socal87
Drag Race Newbie
Sure, there's plenty of places on the Internet to look for the subject matter, but I wanted to get everyone's input on what they did to get what they wanted.
Disclaimer: I already bought my car so this is intended to be more of a general discussion. I didn't get all that great of a deal...went into the dealership with no intention of buying a car; had recently paid off my 2007 Jetta which incidentially was developing transmission problems; my '12 Sunroof/Nav 4dr 6mt sticker price was 29,245 with splash guards and cargo kit, and though the dealership agreed to cover a custom leather package I didn't get what I wanted out of my trade in and ended up putting more down than I wanted to.
Things I've heard:
--Determine the invoice price of the car and try to get the dealership to sell the car at or below invoice
--Determine reasonable value of trade in and don't let dealership undercut you
--Don't make it obvious that you "like" the car - salesmen will play off your emotions. Find things wrong with the car...options not included, color, leather vs cloth, etc.
--Make sure you know exactly what you want and do your homework - go in educated and determined
--Walk out and refuse to do business if they won't cave...you shouldn't have to compromise, you're making a high dollar purchase while they're just selling another car
--Get a credit report to ensure that you don't have anything that might increase your risk factor - fix everything you can before you apply for a loan
--Finance the vehicle through the institution of your choice - if you're a credit union member, you might be able to get better rates than you would through dealership financing
Stories, both good and bad, are welcome. Hopefully we can inspire those who haven't bought their cars to make good decisions.
Disclaimer: I already bought my car so this is intended to be more of a general discussion. I didn't get all that great of a deal...went into the dealership with no intention of buying a car; had recently paid off my 2007 Jetta which incidentially was developing transmission problems; my '12 Sunroof/Nav 4dr 6mt sticker price was 29,245 with splash guards and cargo kit, and though the dealership agreed to cover a custom leather package I didn't get what I wanted out of my trade in and ended up putting more down than I wanted to.
Things I've heard:
--Determine the invoice price of the car and try to get the dealership to sell the car at or below invoice
--Determine reasonable value of trade in and don't let dealership undercut you
--Don't make it obvious that you "like" the car - salesmen will play off your emotions. Find things wrong with the car...options not included, color, leather vs cloth, etc.
--Make sure you know exactly what you want and do your homework - go in educated and determined
--Walk out and refuse to do business if they won't cave...you shouldn't have to compromise, you're making a high dollar purchase while they're just selling another car
--Get a credit report to ensure that you don't have anything that might increase your risk factor - fix everything you can before you apply for a loan
--Finance the vehicle through the institution of your choice - if you're a credit union member, you might be able to get better rates than you would through dealership financing
Stories, both good and bad, are welcome. Hopefully we can inspire those who haven't bought their cars to make good decisions.