Getting ready to buy my first car... what advice do you have

[Anonymous]

I'm looking for all the tricks, tips, and advice you have. I've already test driven and am decided on what I want. Know I need to know how to get the best price, particulalry in this world of dealers like Fitzgerald where they claim not to negotiate. Anyone had sucess with getting more value for money (freebies/add ons etc)

THANKS

[Anonymous]

Go to www.truecar.com

You can get an exact idea of what you should be paying for a particular make/model in your area.

Figure out exactly which model you want, with what options. Then, I recommend emailing 4 different dealers from a spare email address asking for price quotes on that particular vehicle so that you can easily compare.

Get it all in 'writing' or by email and just take the quote to the dealer and buy the car.

We just did this with our Subaru and it worked great.

Don't buy the extended warranty and don't let them talk you into any sort of 'service' package/any extras.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Buy at the end of the month. They pay on inventory in their lot and want to move it fast. Memorial Day could be ideal. But act like you are just shopping and will need to talk to DH/DW/significant other/mom/dad before you buy. If you are too eager, they move an inch.

One thing I did was tell them a payment I had in mind. And they met it I had researched online what a fair price was. Added tax and tags. Subtracted a fair trade in amount, and plugged in current interest rates in a payment calculator. It didn't get me the best deal but it got me a fair deal. I hate negotiating.

Be prepared for lots of back and forth between the salesperson and manager. That can take an hour or two. My having a payment in mind helped me avoid a lot of that.

[Anonymous]

Do not tell them how much you want to spend " per month". The dealer can make anything work, and I guarantee it will not be in your favor. Look at edmunds or kbb and see what people in your area are paying. I never feel like I got a good deal unless I pay dealer's invoice or less. My cousin bought a Nissan a few months ago, and she paid a few thousand under invoice.
Do not buy anything from the finance people. It's all just profit for them. I do think that gap insurance can be a good idea though, of you are getting a brand new car.
Don't forget to look on the dealer websites for the car you want. They often have an online price that is thousands less than MSRP. Most people don't bother to check.

[Anonymous]

Negotiate the price first. Then any financing (or trade-in if you had one).

Best bet is to buy used.

Don't forget to call your insurance company to find out what the car will cost to insure.

And if you live in Virginia, don't forget about the car tax come October.

[Anonymous]

17:21 again here again. if you're not paying cash, get your financing lined up before you go in. Get a car loan from a credit union or whatever. AS far as the dealer is concerned you're paying cash.

So with that you negotiate the price. Then if they want to talk financing, tell them what they have to beat.

Also, walk away at least three times. I mean that. Walk out of the store. Leave.

[Anonymous]

ALSO,

-- Don't buy any undercoating, or extras they'll come at you after the fact.
-- Don't let them charge you like $600 for stripes or some nonsense.
-- Do NOT buy an extended warranty.

All of that stuff will be pitched to you AFTER you agree on price to the car. Usually by the nice lady in the paperwork department.

If you're a woman, strongly consider having a man come with you.

[Anonymous]

1. Email 5 or so individual dealerships within an hour's drive from you asking for the "out the door" price.

2. In your email, be very specific about the make, model, year, and any "extras" you want. You want to be comparing apples to apples.

3. Do not be picky about color. Or, at the very least, be open to a few different colors.

[Anonymous]

Read "Confessions of a Used Car Dealer":
http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/confessions-of-a-car-salesman.html

It will give you insight into why the dealerships negotiate the way they do, and advice (like some PP advice) on how to deal with it.

[Anonymous]

PP here, it's Confessions of a Car Salesman".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do not tell them how much you want to spend " per month". The dealer can make anything work, and I guarantee it will not be in your favor. Look at edmunds or kbb and see what people in your area are paying. I never feel like I got a good deal unless I pay dealer's invoice or less. My cousin bought a Nissan a few months ago, and she paid a few thousand under invoice.
Do not buy anything from the finance people. It's all just profit for them. I do think that gap insurance can be a good idea though, of you are getting a brand new car.
Don't forget to look on the dealer websites for the car you want. They often have an online price that is thousands less than MSRP. Most people don't bother to check.

I'm the one who told the dealer what I'd be willing to pay per month. It got me $2000 under invoice on a brand new model. They increased the trade-in value to get there.Which I knew they could do. I knew the Kelley BB value for my car going in. If you do your homework, it can work.

[Anonymous]

The last time my husband bought a car, I negotiated for him and got a good deal. Unfortunately, our toddler started melting down, so while DH was signing the paperwork, I took the kid home. When my husband gets back I go through the paper work and notice the monthly payment was higher then agreed upon. The bastards had slipped in a $1500 prepaid maintenance contract and DH had just gone through the phile and signed it.

Moral of the story: Read the papers carefully before signing anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Email 5 or so individual dealerships within an hour's drive from you asking for the "out the door" price.

2. In your email, be very specific about the make, model, year, and any "extras" you want. You want to be comparing apples to apples.

3. Do not be picky about color. Or, at the very least, be open to a few different colors.

I think this is the best bet nowadays. You don't even have to set foot inside a dealership and you're able to compare prices.

And, I agree with what 17:22 said. Be prepared to walk out the door. Really. Another dealer can get you the exact same car at the price you want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The last time my husband bought a car, I negotiated for him and got a good deal. Unfortunately, our toddler started melting down, so while DH was signing the paperwork, I took the kid home. When my husband gets back I go through the paper work and notice the monthly payment was higher then agreed upon. The bastards had slipped in a $1500 prepaid maintenance contract and DH had just gone through the phile and signed it.

Moral of the story: Read the papers carefully before signing anything.

Oh I feel for you! My DH is just like that, doesn't really get to understand stuff most of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:1. Email 5 or so individual dealerships within an hour's drive from you asking for the "out the door" price.

2. In your email, be very specific about the make, model, year, and any "extras" you want. You want to be comparing apples to apples.

3. Do not be picky about color. Or, at the very least, be open to a few different colors.

I think this is the best bet nowadays. You don't even have to set foot inside a dealership and you're able to compare prices.

And, I agree with what 17:22 said. Be prepared to walk out the door. Really. Another dealer can get you the exact same car at the price you want.

Totally agree. I went through USAA buying service and got quotes, but the dealers were all kind of far away. I took their quotes to my local dealer and got the same price, which I thought was a good price.