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skipdogg posted:Generally one can negotiate better than the car buying services and sites on their own, but if you don't enjoy or understand the car haggling process there are worse ways to buy a car Ok, that's what I suspected. One guy at work was raving about Consumer Reports and how purchasing from them gave you access to "fleet pricing", but that didn't make much sense to me since buying through Consumer Reports isn't like buying a bunch of cars in bulk and getting some kind of discount that way. He said that the Consumer Reports service is still through dealers and is not special orders from the factory or whatever.
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Oct 18, 2015 22:26
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silence_kit posted:Ok, that's what I suspected. One guy at work was raving about Consumer Reports and how purchasing from them gave you access to "fleet pricing", but that didn't make much sense to me since buying through Consumer Reports isn't like buying a bunch of cars in bulk and getting some kind of discount that way. He said that the Consumer Reports service is still through dealers and is not special orders from the factory or whatever. They could be bundling paperwork and processing the transactions in bulk; which would save the dealer a little money.
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Oct 18, 2015 22:42
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silence_kit posted:Is it a good idea to buy a car on an online service through truecar or Consumer Reports, or is emailing dealers and asking for price quotes just as good? I posted this a couple of pages ago, but I saved thousands over the truecar price by emailing dealers, no haggling necessary. I ended up paying a thousand under invoice for my Subaru. From my reading Truecar was driving prices way down, then a bunch of dealers stopped using it and now its really not a good deal, despite being marginally useful for gathering info.
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Oct 18, 2015 23:57
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AriTheDog posted:I ended up paying a thousand under invoice for my Subaru. Where do you find the invoice price?
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Oct 19, 2015 00:54
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Edmunds has all that
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Oct 19, 2015 01:23
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FWIW - a friend of mine just bought a new Ford Focus for about $1500 under what true car considered to be an "exceptional price" by emailing around. He said it was extraordinarily easy - just email a bunch of dealers asking for their best price. One of them bit for that price and he went in and bought - no haggling necessary.
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Oct 19, 2015 02:09
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How did he finance the car? Dealer or external?
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Oct 19, 2015 02:34
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Does anyone know of or think that VW will be cutting any nice deals/sales because of all of this dieselgate fallout? I've just been browsing around online looking at New 2015/2016 Volkswagen GTI's and some of the 2015 ones I'm finding seem to be priced higher than the 2016 models, even equally equipped ones from the same dealer. Is this just some internet dealer marketing thing where they price it higher so you haggle it down less or what? I figured they'd be looking to get rid of the older models. Is there a particular time of year one can expect better pricing or a price drop for the previous years but still new models? Heres some other general questions I had in regards to new cars, not particularly the VW GTI. What should I be asking for in regards to price when I email the dealers? The best possible price for the car itself, the best price out the door(taxes/title/fees/etc), how much under/over invoice they can do(this is what edmunds suggested because of different options reflecting differently in pricing)? Should I be describing exactly what I am looking for in regards to options/colors/etc or just a general "What is the lowest price you can do for a 2015 VW GTI with a manual transmission"? Should I mention that I've already been approved for a loan by my credit union or tell them that I would be looking to finance it or should I wait for that part once I pick the one I intend to work with? I'm also in Northern Virginia almost right on the border of DC/MD, so I've been looking at dealerships within like 3-4 states as long as they aren't more than a few hours drive, should I mention that I'm out of state when emailing those dealerships in case there's other taxes/fees/etc or is that not a thing? Sorry for all the general questions, I've only ever bought used before and private party so the experiences were quite different.
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Oct 19, 2015 07:45
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Describe the car you want in terms of options etc and ask for an OTD price. Options configurations are mostly package based now. If you can find a '15 on lots now, it will be relatively cheap. For instance, you could say "I am looking for a Ford Focus ST3 in either Oxford White or Tuxedo Black. I do not care if it has a sunroof or not. What is your OTD price including tax, title and any fees?"
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Oct 19, 2015 19:48
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:What is your OTD price including tax, title and any fees?" Be sure to explicitly include this, because there are a ton of assholes who don't get what Out The Door price means.
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Oct 19, 2015 22:42
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Having recently moved back to the US I'd been researching cars before my arrival and settled on a used Mazda 3 as the best candidate but there are no 2.5 liter models within at least 50 miles. I can test drive one of 2 2.0 liter models locally but don't have a way to test drive the 2.5 easily and so can't compare. Is the 2.5 liter that much more fun to drive? And worth driving over an hour to check out? And the I'll railroad myself somewhat into buying that one if I'm going to invest the time driving out there. I drove a honda civic for 8 years before I left the country 2.5 years ago and survived but I see the 2.5 being described as a blast to drive and I don't want to be left wanting more.
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Oct 20, 2015 01:31
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What year Mazda3? There's a big difference between the "old" pre-2012 non-skyactiv 2.0 and the newer post 2012 skyactiv 2.0. If it's the skyactiv then there's actually not a huge difference to the 2.5. If you're looking at older than 2012 then yeah, look for the 2.5.
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Oct 20, 2015 03:05
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punissuer posted:Is the 2.5 liter that much more fun to drive? And worth driving over an hour to check out? And the I'll railroad myself somewhat into buying that one if I'm going to invest the time driving out there. Is this guy seriously making the argument that if he has to drive A WHOLE HOUR he will, after such a massive time commitment, then be forced to buy the vehicle because of the staggering outlay of time and money required to see the car?
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Oct 20, 2015 18:23
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The closest car dealer to my house other than a lovely GM store when I grew up was like 35 miles and not on the freeway. You're about to shell out five figures cash money and you can't drive for an hour?
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Oct 20, 2015 22:58
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Another way to look at it is that if the expected reward of the extra 500cc of displacement isn't even worth an hour's drive then the 2.0l is probably adequate for his needs. The 2.5l also takes a pretty significant fuel economy hit too.
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Oct 21, 2015 00:25
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Throatwarbler posted:Another way to look at it is that if the expected reward of the extra 500cc of displacement isn't even worth an hour's drive then the 2.0l is probably adequate for his needs. The 2.5l also takes a pretty significant fuel economy hit too. Not really. The 2.0L is rated for 29/40, the 2.5L is 27/37, bumps up to 28/39 with i-ELOOP. I've driven the 2.5L in both a manual and the auto, it's a good car. My MX-5 has the 2.0L and it's good, but it's also 450lbs lighter.
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Oct 21, 2015 15:17
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Phone posted:Not really. The 2.0L is rated for 29/40, the 2.5L is 27/37, bumps up to 28/39 with i-ELOOP. I meant the pre sky active ones. Although I'm endlessly surprised by how old those cars are. Seemed like the sky active engine just came out yesterday. 
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Oct 21, 2015 15:51
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He didn't specify new, I just assumed. 
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Oct 21, 2015 17:39
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Well, looks like I am pretty sure I want a 2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L. After a considerable amount of test driving, it is about the nicest minivan we can get in my price range. One I was looking at was listed at 24,300$ with 45,000 miles on the odometer. Price was a bit of a stretch, but doable. And it had a tow hitch, which is useful to me, and a DVD that is not really. HOWEVER, while discussing the merits of car the first, the floor manager came in and said "Hey, I've got another car coming in, it'll be ready monday, you want to come take a look at it" Also 2011 EX-L, closer to 80,000 miles, and closer to 20,000$. No hitch. No DVD. So, why would the manager come in and try to sell a thing he doesn't have yet, over top of the salesman who had a reasonable shot at selling me something he does have (and for more money). AND, is an extra 40,000 miles on what was alleged to be "The nicest, cleanest, best maintained car I've seen in seven months (oddly specific timeframe)" a good deal for 4000$ less? ALSO, is taking a car to my own mechanic a waste of an afternoon and 80$ when buying a relatively low milage car from a big dealership and some warranty still left? We didn't talk about extended warranties, though they appear to offer them. Probably not something I should be looking at, right?
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Oct 22, 2015 18:17
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My wife needs a larger vehicle to schlep the kids around in. We've got a 2010 camry but she's already put 100k on it because she has to drive a lot for work. Her grandma is getting rid of a 1999 dodge caravan with very low mileage and an impeccable service record. The van was literally used once a week for a three mile trip. It would be pretty cheap up front, but are we going to get annihilated on maintenance on a minivan that old? Are there glaring faults with that generation?
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Oct 22, 2015 19:38
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Slo-Tek posted:Well, looks like I am pretty sure I want a 2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L. He might have thought the 24K car was too expensive and wanted to give you another option in an attempt to keep your business. Who really knows. If 4K wouldn't break the bank I would take the 40K Honda over the 80K Honda all day every day but that's just me. Are they selling the 40K model as a Honda CPO vehicle? If not, WHY not?
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Oct 22, 2015 21:07
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Slo-Tek posted:
Could be more profitable. They might have paid a song for the $20k vehicle, while the $24k vehicle they might have paid trade in close to what they're selling it for and was hoping you'd bite at the $20k without arguing much on the price since it's cheaper. Get an independent inspection too. I know it's a pain in the rear end, but you're spending $24k on a car. $80 and an afternoon is a whole lot better than getting stuck with a $24k lemon. The remainder of your warranty is powertrain only, it wouldn't cover things like a faulty AC unit. Lastly, an extended warranty isn't always a horrible purchase, as long as you can get it for a good price AND it's though Honda and not some third party. Like everything else at a car dealership, the warranty price is negotiable. Also, look online. A lot of dealerships sell OEM extended warranties over the internet so if you were interested in buying one you can save a bunch of money that way. Git Mah Belt Son fucked around with this message at 21:27 on Oct 22, 2015 |
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Oct 22, 2015 21:24
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It's a loving Honda, don't buy an extended warranty.
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Oct 22, 2015 21:52
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Were the Odyssey's transmission failures done by 2011?
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Oct 22, 2015 23:45
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Slo-Tek posted:Well, looks like I am pretty sure I want a 2011 Honda Odyssey EX-L. Minivans can tow in theory but they are still essentially FWD sedan drivetrains which are unsuited for that sort of thing. Tow hitch on a 5 year old minivan = transmission on its last legs. quote:My wife needs a larger vehicle to schlep the kids around in. We've got a 2010 camry but she's already put 100k on it because she has to drive a lot for work. Her grandma is getting rid of a 1999 dodge caravan with very low mileage and an impeccable service record. The van was literally used once a week for a three mile trip. It would be pretty cheap up front, but are we going to get annihilated on maintenance on a minivan that old? Are there glaring faults with that generation? Well they weren't terribly well built, and the transmission needs to be flushed with the correct fluid at fairly regular intervals, but how much is grandma selling it to you for? if it's just a couple of grand then what else can you get for that amount of money? I would probably go for it, if the transmission is in good shape and has been maintained it will probably run for a while.
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Oct 23, 2015 04:15
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Anyone got an exhaustive list of US-market minivans that didn't have severe transmission problems for at least part of their run? I can't imagine it'd be very long.
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Oct 23, 2015 04:34
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Throatwarbler posted:Minivans can tow in theory but they are still essentially FWD sedan drivetrains which are unsuited for that sort of thing. Tow hitch on a 5 year old minivan = transmission on its last legs. I just need it for a bike rack, but yeah, maybe need to have that given a good look, in case the previous owner liked to haul his pontoon boat.
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Oct 23, 2015 05:27
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My parents are current leasing a 2013 Acura RDX and there's about 8 months left on the lease. My dad took it in for a scheduled service the other day and the dealer offered to take over his lease and lease him a 2017 model for only $7 more a month including taxes and with no down payment. The thing is, when I price it out on the website it works out to be about $65 a month more. My parents have leased 4 cars from the dealer over the years and the guy offering them the dealer is the same guy they've leased through in the past (he's also the general manager). I'm going to call the dealer later on today, and I'll review the paperwork before he signs it if he decides to, but I'm just trying to figure out the dealer's angle. They're offering to let him break his lease without any penalties and lease him a brand new one at a discount. Any ideas what's in it for them?
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Oct 23, 2015 13:06
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A nice used vehicle for the lot and a recorded sale that will help them hit their objectives with the manufacturer.
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Oct 23, 2015 13:55
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The residual value on that 2013 RDX might be close to our more than the value left on the current lease. The dealer could just be rolling that value into the next lease to lower the payments. This happened to my boss last month when he turned in his 2012 Honda Pilot.
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Oct 23, 2015 14:42
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:A nice used vehicle for the lot and a recorded sale that will help them hit their objectives with the manufacturer. Calidus posted:The residual value on that 2013 RDX might be close to our more than the value left on the current lease. The dealer could just be rolling that value into the next lease to lower the payments. This happened to my boss last month when he turned in his 2012 Honda Pilot. I think you're right; they're probably rolling in the value into the current lease to meet end of year/quarter sales targets or something. I'll be speaking to them in a bit so we'll see what they say. Thanks  edit - Yeah, that's what they're doing. The vehicle is worth more than the residual so they're rolling that into the lease. Mr. Apollo fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Oct 23, 2015 |
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Oct 23, 2015 15:11
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Mr. Apollo posted:My parents are current leasing a 2013 Acura RDX and there's about 8 months left on the lease. My dad took it in for a scheduled service the other day and the dealer offered to take over his lease and lease him a 2017 model for only $7 more a month including taxes and with no down payment. The thing is, when I price it out on the website it works out to be about $65 a month more. They might have an incentive to hit a lease target, or they think they can re-sell it high. The key is keeping you leasing. I would tell them to make it even, just trade keys and walk away. If they're willing to open at $7 more I bet he's willing to get it down to $0.
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Oct 23, 2015 15:54
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7 dollars a month on a 36 month lease is 252 dollars. There's probably way more room in a potential deal. I would counter for 20 dollars less a month. If they want the car that bad there's probably 1K of wiggle room. Without the actual lease numbers, it's all just a guess though. I would compare their trade in allowance to trade in value of the vehicle and make sure it's in line. I traded my last lease in early and had a couple grand of equity in it that we put towards the next lease. The dealer angle is they get a great condition used vehicle they can sell as a top dollar CPO vehicle and they move a new unit off the lot. They make money on both sides of the transaction.
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Oct 23, 2015 17:08
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Moving somewhere without good public transportation, need a second, 'family' car. I love my current 2009 Scion xD Proposed Budget: $20k but less is good New or Used: Used but recent Body Style: minivan or SUV with third-row seating How will you be using the car?: Driving small child (and possible future sibling) around town. Occasional longer trips, occasionally hauling 3-5 adults in addition to child in carseat. What aspects are most important to you? Reliability and efficiency. Also, able to find one used with a manual transmission. This may seem weird but we really prefer driving manuals. Thanks for any guidance. I am not a car person and figuring out what to buy is so overwhelming.
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Oct 23, 2015 23:30
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I just shopped for a third row seater family car like you and I don't think Manuel is ever available.
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Oct 23, 2015 23:44
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I think one of the only three-row vehicles in recent history available with a stick (in the US) was the Mazda5. Which is a perfectly good car since it's basically a slightly stretched Mazda3, but the sticks are rare as hell and it is a small minivan. The American market has been heavily favoring automatics for a long time, and the large family hauler was one of the first segments to go that way. Edit: Looks like the Kia Sorento could be had with a stick and three rows? IOwnCalculus fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Oct 24, 2015 |
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Oct 24, 2015 00:03
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I've been looking at the Kia Sorento but most of them near me seem to have a lot of miles - 80-120 thousand or so. If I'm looking at a 2011 Sorento what should be the maximum mileage I consider for reliability's sake? Sorry if this is a dumb question. I'll check out the Mazda5.
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Oct 24, 2015 01:41
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Giving my current car, 2011 Camry, to my sister. Looking for an upgrade. Proposed Budget: Flexible. 20k - 60k New or Used: New? Maybe slightly used if it's a large price difference. Body Style: 4 door sedan with decent leg/head room. Enough space to haul some furniture when necessary and fit 4/5 comfortably. How will you be using the car?: Never been much of a car person, having drove basic toyota/honda/ford all my life. But I enjoy driving decently long trips some weekends, ~100-200 miles. 40 mile commute 1 day a week. 2 mile commute or carpool otherwise. What aspects are most important to you? 1. Noise. The main reason I'm looking for an upgrade. The camry is just loud as hell on the highway compared to other car's I've been in like the bmw x5 and even the hybrid ford fusion. 2. Comfort. Those cars also have a lot nicer suspension which is great. Don't care much for other stuff like leather seats though, although they're probably easier to clean. 3. Leg/head space. Compact sedan like corolla/prius are way too small. 4. Sound system? Connected with #1. What I've considered: Lexus GS - Pretty comfortable, still small. LS is larger and incredibly quiet, but expensive. Ford Fusion Hybrid - Small-ish, good price but not as comfortable. Seems to have a high center of gravity making sharper turns feel scary. Bad experiences with a Ford in the past always breaking down. Maybe it's better now. Comedy option Tesla - Expensive and somewhat uncomfortable head space, need electric outlet. Currently living in a condo, don't want to argue with HoA about why installing an electric plug is a good idea. Looking for advice because I'm uncomfortable buying something expensive with limited knowledge (considering how much I sweat the details when buying relatively trivial stuff like a computer monitor or mouse).
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Oct 24, 2015 07:44
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Throatwarbler posted:Minivans can tow in theory but they are still essentially FWD sedan drivetrains which are unsuited for that sort of thing. Tow hitch on a 5 year old minivan = transmission on its last legs. I think we can get it for $2500. I'm thinking sell the Camry and put that money in an account set aside for repairs.
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Oct 24, 2015 07:55
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MeruFM posted:Giving my current car, 2011 Camry, to my sister. Looking for an upgrade. Lexus ES/ Toyota Avalon or Chevy Impala/Cadillac XTS.
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Oct 24, 2015 08:02
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