened his wallet when there was a benefit for him, but I'm not supposed to notice that little coincidence.
And what about my Explorer? It's going to someone who deserves a junker, someone who played a very important part in turning my car into the pitiful heap that it now is: firstborn son Alex. He doesn't believe in hexes either. So now I have two happy men in my family and we're going car shopping.
When we get what we get, I'll let you all know. :roll:
Jessica, since you asked about us hauling all our beach toys, er, necessities, around, I'll tell you how this all came about.
I have the Explorer and it's been an okay car to drive except now it's getting crochety. All sorts of things are messing up--the key sticks, the little alarm bell for lights rings even when the lights are off, the A/C's gone AWOL, you name it. None of this has bothered me in the least. I am the mother of teens and driving a dinged up old car is something that comes with the territory (they put the dings in, not me). I lower the tone of every neighborhood I drive in, but that's alright. The only thing that has bothered me is that now the car has a hex on it. It's jinxed. I mean it! It's operating under a cloud of bad luck. I know it's not me, because I'm a lucky person. So, by process of elimination, it has to be the car. It flirts with danger and tries to find accidents to be in. Again, I know it's not me because I'm never the one who's at fault for all these near-misses that I get involved in. For example--one of many I could present--last week Philippa and I almost got crunched by an idiot mother running a red light at high speed (late to school, I suppose). I shudder to think about what could have happened. And then only this weekend Philippa locked the keys in the car while the motor was running and we had to pull two thugs off the street to help us break in. We'd have called AAA but we used up our goodwill allowance with them when we had the Explorer towed long distance last month. See? If it's not one thing it's another.
After the red light incident I was really frightened--anyone would have been--and I told Merman I had to have another car. He was very sympathetic but thought the hex was a piece of hooey and even my (sincere) crocodile tears wouldn't convince him to fix me up with something safer and nicer. That did not sit well with me, not a bit. So I thought and thought and steamed and steamed and finally told him that I didn't care what I drove as long as it was safe and sound, that I'd even drive his old car, and BINGO. Those were the magic words.
So now I'm going to take the Durango--the fabulous beach toy hauling workhorse that has had
professional Kurt photos taken of it --and Merman gets a new car. Funny how quick that man opened his wallet when there was a benefit for him, but I'm not supposed to notice that little coincidence.And what about my Explorer? It's going to someone who deserves a junker, someone who played a very important part in turning my car into the pitiful heap that it now is: firstborn son Alex. He doesn't believe in hexes either. So now I have two happy men in my family and we're going car shopping.
When we get what we get, I'll let you all know. :roll:
Beach Fanatic
i am ashamed to say how i shop for a car.....
i go to the dealer, say i want this one, get it ready i'll be back later and that's the way it goes. the honda dealer loves me !
audie, this is how Mrs. Unplugged prefers to shop too 
you are not alone! We do love Hondas also - excellent cars.Our philosophy: "Life's too short to 'research and haggle', go for short-term leases, trade often and enjoy the ride baby!!" :clap_1: Zoom Zoom Zoom
This is not a popular 'car buying tactic' but it sure is FUNN!
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Edited
Beach Fanatic
If you are a member of a credit union you might check with them to see if they have a members car buying service. The last car we bought we did that. We got a great price and even did a trade in and the transaction was done at the credit union. We never walked on the car lot.
fartblossom
Our philosophy: "Life's too short to 'research and haggle', go for short-term leases, trade often and enjoy the ride baby!!" :clap_1: Zoom Zoom Zoom
This is not a popular 'car buying tactic' but it sure is FUNN!
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i knew i liked mrs unplugged the moment i met her !
Beach Fanatic
amen luvthe beach ! i adore hondas, wouldn't have anything else for myself. my 2001 crv has 22,000 miles and my s2000 has 2000 miles. as you can tell, i am a shut-in !
In that case, your Honda will last forever! Checking your forum account
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