Car Haggling Tips?

K

Kattie E

Guest
My husband is looking to replace his 18 yr old work car. We like to try to keep our vehicles 10 plus yrs. He is looking at a new 2012 vehicle with a 3k rebate. With the unusually high prices the used vehicles are getting we think it makes better sense to buy brand new.

Do you have any tips you would like to share when it comes to getting the best price?
 
Unusually high priced for used? Not likely. Used car prices are not that high in reality. What you might be seeing is an inflated "trade in" price that is factoring in part of the discount on the new car.

It's usually best to sell your used car outright and then make a cash deal for the new car. Either way, make a cash deal on the new car first and then kick in the trade in at the end if that's the way you go.

Generally speaking, buying used is the way to go. But there are exceptions to that rule. I ALWAYS make them pull the dealer invoice and I offer them $50-$100 over their cost. They have other hidden profits in it, so that is a fair price. If they balk, I walk.
 
I agree that trading in a car is leaving money on the table most of the time. Also, my observation of the used car market at the moment is like Kattie's somewhat. The used car market was DECIMATED by the stupid idiot moronic Cash for Clunkers program, which mandated that every car traded in HAD to be destroyed and shipped off to the cruncher with no parts being salvaged, etc. I got a beater for $4,000 about a year ago, and it took me a LONG time to find something that good. It's probably easing up some now, but not greatly from what I hear.

In general, I agree with buying used, but IF you're driving it like y'all do, Kattie, then that would be worth it. The other reason I have bought new v. used before is when I was living alone and driving a long distance to work. Us single girls give a lot of thought to security, and it was worth it for my peace of mind.

RE: getting the best price - A friend of mine was looking for a new Camry a year or so ago and shopped exclusively online. She e-mailed several dealerships back and forth and took the one who came down the lowest.
 
Let somebody else take the first depreciation hit and pick up a 1-2 year old vehicle at Carmax. Do your pricing research online and then show up knowing what you're looking for. No haggling nonsense to deal with. The price is what it is. Period.


Also ... you can see what is available at all of the area Carmax locations through their web page and within a certain radius they will transfer the vehicle for you at no cost.
 
I usually buy new because I drice an average of 25,000 miles a year. I do a lot of comparison pricing and hubby has lots of friends in the business since he sells wheelchair accessible vans. This last time, I went to Team Toyota after agreeing on a price on the phone only to have it go up when I got to the dealership a little while later. Needless to say, I walked out.

My best advice is to decide on your financing before you go to the dealership so you only have to focus on the price and not go through any haggling over payments.
 
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