Thanatos340 1 #26 April 13, 2006 QuoteI did my loan for my RX8 through Capital One.... great experience! I have financed three cars with them (First when they were still People First and two more since they merged with Capitol One). I have also sent 4 different friends to them.. All loved the experience and will never again deal with Dealership for financing. It amazes me how many people still think they have to deal with a Car salesman to get a loan. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NtheSeaOrSky 0 #27 April 13, 2006 QuoteIn the immortal words of Mr. Pink: "Fuck all that shit!" I have been in the used car business for over 12 years and let me just say, it doesn't have to be this difficult. Find the car you want, check kbb.com and make sure the asking price is not way out of whack from what "Suggested Retail" is. It will most likely be well under that. Get a purchase order/buyers agreement from them with all the vehicle info and price on it so you CAN SEE the bottom line you are paying. You don't have to leave a deposit, you don't have to sign it. Take the purchase order home, do your checking, take it to your bank. If the price is cool and you are happy with the deal and the car... BUY THE DAMN THING! Don't go in there acting like "Mr. Bigshot Buyer" who knows it all and "knows" all the dealer games. It pisses us off just as much as it pisses you off to get a pushy salesperson. Let the salesperson help you buy the car. DO NOT make it a "me vs. them" game. Buying a car can be an enjoyable process. Don't make it more difficult than it needs to be. yeah, what he said... when I traded in for my current car, everyone before going laughed their assess off and said I wouldnt get an even trade for my truck. Well the kbb values were similar, mileage and condition and I was very up front with the salesman and we swapped titles and both got what we wanted and no money changed hands. Homework took about an hour and the deal less than that. .Life is not fair and there are no guarantees... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #28 April 13, 2006 I too will never again deel with a dealer for financing. Having the blank checx in hand gave me the confidence to bargain..... I had never bargained before. ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrBounce 0 #29 April 13, 2006 Quote Can anyone offer any advice on how to approach the deal? *Pouts a bit, flutters eyelashes while sticking chest out in the direction of the salesrobot, twirls hairs while twisting one foot. "Oh, buts its such a lovely car, but I can't afford it! Can you make it cheaper for me?" "I'll spank you...." Works for me everytime Gavin Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. If you don't take it out and use it, its going to rust. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thanatos340 1 #30 April 13, 2006 I think we are saying the same thing. Know what you are willing to pay and how much the car is really worth. Dont play games at the dealership. Either Fax/Phone or email your offer. Make sure that it is a fair offer. (dealers do need to make a living too.. They just don’t have to make it all off you) The only thing we disagree on is using KBB as a Guide. Here is an example of why I do not like KBB.. I took my car: 2002 Honda Accord EX Coupe v6 in Good Condition with 50K miles. KBB says: Trade in - $11,030 Suggested retail - $16,775 a difference of $5,745 over what they say you should expect the dealer to pay you vs what you should pay them for the exact same car. Mark up roughly 50%. Edmunds says: Trade in - $12,266 Dealer Retail - $15,640 A difference of $3,374. Much more realistic. Also I have the advantage of being able to search the Manheim Dealer Auctions for this vehicle and see what DEALERS are actually paying for this car at auction and see that the average is around 12K for similar cars last month. If the dealer is willing to pay that at Auction... Then they should be willing to pay me that much for the car. If I went off KBB numbers.. I would have lost $1000 on my trade or paid $1000 too much for the car. Of course all this is irrelevant when it comes down to what counts. What are you willing to pay and what are they willing to sell for. Don’t play games.. Make them a Fair offer, if they don’t want it, go elsewhere. No games necessary. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raftman 12 #31 April 13, 2006 Car salesmen are all about their monthly numbers. Always buy your car on the last day or 2 of the month and you'll get a better deal. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFXpert 0 #32 April 13, 2006 Oh my gosh. I JUST went through this. For months I looked/haggled. First piece of advice: Be patient. Which I, generally, am not. But, I'm also stingy as hell when it comes to spending more than I think I should, so I guess it evens out I consulted everyone I knew who knew anything about cars, this or that. I asked a MILLION questions. Also, you're in luck, it's nearing the end of April--the end of their quarter---if you like it, and it hasn't sold, they'll go lower. Hold out, ask them a lot of questions about a million things until you have them admitting to this or that. They will go as low as possible. I paid $2k more than I wanted for my pre-owned Toyota Sequoia. They had it KBB in "excellent" condition, which it was, but I ended up paying $1k less than the private party value for "good" condition after haggling for 2 weeks. It drove me insane. I WANTED this car. Anywho...stick with my first piece of advice and don't settle. If you've truly looked everywhere, driven everythign under the sun, and learned a few things and asked all the questions, it will work out---they'll give a little, and you might pay a little. That's what happened to me anyways. But, I'm proud of my first car conquest. Prior to this, my father (despite that the $$$ used to purchase the vehicles were mine) negotiated and bought my cars. I'm REALLY happy with my outcome. The two crazy weeks of haggling was really worth it. Hang in there.Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ccowden 0 #33 April 13, 2006 Not always true. We have months where we have hit all our numbers and consider anything else we sell as just "gravy." During the last days of those months, our attitude is that we might as well stick closer to sticker price. There are definitely times when someone will get a much better deal because we "need" the money, but it is not easy to know when that might be. It is really hit or miss. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #34 April 13, 2006 QuoteTake the purchase order home, do your checking, take it to your bank. If the price is cool and you are happy with the deal and the car... BUY THE DAMN THING! I've found it easier to just to get pre-approval on the loans. Call the bank, say "I'm thinking about buying a car. Can I get pre-approved for $30,000?" They say yes, ask me if I want a certificate thingamajig (not sure the purpose of those), and I'm good to go. If I decide on a car that's over my pre-approval amount, it's like 10 or 15 minutes to call them and ask them to bump it. Having gone through the whole sales process on the front-end, I find myself ready for beer by the time it gets to the back and have zero interest in working through the whole process again, even if it does piss off F&I to have to do the sales/registration paperwork for free. QuoteDon't go in there acting like "Mr. Bigshot Buyer" who knows it all and "knows" all the dealer games. It pisses us off just as much as it pisses you off to get a pushy salesperson. Let the salesperson help you buy the car. DO NOT make it a "me vs. them" game. I understand what you're saying, and pretty much just agree that there's guilt on both sides of that equation. However, it's preferable for a worker to be paid for his frustration than for a customer to be paying for his frustration. I try to be respectful, and expect the same in return, but it's not always smooth as butter. It doesn't seem uncommon for salesmen to be jaded to the figures, dealing with such purchases several times a day. Most of us customers only wade into these waters every few years and it can be intimidating. QuoteBuying a car can be an enjoyable process. Don't make it more difficult than it needs to be. I've never found car-buying to be enjoyable. There's an item I want, that I'm willing to pay for, and there's a guy who's going through that absurd "let me check with the desk" thing in hopes of separating me from as much of my money as possible. The only thing enjoyable about it is when it's over and I'm driving away in whatever it is I wanted. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niolosoiale 0 #35 April 13, 2006 QuoteI did my loan for my RX8 through Capital One.... great experience! Did you get a new engine for your RX8 yet? Or was yours a lucky one? Either way, working at a dealership, I would say don't expect to drive off feeling like you stole it from under the dealer. We're not in the business to lose money and while we do occassionally let cars go for less than cost, they are often cars that we're just happy to get rid of because they are a hard sell (too many miles, unattractive in general). Just get the price down to something your willing to pay, make the financing terms as short as possible to protect your money even more. Also don't buy any unnecessary crap (dent warranty, road hazard, blah blah blah) they'll sell ya in F&I except for maybe an extended warranty if you can get a nice deductible (make sure it's per visit, not concern) and a nice price. F&I is where they like to stick it to you. The bulk of the profit is in the F&I office. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LisaM 0 #36 April 13, 2006 QuoteDid you get a new engine for your RX8 yet? Or was yours a lucky one? Hehehe... mine is just fine. I think I got it after most of that hoopla...... ~ Lisa ~ Do you Rigminder? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niolosoiale 0 #37 April 13, 2006 QuoteQuoteDid you get a new engine for your RX8 yet? Or was yours a lucky one? Hehehe... mine is just fine. I think I got it after most of that hoopla...... There was new hoopla outside of the horsepower rating problem. Engines lost oil pressure during turning. Within the last year I think that has been a recall. BTW, to the OP, if you get an extended warranty, do not buy it unless you're getting a $50 deductible (or less) per visit. If they tell ya $2k for this one at $100 deductible, tell them, $50 deductible or you're not buying. The profit margin on extended warranties is high. But if you plan on keeping the car as long as your extended warranty terms, it can pay off. Even BMW's break. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpah 0 #38 April 14, 2006 Two good things to read before you buy... Top 10 Dealer scams: http://www.carbuyingtips.com/scams.htm Confessions of a Used Car Salesman (long but good): http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/page001.html Definitely get your financing squared ahead of time...have a credit union give you pre-approval up to whatever you are comfortable paying. (Edited to add) How to buy a used car: http://www.carbuyingtips.com/used.htm Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DeNReN 0 #39 April 14, 2006 Damn shitload of advise your getting girl....I'll stay out of the making a deal advice and offer this. Take the car to a mechanic who specializes in BMW's and has nothing to do with said dealership....pay for a good check over(have him pick it apart) and get the results in writing...this may or may not help you with making a deal but it will give you a good foundation and understanding of the cars present condition. I hold a class A interprovincial journeymans automotive licence and am a ASE master tech/ASE advanced engine performance specialist etc etc etc etc. and getting closer to 20 years in the trade then I'd like to admit....never buy a car without having it checked over 1st....and a friend who can change his own oil and do basic repairs is not qualified to check that car out...I'm not...I dont work on BMW's very often so I dont know them well at all.....what I do know is that you should take it to a good BMW tech Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weegegirl 2 #40 April 14, 2006 okay, okay, okay.... i DID say i was a push-over, right? so i went and looked at one used Z4 Roadster. i tried to gear myself up for it and have all my questions ready, and all I could seam to ask was.. where's the cup holder? okay, so i'm really not a dumb ass, but i just draw a blank here. i have no real car buying experience. the guy was trying so hard to sell me the damn car that when i did ask questions he didn't have any good answers. so i left. i went back to the BMW dealership with a buddy a couple of hours later and the guy almost had me driving off the lot in a brand new $52,000 all bells and whistles souped up puppy of a Z4. EEK! thank GOD my sensible side kicked in and i told him i would think it over... but damn that car was sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! so i'm thinking maybe the no-haggle Carmax type of place is more my style. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
