Buying a car - any advice?
Oct 28th 2017, 4:21 pm
#22
Tea Drinker
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
Posts: 5,387
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
We bought a new 'middle of the range' Mazda CX-5 and I was pleasantly surprised at all the features it has.
LED headlights, backup camera, heated steering wheel, heated seats, a light on the wing mirror(s) that lights up when someone overtakes you, and the most important thing, Bluetooth.
I'm not normally a car gadget person, but these are nice.
LED headlights, backup camera, heated steering wheel, heated seats, a light on the wing mirror(s) that lights up when someone overtakes you, and the most important thing, Bluetooth.
I'm not normally a car gadget person, but these are nice.
Oct 28th 2017, 5:22 pm
#23
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Red Deer, Alberta
Posts: 10,612
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
OH has an aversion to spending more that $2.5k on anything unless it's a bit special, then anything over 5k is a teeth sucking decision lol
Oct 29th 2017, 12:42 am
#24
Assimilated Pauper
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ontario
Posts: 40,018
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
It'll be a long time before we spend money on a vehicle that has a heated steering wheel and by the time we do, it will be one of the things that no longer work....
OH has an aversion to spending more that $2.5k on anything unless it's a bit special, then anything over 5k is a teeth sucking decision lol
OH has an aversion to spending more that $2.5k on anything unless it's a bit special, then anything over 5k is a teeth sucking decision lol
Oct 29th 2017, 3:44 am
#25
Joined: Feb 2006
Location: Red Deer, Alberta
Posts: 10,612
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
I have a different approach to purchasing nice cars but I suppose I'll have the Mustang as a daily driver until it rusts away. It doesn't have a heated steering wheel but does have a convertible top, a manual gearbox, heated seats and Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a cute gimmick but I replaced the phone a year ago and haven't got around to programming the new one to work with the car radio. If it rings I pick it up.
Oct 29th 2017, 3:55 am
#26
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
It slows down when it detects a slower moving vehicle ahead of you. It is another baby step towards a fully self driving car. As is "lane assist", that detects you drifting out of your lane.
By the time self driving cars are finally launched, supposedly around five years from now, most of the technology that makes the cars "self driving" will have already been "tested" for a number of years in millions of cars.
By the time self driving cars are finally launched, supposedly around five years from now, most of the technology that makes the cars "self driving" will have already been "tested" for a number of years in millions of cars.
Oct 29th 2017, 5:11 am
#27
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,900
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
I have bought four cars in the last three years.
If it doesn't matter to you what make or model, and you just want reliability:
1. Go to one of the car aggregation sites. See if the same particular make/model comes up at a sale price, at few different dealerships in your area. Or see if one make/model in particular is the lowest priced at a few different dealerships.
That is the one that the dealers are having trouble moving, and they will be motivated to get it off the lot. So they will be more open to deal on your terms. More popular model = no deal on your terms because if you don't want it, someone else will be through the door in a day or two who does want it. So why should they cut you a deal?
Remember that most car dealers don't actually own outright the vehicles on their lot, they have purchased them on finance from the manufacturer and so the dealer loses money (on interest etc) every day the car sits in the lot unsold.
2. Once you have found a particular make/model that seems to be consistently on sale or is consistently the lowest price across dealerships, look up the valuation in something like the Kelly Blue Book or Redbook. Compare the asking price to the Redbook price. Decide what your initial offer will be and what your maximum offer will be before you enter the dealership; don't go above your maximum offer. Be prepared to walk and don't hesitate to do so.
Keep in mind that car dealers also need to make a profit - you aren't going to get a $25,000 car for $15,000. If it's going for below Kelly Blue Book or Red Book and you can negotiate them down further, great, but you're already getting a deal at that point. But if the car is Blue Booking at $15,000 and is selling for $12,500, you're not likely to get them down to $9,000 or $10,000. They want that car gone and are probably willing to sell it at a loss but they're not going to give it away.
3. Look for things like 2017 models or 2016 models. When the calendar year turns over in two months, those year models will lose a ton of value and the dealers know that. Demo cars are another good option. If you can find something hail damaged on the roof that can be good value as well (there's nothing wrong with the car but they can't sell it at full price because it's "damaged"). End of the month can be another good time to go car shopping as a lot of car salesmen get their bonuses on a monthly basis. One car I bought three years ago, I got a great deal on because it was end of the month and the salesman had left a whiteboard out with his sales total that month on it - it was off to a corner of the office but I saw it, and so I knew he needed another sale that month.
4. I did buy one two weeks ago - I unveiled a new tactic, I went to the dealer of the car I had as my first choice, and after test-driving it - armed with the knowledge of what other dealers were listing it for, and what the Redbook / Blue Book value of it was - made my initial offer with the caveat that, this was the price that would keep me from going to visit the four other dealers on my list that day. They said no, I got up to leave, they then panicked and told me to sit back down and we hammered out a deal (on my terms).
The key to a good deal is (1) arm yourself with knowledge and information before entering the dealership, (2) be realistic on what a dealer can and can't do, (3) be flexible on what you need, and most importantly, (4) set your financial parameters before, and don't let emotion sway you into changing them.
If it doesn't matter to you what make or model, and you just want reliability:
1. Go to one of the car aggregation sites. See if the same particular make/model comes up at a sale price, at few different dealerships in your area. Or see if one make/model in particular is the lowest priced at a few different dealerships.
That is the one that the dealers are having trouble moving, and they will be motivated to get it off the lot. So they will be more open to deal on your terms. More popular model = no deal on your terms because if you don't want it, someone else will be through the door in a day or two who does want it. So why should they cut you a deal?
Remember that most car dealers don't actually own outright the vehicles on their lot, they have purchased them on finance from the manufacturer and so the dealer loses money (on interest etc) every day the car sits in the lot unsold.
2. Once you have found a particular make/model that seems to be consistently on sale or is consistently the lowest price across dealerships, look up the valuation in something like the Kelly Blue Book or Redbook. Compare the asking price to the Redbook price. Decide what your initial offer will be and what your maximum offer will be before you enter the dealership; don't go above your maximum offer. Be prepared to walk and don't hesitate to do so.
Keep in mind that car dealers also need to make a profit - you aren't going to get a $25,000 car for $15,000. If it's going for below Kelly Blue Book or Red Book and you can negotiate them down further, great, but you're already getting a deal at that point. But if the car is Blue Booking at $15,000 and is selling for $12,500, you're not likely to get them down to $9,000 or $10,000. They want that car gone and are probably willing to sell it at a loss but they're not going to give it away.
3. Look for things like 2017 models or 2016 models. When the calendar year turns over in two months, those year models will lose a ton of value and the dealers know that. Demo cars are another good option. If you can find something hail damaged on the roof that can be good value as well (there's nothing wrong with the car but they can't sell it at full price because it's "damaged"). End of the month can be another good time to go car shopping as a lot of car salesmen get their bonuses on a monthly basis. One car I bought three years ago, I got a great deal on because it was end of the month and the salesman had left a whiteboard out with his sales total that month on it - it was off to a corner of the office but I saw it, and so I knew he needed another sale that month.
4. I did buy one two weeks ago - I unveiled a new tactic, I went to the dealer of the car I had as my first choice, and after test-driving it - armed with the knowledge of what other dealers were listing it for, and what the Redbook / Blue Book value of it was - made my initial offer with the caveat that, this was the price that would keep me from going to visit the four other dealers on my list that day. They said no, I got up to leave, they then panicked and told me to sit back down and we hammered out a deal (on my terms).
The key to a good deal is (1) arm yourself with knowledge and information before entering the dealership, (2) be realistic on what a dealer can and can't do, (3) be flexible on what you need, and most importantly, (4) set your financial parameters before, and don't let emotion sway you into changing them.
Oct 29th 2017, 12:00 pm
#28
Joined: Dec 2001
Location: Dixie, ex UK
Posts: 52,448
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
I have bought four cars in the last three years.
If it doesn't matter to you what make or model, and you just want reliability:
1. Go to one of the car aggregation sites. See if the same particular make/model comes up at a sale price, at few different dealerships in your area. Or see if one make/model in particular is the lowest priced at a few different dealerships.
That is the one that the dealers are having trouble moving, and they will be motivated to get it off the lot. So they will be more open to deal on your terms. More popular model = no deal on your terms because if you don't want it, someone else will be through the door in a day or two who does want it. So why should they cut you a deal?
Remember that most car dealers don't actually own outright the vehicles on their lot, they have purchased them on finance from the manufacturer and so the dealer loses money (on interest etc) every day the car sits in the lot unsold.
2. Once you have found a particular make/model that seems to be consistently on sale or is consistently the lowest price across dealerships, look up the valuation in something like the Kelly Blue Book or Redbook. Compare the asking price to the Redbook price. Decide what your initial offer will be and what your maximum offer will be before you enter the dealership; don't go above your maximum offer. Be prepared to walk and don't hesitate to do so.
Keep in mind that car dealers also need to make a profit - you aren't going to get a $25,000 car for $15,000. If it's going for below Kelly Blue Book or Red Book and you can negotiate them down further, great, but you're already getting a deal at that point. But if the car is Blue Booking at $15,000 and is selling for $12,500, you're not likely to get them down to $9,000 or $10,000. They want that car gone and are probably willing to sell it at a loss but they're not going to give it away.
3. Look for things like 2017 models or 2016 models. When the calendar year turns over in two months, those year models will lose a ton of value and the dealers know that. Demo cars are another good option. If you can find something hail damaged on the roof that can be good value as well (there's nothing wrong with the car but they can't sell it at full price because it's "damaged"). End of the month can be another good time to go car shopping as a lot of car salesmen get their bonuses on a monthly basis. One car I bought three years ago, I got a great deal on because it was end of the month and the salesman had left a whiteboard out with his sales total that month on it - it was off to a corner of the office but I saw it, and so I knew he needed another sale that month.
4. I did buy one two weeks ago - I unveiled a new tactic, I went to the dealer of the car I had as my first choice, and after test-driving it - armed with the knowledge of what other dealers were listing it for, and what the Redbook / Blue Book value of it was - made my initial offer with the caveat that, this was the price that would keep me from going to visit the four other dealers on my list that day. They said no, I got up to leave, they then panicked and told me to sit back down and we hammered out a deal (on my terms).
The key to a good deal is (1) arm yourself with knowledge and information before entering the dealership, (2) be realistic on what a dealer can and can't do, (3) be flexible on what you need, and most importantly, (4) set your financial parameters before, and don't let emotion sway you into changing them.
If it doesn't matter to you what make or model, and you just want reliability:
1. Go to one of the car aggregation sites. See if the same particular make/model comes up at a sale price, at few different dealerships in your area. Or see if one make/model in particular is the lowest priced at a few different dealerships.
That is the one that the dealers are having trouble moving, and they will be motivated to get it off the lot. So they will be more open to deal on your terms. More popular model = no deal on your terms because if you don't want it, someone else will be through the door in a day or two who does want it. So why should they cut you a deal?
Remember that most car dealers don't actually own outright the vehicles on their lot, they have purchased them on finance from the manufacturer and so the dealer loses money (on interest etc) every day the car sits in the lot unsold.
2. Once you have found a particular make/model that seems to be consistently on sale or is consistently the lowest price across dealerships, look up the valuation in something like the Kelly Blue Book or Redbook. Compare the asking price to the Redbook price. Decide what your initial offer will be and what your maximum offer will be before you enter the dealership; don't go above your maximum offer. Be prepared to walk and don't hesitate to do so.
Keep in mind that car dealers also need to make a profit - you aren't going to get a $25,000 car for $15,000. If it's going for below Kelly Blue Book or Red Book and you can negotiate them down further, great, but you're already getting a deal at that point. But if the car is Blue Booking at $15,000 and is selling for $12,500, you're not likely to get them down to $9,000 or $10,000. They want that car gone and are probably willing to sell it at a loss but they're not going to give it away.
3. Look for things like 2017 models or 2016 models. When the calendar year turns over in two months, those year models will lose a ton of value and the dealers know that. Demo cars are another good option. If you can find something hail damaged on the roof that can be good value as well (there's nothing wrong with the car but they can't sell it at full price because it's "damaged"). End of the month can be another good time to go car shopping as a lot of car salesmen get their bonuses on a monthly basis. One car I bought three years ago, I got a great deal on because it was end of the month and the salesman had left a whiteboard out with his sales total that month on it - it was off to a corner of the office but I saw it, and so I knew he needed another sale that month.
4. I did buy one two weeks ago - I unveiled a new tactic, I went to the dealer of the car I had as my first choice, and after test-driving it - armed with the knowledge of what other dealers were listing it for, and what the Redbook / Blue Book value of it was - made my initial offer with the caveat that, this was the price that would keep me from going to visit the four other dealers on my list that day. They said no, I got up to leave, they then panicked and told me to sit back down and we hammered out a deal (on my terms).
The key to a good deal is (1) arm yourself with knowledge and information before entering the dealership, (2) be realistic on what a dealer can and can't do, (3) be flexible on what you need, and most importantly, (4) set your financial parameters before, and don't let emotion sway you into changing them.
The coupé was a 2016 model year car and had been on the dealer's lot for over 360 days, and this was in May 2017, so only a couple of months before the 2018 models would start arriving! In an effort to shift it the dealer had fitted leather seats, which certainly made it more attractive to us, but we played two dealers off one against another and ended up getting a 2016 with leather seats for the same price as a 2017 with cloth seats.
And we only paid 75% of the sticker price, which was about twice the discount to sticker that we expected.
Effectively we got the leather seats for free, as compared to the car with cloth seats because that was the same price but the discount to sticker was much less.
Last edited by Pulaski; Oct 29th 2017 at 12:02 pm.
Oct 29th 2017, 12:04 pm
#29
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2013
Location: London, ON
Posts: 2,485
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
I have bought four cars in the last three years.
If it doesn't matter to you what make or model, and you just want reliability:
1. Go to one of the car aggregation sites. See if the same particular make/model comes up at a sale price, at few different dealerships in your area. Or see if one make/model in particular is the lowest priced at a few different dealerships.
That is the one that the dealers are having trouble moving, and they will be motivated to get it off the lot. So they will be more open to deal on your terms. More popular model = no deal on your terms because if you don't want it, someone else will be through the door in a day or two who does want it. So why should they cut you a deal?
Remember that most car dealers don't actually own outright the vehicles on their lot, they have purchased them on finance from the manufacturer and so the dealer loses money (on interest etc) every day the car sits in the lot unsold.
2. Once you have found a particular make/model that seems to be consistently on sale or is consistently the lowest price across dealerships, look up the valuation in something like the Kelly Blue Book or Redbook. Compare the asking price to the Redbook price. Decide what your initial offer will be and what your maximum offer will be before you enter the dealership; don't go above your maximum offer. Be prepared to walk and don't hesitate to do so.
Keep in mind that car dealers also need to make a profit - you aren't going to get a $25,000 car for $15,000. If it's going for below Kelly Blue Book or Red Book and you can negotiate them down further, great, but you're already getting a deal at that point. But if the car is Blue Booking at $15,000 and is selling for $12,500, you're not likely to get them down to $9,000 or $10,000. They want that car gone and are probably willing to sell it at a loss but they're not going to give it away.
3. Look for things like 2017 models or 2016 models. When the calendar year turns over in two months, those year models will lose a ton of value and the dealers know that. Demo cars are another good option. If you can find something hail damaged on the roof that can be good value as well (there's nothing wrong with the car but they can't sell it at full price because it's "damaged"). End of the month can be another good time to go car shopping as a lot of car salesmen get their bonuses on a monthly basis. One car I bought three years ago, I got a great deal on because it was end of the month and the salesman had left a whiteboard out with his sales total that month on it - it was off to a corner of the office but I saw it, and so I knew he needed another sale that month.
4. I did buy one two weeks ago - I unveiled a new tactic, I went to the dealer of the car I had as my first choice, and after test-driving it - armed with the knowledge of what other dealers were listing it for, and what the Redbook / Blue Book value of it was - made my initial offer with the caveat that, this was the price that would keep me from going to visit the four other dealers on my list that day. They said no, I got up to leave, they then panicked and told me to sit back down and we hammered out a deal (on my terms).
The key to a good deal is (1) arm yourself with knowledge and information before entering the dealership, (2) be realistic on what a dealer can and can't do, (3) be flexible on what you need, and most importantly, (4) set your financial parameters before, and don't let emotion sway you into changing them.
If it doesn't matter to you what make or model, and you just want reliability:
1. Go to one of the car aggregation sites. See if the same particular make/model comes up at a sale price, at few different dealerships in your area. Or see if one make/model in particular is the lowest priced at a few different dealerships.
That is the one that the dealers are having trouble moving, and they will be motivated to get it off the lot. So they will be more open to deal on your terms. More popular model = no deal on your terms because if you don't want it, someone else will be through the door in a day or two who does want it. So why should they cut you a deal?
Remember that most car dealers don't actually own outright the vehicles on their lot, they have purchased them on finance from the manufacturer and so the dealer loses money (on interest etc) every day the car sits in the lot unsold.
2. Once you have found a particular make/model that seems to be consistently on sale or is consistently the lowest price across dealerships, look up the valuation in something like the Kelly Blue Book or Redbook. Compare the asking price to the Redbook price. Decide what your initial offer will be and what your maximum offer will be before you enter the dealership; don't go above your maximum offer. Be prepared to walk and don't hesitate to do so.
Keep in mind that car dealers also need to make a profit - you aren't going to get a $25,000 car for $15,000. If it's going for below Kelly Blue Book or Red Book and you can negotiate them down further, great, but you're already getting a deal at that point. But if the car is Blue Booking at $15,000 and is selling for $12,500, you're not likely to get them down to $9,000 or $10,000. They want that car gone and are probably willing to sell it at a loss but they're not going to give it away.
3. Look for things like 2017 models or 2016 models. When the calendar year turns over in two months, those year models will lose a ton of value and the dealers know that. Demo cars are another good option. If you can find something hail damaged on the roof that can be good value as well (there's nothing wrong with the car but they can't sell it at full price because it's "damaged"). End of the month can be another good time to go car shopping as a lot of car salesmen get their bonuses on a monthly basis. One car I bought three years ago, I got a great deal on because it was end of the month and the salesman had left a whiteboard out with his sales total that month on it - it was off to a corner of the office but I saw it, and so I knew he needed another sale that month.
4. I did buy one two weeks ago - I unveiled a new tactic, I went to the dealer of the car I had as my first choice, and after test-driving it - armed with the knowledge of what other dealers were listing it for, and what the Redbook / Blue Book value of it was - made my initial offer with the caveat that, this was the price that would keep me from going to visit the four other dealers on my list that day. They said no, I got up to leave, they then panicked and told me to sit back down and we hammered out a deal (on my terms).
The key to a good deal is (1) arm yourself with knowledge and information before entering the dealership, (2) be realistic on what a dealer can and can't do, (3) be flexible on what you need, and most importantly, (4) set your financial parameters before, and don't let emotion sway you into changing them.
Oct 29th 2017, 4:58 pm
#30
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 12,830
Re: Buying a car - any advice?
That is good advice. When we were looking for a car earlier this year we had been looking for a four door but chanced upon a coupé which was good enough for what we need, and had a manual transmission was was high on out list of wants.
The coupé was a 2016 model year car and had been on the dealer's lot for over 360 days, and this was in May 2017, so only a couple of months before the 2018 models would start arriving! In an effort to shift it the dealer had fitted leather seats, which certainly made it more attractive to us, but we played two dealers off one against another and ended up getting a 2016 with leather seats for the same price as a 2017 with cloth seats.
And we only paid 75% of the sticker price, which was about twice the discount to sticker that we expected. Effectively we got the leather seats for free, as compared to the car with cloth seats because that was the same price but the discount to sticker was much less.
The coupé was a 2016 model year car and had been on the dealer's lot for over 360 days, and this was in May 2017, so only a couple of months before the 2018 models would start arriving! In an effort to shift it the dealer had fitted leather seats, which certainly made it more attractive to us, but we played two dealers off one against another and ended up getting a 2016 with leather seats for the same price as a 2017 with cloth seats.
And we only paid 75% of the sticker price, which was about twice the discount to sticker that we expected.
Effectively we got the leather seats for free, as compared to the car with cloth seats because that was the same price but the discount to sticker was much less.Domestics are a lot easier to negotiate down, but have lower retained value.