Unless you've been living in a cave the past few weeks, ya'll have heard that there's a serious drought here in the southeast, so you can understand why Lulu, Bubbles and I actually began whooping and a'hollerin' when it started raining this morning.
It doesn't take much to thrill us.
I've been pondering the auto situation in our house and I've come up with what I think is a workable plan. I'm taking off the week of Christmas, so I'm planning on going car shopping between the holiday and January 1st. There is differing opinion around the office over whether I should wait until the new year. I have no clue, I've never bought anything less than five years old before. What do ya'll think?
I'll be anxiously awaiting your advice.
I really wish the writers strike would hurry and get over with. I'm going through Craig Ferguson withdrawal. I mean, it's bad enough that he won't be visiting Big City this month as I'd hoped and now his show is back in reruns.
Anywho.. I'd better get my hiney in gear and get some work done. Ya'll have a good one.
6 comments:
Hey, on one of the blogs I read they posted about some writer folks who are "picketing" on Second Life! *g*
Regarding car sales. Your best bet is to do all your research, get preapproved through your credit union at work or your bank, so when they ask if you will be financing you can say no. They wil try to "foursquare you", a distraction technique used to distract you from the price of the car to an affordable payment. Focus on the price of the car only. No clearcloat for the paint or extended warranty crap. Anyway Kia has the 100K warranty.
Dress like you can afford the car and anyone going with you should do the same. Have someone drive you who has a nice new car if possible. I know it sounds bad but if you know a reasonably well educated well spoken man who knows about engines etc., bring him. Dealers tend to treat women like they don't know anything. Before you go know everything about the car you want, and what features you want and when they try to sell you the loaded one you can say you don't want that stuff so you're not paying for it. If they want to move the unit they will knock the price down.
Only deal with what is in stock on the lot. If they say they can order it for you you lose your bargaining ability.
The best day to go is the last day of the month, the last quarter. The want their numbers to be as high as possible, they will discount more during these times. New Years Eve is the best. If they follow a calenday year as opposed to a different fiscal year, which you have no way to know unless you know an employee at the dealer. Then ask them when their year end is.
You are correct about buying last years model, often they come with discounts and/or incentives and you still get the new car warranty.
Last and most important. Discuss with the person you bring that you really think you want the other car, let them think you are choosing between a couple of cars and it's all about the good deal. Don't display any emotions or excitement. That is where you lose control. Buying a new car should be a sound financial decision, they love it when someone is emotional and loves the car. They know you will pay anything to get it. Act as if you are going to walk away from the deal if it is not right. You certainly can get up and start to leave. If they want your business they will deal.
Oh yeah, and that crap about going back and forth getting manager approval is just a stall tactic to wear you out. Don't go tired or hungry, even bring a snack and a drink, you wear them down!
If you don't like the way the Kia dealer treats you go somehwhere else, the people at Saturn don't grind you and the people at Subaru were very nice.
Good Luck
I dunno - last car I bought new was a 2000 Ford Focus -prior to that I had bought a 1979 Chevy Chevette and two Subaru Justys -all new. The Chevy and Subarus, I had the financing done through my bank but the dealer did the paperwork. I hadn't researched anything as to financing. The last car though, my credit I knew was now punk -thank you student loans -so I had inquired about financing and got quotes that were really high price tags leading me to think all I'd be able to purchase would be a used vehicle. However, when I went to look at used cars at this particular Ford dealership, they did the paperwork and got me financing too at a much better rate than I could get with the bank -I think it was 4 or 5 percent, something like that -which actually enabled me to get a brand spanking NEW car for the same payment I would have had with the bank to finance a 4 or 5 year old used buggy! Check out what dealers offer too in that respect -can't hurt you if they offer a program like I lucked into ya know!
Good luck with the car search. I just got my first brand new one two years ago. Honestly, I think I'd feel just as good about getting a used car that's a year or two old. It's nerve wracking owning a brand new vehicle.
You've gotten some good advice here!
I have always heard that the week between Christmas and the 31st is the best time to buy a car because salesmen and their managers are anxious to have the best numbers they can for the year or the month and they'll deal!
A former car salesman told me.
Know what you want to buy and what you are willing to pay.
Have the financing approved before you go near a car dealer.
Have your insurnace prearranged before you go near a car dealer.
Then the only thing that matters is the total cash due.
Don't buy the extended warranty, life insurance, pet insurance, uneployment insurance, alien invasion insurance, earthquake insurance, hurricaine insurance or loss of use coverage. You don't need it and they will charge too much for it.
Be willing to walk away.
Walk away if you don't get what you want, for the price you are willing to pay.
Don't beleive them when they tell you that what you want does not exist or can't be bought for that price. Walk away and keep looking (my last car search took 2 1/2 months, the four cars before that were bought in less then a day of looking (27 minutes for one of them.)
Make them an offer and tell them you are leaving in 10 mintues if they don't accept it. Walk out the door and leave your $20 "deposit" on the offer behind (they can't keep the deposit unless they agree to your offer.)
If you haven't made them cry, you haven't gone low enough.
Don't let the process drag on for hours, they are trying to wear you down, hoping that you will cave in and spend more then you need to.
Be flexible, all dealers have a car in inventory that they wish they had never bought and wonder if they will ever sell. The color may be funny, or it may lack something that every buyer insists on having (I bought one without air conditioning, one without a sunroof, a couple with manual tranmissions.)
Look for a car that has been on the dealers lot about 90 days. Most dealers finance their inventory, if the car does not sell in 60-90 days the dealer frequently has to pay off the bank on that car. They will sell that one cheap to keep from paying it off (the Saturn dealer lost money on one of these that I took off the lot on the 89th day, (I know Saturn does not deal on price, but they over allowed on my trade in, the dealer lost money on the deal.)
Be willing to walk away. I can't say that one enough.
DG
Post a Comment