Community Chat

[Mz iMac]

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@MaggieMack wrote:

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@Mz iMac wrote:

Paying cash = bank car loan?????

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For me it meant writing a check. No bank loan involved.

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@MaggieMack

hmmmmmm....

I plan on putting the bank loan into my account.  Writing a check once I make my deal.

[croemer]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

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@croemer wrote:

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

Thank-you everyone who has contributed such helpful info! I  really appreciate the time you took to write and share

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SeaMaiden I may be purchasing in the next year myself. The last car I bought was thru Autobytel. You google it...when you decide what vehicle you like. They will help you build the car on line, then ask you how many miles you are willing to drive and whether you want to deal in person, e-mail or texting.

Last time I chose e-mail since it is easier for me to neg. I decided on a Lexus after trying for 6 months and the dealership not wanting to reduce the car at all or very minimal amount. With Autobytel you deal with the online finance manager which cuts out the car salesman and what they hope to make on the vehile. This same dealership I had been trying to buy from with no luck e-mailed me within about 15 minutes and came off 4,800 dollars. Can you say SALE! The easiest shopping experience I ever had.

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@croemer   That sounds very interesting!  Is it a free site? Thanks for sharing!

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Yes Sea...totally free!

[sandraskates]

Consider buying a used rental car!

I bought my 2012 Ford Escape from Avis. You can check online to see if they have the car you want and arrange a test drive at one of their locations (although it may not necessarity be the closest location).

Take someone with you because if you like the vehicle they let you just drive it home! Then they start the paperwork part of the transaction. Oh - and no haggling, just a good, fair price.

They gave me the full maintenance history on my car too. I had specific interior and exterior colors in mind and Avis had  the vehicle; my local dearlers did not.

Easist and most stress-free car buying I've ever had.

[Lila Belle]

We bought our 2010 Outback from a guy who was going TDY and went through our bank. We put 1/2 down and got a great rate ( 1.12%.)

A lot of good info here and I've written it down in my journal. Thanks !

[Drythe]

I totaled SUV in Nov 2015 and replaced it using Truecar(dot)com.  

Got a great deal had to drive @ 45 min away to pick it up.  I will walk out of a car dealership in a flash, can't stand all that gaming.  With Truecar I knew the best price I could get for the SUV I wanted and who had it.  I called that dealer and picked it up that week.

No problem.

[gidgetgh]

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@susan in California wrote:

Wow, I have been impressed with everyone's responses.  My husband is a tough negotiator when it comes to car purchasing.  It is almost a nightmare.  After a long back and forth, he'll walk away if they don't "throw in" the all-weather floor mats.

We usually really do our homework, like other posters have said.  Then we find out if we can get 0% financing.  If we can, we will keep our money, put some down but finance the rest.  If not, then we put about half down and find the lowest interest rate we can--financing only for three years.

@We keep our vehicles for several years, but  our most recent purchase in 2013 was @ 1.5% from our own bank.  The dealer's interest rate was higher. 

Everyone who said don't tell them you are paying cash, is absolutely right.

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@Susan in California- I smiled at your post.  Forever, my dad (who's now 86) would make a big deal over the floor mats.  That was like his major negotiating point.  It was a HUGE deal if they wouldn't "throw in" the floormats!

[gidgetgh]

I don't have a whole lot to offer you OP, but I've always been a fan of paying cash for a car if I could.  Even with some of today's attractive interest rates, I just don't like to owe anyone if I don't have to.  

We bought my husband's truck through Costco's program.  Easiest transaction ever.  My husband knew what he wanted (model, color, interior package) because he'd done some looking ahead of time.  Costco put us in touch with the dealership in our area that used their program.  The salesman called us.  The transaction was handled over the phone.  My husband went in to pay and pick up the truck.  It was so easy.  The price was set and we were thrilled with the price.

I've bought my last two cars myself.  First one, my husband wasn't even with me.  I think I got a great deal.  On my current car, he was with me, but read the newspaper as I handled it all.   Kind of in response to another post on here, but a woman IS capable of doing this all by herself.

 Again, on my current car, I knew what I wanted and spoke to a few dealerships and told them I was speaking to a few dealerships.  One offered me a really good price.  I wanted to use a dealership closer to home though.  When I negotiated with them, their price wasn't as good.  I told them the other price and said if you match that I'll buy it here.  If not, I'll go to the other dealership.  They did AND I got them to add the pad for the cargo area for free.

[hckynutjohn]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

Husbands car is on it's last leg....head gasket leaking....among other things.....he has had it for about 17 years. Not worth the $3000 to repair to repair the head gasket.  Not having bought a new car in so long it is rather daunting to think about going to a car dealer and "dealing" with their antics.  Is it best to go with cash and make a full cash offer these days? Will we get a better deal?  I do not want to deal with car payments.

With all the improvements in cars  since 1998,   I know it will be quite an experience to have an updated modern car. Still I am not looking forward to the experience of buying it.   

Any helpful hints or suggestions appreciated!  We will probably buy a one or two year old car.

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Do your research online and find the figure the dealer paid for the car. "Knowledge is power.

Not many things I enjoy more than haggling with a New Vehicle Salesperson.

hckynut(john)

[grandmadiane]

I don't know what kind of car you are looking for but after my 2000 Saturn hit the dust I bought a 2015 Prius TWO with 6000.00 off the price. I love this car.

[kivah]

On November 16th, I bought a 2012 pre-owned Honda Civic with 35,000 miles - paid $14,500. I knew the salesman at Lexus - and they own Honda. I told him I didn't want to spend too much and I wanted the least electronics - and I wanted another Honda. He showed me a 4 door, beautiful grey Civic and I bought it immediately. This was a "leased" car - and the person brought it in for service regularly.They also put on 4 brand new tires. I'm 75 yrs old - so the change was a bit difficult. I had a 1987 Honda Accord for 29 yrs (mileage almost 190,000). I only put down $2,000 - and took a loan at 3.9% for 5 years. I'll make double payments - as I hate loans.

I recommend u go to Costco.com - u fill out a form about which car ur interested in. You could also go thru AAA (Auto Club). There are many other sites that refer u directly - for a small fee to u. You get the car at "fleet price". You're dealing with the manager of the dealership - ur not paying the salesman's commission. This way u don't have to haggle - although there may still be room to negotiate. First, u need to know which car ur interested in. Read everything about the car ur interested in --- best to have a family member/friend help u to know what the dealer paid for the car, etc.

I luv Honda.