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Car Buying Strategies

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.
 

veedoubleme

Go Kart Champion
Local dealer had the car I wanted. I test drove it the week before, but they were firm on price and my trade in, and I needed a little better deal. I also already had $500 down on a Golf R with them, but they knew I was shopping GTI's at the same time. I went to another dealer and test drove a similar car. DURING my test drive, I called my local dealer back and told them what I was up to. Said I'd prefer to come back and buy their car instead if they would sweeten the deal, and that I'd drive there immediately and buy the car. Got over $1k better on their previous trade off, which was what I needed, so I pulled the trigger.
 

XZT123

Ready to race!
I honestly think it is easier than that.. You need to find how how much the car is worth and what you are comfortable paying. There's no need to go in guns blazing in hostile mode if it isn't necessary. I found cars.com was a good resource to find some prices on GTIs, I bought mine 1 year old. The price on cars.com at the same dealer same car was already at least 1k cheaper than at the dealer. To be honest, the dealer I worked with was very different than my previous experience. We talked about the car some and drove it, I even looked at a Tiguan, was trying to play it cool.. but then I was just like.. uhh so.. I guess I want to get the GTI. It was sort of awkward, I'm used to getting pushed into a sales pitch, but they didn't once even care to ask me if I wanted to get the car.. so I kinda had to just come out and say it. Haha.. so much for playing it cool. I know I still got a killer deal.

I don't think I would buy a new VW. They lose their value horrifically, which makes them good used purchases. Mine was 1 year old, I saved at least 7k and got a longer warranty (regular + CPO = 5 years). My previous car was a Honda I bought new, that I think was alright. Hondas hold their value so well it may not be worth buying used for the price of an almost new one. So if the price of the car drops in the first 1-2 a lot, buy a used one, else feel free to get a new one.

I know the VW guys are about to flip out that I just said that.. but the math and logic is undeniable. My Honda lost less value in 4+ years and 43,000 miles than the GTI did in 1 year and 12,000 miles. I just traded up to the GTI for the same cost of the difference in their MSRP prices... but I had the Honda for 4 years!
 
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cacophony555

Ready to race!
I honestly think it is easier than that.. You need to find how how much the car is worth and what you are comfortable paying.

A couple points:

1. What you're "comfortable paying" probably has no relationship to the lowest price achievable. For the last couple cars I bought the lowest price was actually about $1500 less than what everyone thought was possible (this included both sites like Truecar.com/Zagg and people on forums). The price I paid for my last car was $1k less then the reported dealer cost according to Truecar. The only way this was achievable was through competitive bidding, especially when you consider that certain dealerships will often go way lower than others due to dealer specific incentives you have no way of knowing about.

2. A couple hours of fielding calls for competitive bidding is way more pleasant and straightforward then trying to negotiate with a single dealership. Dealing with fleet managers is quick and easy compared to the endless games and runaround you get from salesmen.
 
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red_dragon

Ready to race!
honestly, whatever strategy you have, the dealer will be more experienced and better. you'll end up caving in and just buying it, it's a sweet car.
 

Kaenon

Ready to race!
If you have a middle/bigger size company you work for...look into the employee benefits and HR sections. I found that I get $500 under invoice for VW and 6% under MSRP for Audi.
 

XZT123

Ready to race!
A couple points:

1. What you're "comfortable paying" probably has no relationship to the lowest price achievable. For the last couple cars I bought the lowest price was actually about $1500 less than what everyone thought was possible (this included both sites like Truecar.com/Zagg and people on forums). The price I paid for my last car was $1k less then the reported dealer cost according to Truecar. The only way this was achievable was through competitive bidding, especially when you consider that certain dealerships will often go way lower than others due to dealer specific incentives you have no way of knowing about.

2. A couple hours of fielding calls for competitive bidding is way more pleasant and straightforward then trying to negotiate with a single dealership. Dealing with fleet managers is quick and easy compared to the endless games and runaround you get from salesmen.

True but what you are comfortable paying may mean you can't afford the car
 
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