Buying a new car...any advice?

[Becks]

Sooooooooo, one of these days, I'm going to be starting the search for a *NEW* car.

The in laws are ponying up $8000, I'll be getting another $2000 in cash at a slightly later date, and I'm hoping to get a keychain or something for when we trade in the Jerseymobile. Financing of some sort will take care of the rest.

Anyhoo, this will be my first time getting a car from a dealership.

Any helpful advice on getting a good deal?

[taxguykarl]

Mrs. TGK bargained down, big time. The manager had to approve her deal-as that was from dealer inventory, hers was drive away that evening. Come to think of it, there was a power outage earlier that day and they were eager to sell one that day.
Look up dealer prices for the vehicle you have in mind.

[csquared]

Years ago, I bought on of "those books". Yes, "How to buy a car". The Wife worked at a book store and someone had traded it in. Got it for trade-in points. Worth every penny.

Short version:
Your target price should be Dealer Invoice + $300.00. They make their money on the dealer rebates.
They may try to drag it out on you. Wear you down. He is not going to talk to the sales manager. He is getting a cup of coffee. Don't go when you have a time limit or just before meal time. I actually turned this around one time. It was The Wife's car. She was negotiating. I kept saying "I'm hungry. Let's go get dinner." We walked out. The salesman chased us down.
Don't pay for the dealer add-ons: Fabric protection, UV Coating, etc. Only the factory window sticker. If they won't give, walk out.
Don't negotiate financing until you have a price on the car. Don't fall for "How much do you want to pay a month." Line up your financing. Tell them you will pay cash. Then dangle the carrot of financing in front of them. Make them compete.
Don't be afraid to walk away.

Those were the main points I took from the book.

Good luck and happy hunting!

[wolfie]

If they push really hard on the extended warranty (a high-profit item for dealers), telling you that it will save you a lot of money on service, an appropriate answer is "So you're telling me that this car is a piece of crap which will have enough failures to make the extended warranty worthwhile? Thanks for warning me - I'll buy $Other_Brand instead" - and walk out.

[Nunavut Pants]

It used to be that going in near the end of the month would get you a better deal. The notion is that dealers have sales targets they need to meet on a monthly basis, and they often get a bit desperate near the end of the month. Especially if they're not meeting the targets.

I don't know if that is still true.

If you have multiple dealers of one make of vehicle in your area, don't be afraid to pit them against each other. Talk to one and get a price. Then call the other and ask if they can beat it. Repeat as necessary.

... Of course, I know all of that, and I still wound up paying full list price for the only car I've ever bought new. Oops...

[Deserted]

...so how did that happen, NP?

[Monica]

Do your research. Know what you want. When you do, a little tip/trick I do is see if any local car rental places have that same make/model. Then rent it for a weekend. You can do a test drive for 2 days without any pressure from a dealer.

Read all reviews on the car, both good and bad. See what the safety features are on the car. Do the same with the dealership, if possible. See how they treat perspective customers.

[Becks]

Thanks, everyone!!!!

I was hoping to be able to start hitting car dealerships today, but members of my entourage have various strains of the plague, and I really don't want to go by myself.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

Good thing you mentioned that. If you are worried that you might not be assertive enough to get the result you want, take an intelligent assertive friend. Tell the friend what you want to accomplish and either set up a code so they can nudge you back on track if negotiations are failing, or if you really need help let them do most of the talking for you. Even if you are assertive enough, it doesn't hurt to have someone along that has your back.

[dalesys]

As soon as you get it, hit with a hammer.

Might as well get that "First Dent" trauma out of the way.

[Nunavut Pants]

...so how did that happen, NP?

I basically lost my mind. Decided beforehand exactly what I wanted, wouldn't change my requirements for anything on the lot, so the car had to be special-ordered. And then I didn't walk out when they told me no negotiation on the price. D'OH!

I guess that's also good advice: Don't fall in love with one particular configuration ahead of time! Especially if you have odd requirements, like the most "sporty" suspension on the base-model car.

[EricKei]

What they said

Do research. Find out what they paid for it and don't go too far above it. Play your cards close to your chest. Perhaps one of the biggies: Never go alone. Bring someone who knows cars backwards and forwards with you, who isn't afraid to call them out on any BS. Granted, the salesman is just doing his job, but this is a (potentially) huge future expense, and a vehicle you'll have for many years. Do right by yourself.

[Dave1982]

You may be able to find genuine OEM accessories on Amazon for way less than dealer price. I got a new Honda Fit earlier this year and found the factory all weather floor mats and cargo liner for about half off the sticker price.

Of course, if it's something that requires dealer installation than you'll probably have to get it through them, but for simple things you can save money.

[Deserted]

I basically lost my mind. Decided beforehand exactly what I wanted, wouldn't change my requirements for anything on the lot, so the car had to be special-ordered. And then I didn't walk out when they told me no negotiation on the price. D'OH!

I guess that's also good advice: Don't fall in love with one particular configuration ahead of time! Especially if you have odd requirements, like the most "sporty" suspension on the base-model car.

The last time I bought a car from a dealership (1999?) it basically went like this:

Me: I want a car.
Salesguy: Okay, what are you looking for?
Me: [points] That green one looks good. Let's do a test drive.

[Becks]

I wish the in laws weren't so insistent on it being a NEW car.

My credit's shot, so...

Currently wondering if I have the courage/audacity to set up a gofundme page or something.