Among Friends

[DrakesMomma]

Last car I purchased was in 2006.  After the salesman introduced himself I said I will not be here all day.  If that is the way things are done here please tell me now so I can leave.  Tax, title, and out the door in about two and a half hours.  

I'm driving my husband's old car.  We promised it to our son when he gets his license and that means I'll need something else.  Not long forward to it.  

[ECBG]

When we bought my Toyota Rave 4, we had to drive almost 4 hours and drive in hard interstate traffic.  I didn't want to pay for a new car, so I got a one owner.  Love my car.  Paid cash and walked out after 1 1/2 hours.

[Pink123]

Ok, @ECBG  you purchased a used car.  There is a difference.

Plus the year it was purchased matters as well.  All these posts are quite blurry in facts.

[Q-Checker]

@ciao_bella You are my kind of shopper! I do extensive research before major purchases, primarily for quality but also for price. I learn about the car and also about skillful negotiation strategies. On one car purchase, during a follow-up call about a small technical detail about the car, I reached a salesman who said,"Oh, you are the lady who got the car for only x$ -- we should charge you,"  as he chuckled, to answer my question.. And my homework has always paid off as I not only get a fantastic price but I drive cars for well over a decade with minimal repair costs. I think that car dealerships like to keep you in the sales room just to wear you out and decrease your stamina to a point where you will just agree to whatever they offer. In later years I did my price shopping via phone. My research time has always saved me buckets of time and money in the end. I always pay cash for cars, starting to make car payments to myself for my next car as soon as I buy the current car, and never telling  the sales person that I will be paying cash until the end of the deal. I also never trade in a car, doing much better selling it myself or donating it for the tax deduction. 

[shoesnbags]

@drizzellla 

What dealership (brand) was this? (Maybe I'll give them a pass the next time I buy a car.)

[LizzieInSRQ]

Ive never once paid a down payment on a car. Since I was 19 40 years ago, Ive bought 2 used and 4 new cars in my life on my own, no one but me. Trust me im working class. I never had the money for down payment. So no need for certified checks. The most time it took was the last time in August 2021. It took 4 maddening hours the day after I had totaled my car and needed one. I would have never tolerated a whole day let alone 2!

[Eileen in Virginia]

@Boehm Collector 

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@Boehm Collector wrote:

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@Eileen in Virginia wrote:

WOW - thanks for the heads up! DH is thinking of replacing his 2008 Camry with a new RAV4. We haven't bought a new car since 2010 (2 actually). We paid for all 3 cars with personal checks. While the dealership probably called the bank to make sure we could cover them, I don't recall needing to give them certified checks. Also, it only took an hour or so for each transaction. Of course, that was a few years ago. 

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@Eileen in Virginia    WOW,  I have purchased  several cars in my lifetime (starting back in 1983)  ...... and I always had to get a certified/bank cashiers check.   The only personal check that was ever accepted was for the initial deposit.   But when I picked up the car I had to have a certified/bank cashiers check. BTW,  I have always paid cash for all my vehicles.  Never got any financing. 

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I dunno - at that point we'd already bought 3 or 4 cars from that dealership with no problems. I guess that helped, especially if the bank confirmed that we could cover the check. 

[queendiva]

@LizzieInSRQ : while it has never been necessary for me to leave a deposit on a car, I do see the need in some cases. I do not buy new cars- I purchase 1 owner pre -owned.

DS found the pre- owned car he wanted at a dealership that was an hour's drive away. He insisted that they accept a down payment by CC to insure that the car would still  be there on a Saturday afternoon by  the time he was able to arrive to see it in person. The car was a desirable model that had just arrived in inventory.

He bought it.

[drizzellla]

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@shoesnbags wrote:

@drizzellla 

What dealership (brand) was this? (Maybe I'll give them a pass the next time I buy a car.)

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I am not sure it was the brand of the dealership. I bought a new Toyota car in June. There were zero new cars on the lot. So I had to wait until July for my car to come in.

Went to pick up the car at 10AM. We had already done some of the paperwork when I put my deposit down on the car. My initial vist was at least 2 hours. 

I understand that there was some delay because my insurance agent didn't have any one answering her agency's phone calls. You had to leave her a voice message. we had left several messages between 11 and 1. Don't know if or how "the Finance guy" got through to my insurance agent. Or if he did.

I paid by personal check. No getting a certified check from the bank. We still did not get out of there until 4:30.

My husband bought a Chevy. Not sure how much of his time was spent (because I wasn't there). But this is his 6th vehicle from that dealership and a few times, I was with him, we spent most of a day at the dealer. 

[drizzellla]

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@DrakesMomma wrote:

Last car I purchased was in 2006.  After the salesman introduced himself I said I will not be here all day.  If that is the way things are done here please tell me now so I can leave.  Tax, title, and out the door in about two and a half hours.  

I'm driving my husband's old car.  We promised it to our son when he gets his license and that means I'll need something else.  Not long forward to it.  

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You are in for a shock. There are now about 15 - 20 buttons on your steering wheel. And a computer screen with all kinds of information. There are also lots of gadgets on your dashboard to tell you if you are staying in "your lane". How many miles you can drive before refueling. How many miles to the gallon you are getting. I forgot all the rest.

You no longer put your car in drive and go. Now there is a button you have to push after pressing the brake. 

I hate driving the thing. In fact in the month I have had it, I took it out once. 

I always was so comfortable driving before. I enjoyed driving. Now I dread it.