My car buying experience this weekend

[tercel89]

We just got my wife a new car this weekend . She deserved it . We bought her last one 14 yrs ago new and she has been driving it the whole 14 years . So we went to find a new one. We had a great experience at Crest Honda in Nashville. No problems at all and the experience was great which is really rare for me when buying something so big like a new car. The salesman was cool and never hounded me at all. But at other dealerships that we went to were so so .

 Now this car is for my wife. She went to college and graduated later in life to be a teacher so she deserves something nice and besides her car was getting really old and she drives a good ways to school to teach and all. So I wanted her to pick what she wanted. I let her pick what she wanted. I wanted anything Japanese except Nissan. If it were up to me I'd have a Subaru with a longitudinal engine "layout" ( engine in regular placement and not sideways like a front-wheel drive) . She liked Subaru's but went with a Honda Accord. While looking at a different Honda dealership , the saleman asked me what I was looking under the car for and why I was doing this and that. I told him that when we buy a car we keep it for almost ever and I do all the maintenance so I needed to check the clearances and oil filter locations to see how hard it would be do change it and the belts and all. I then mentioned that I'd rather not have a front wheel drive car . He looked at me like I was crazy . He asked why and I explained my aggravation of transverse engines that are "sideways" with the belts and all being so hard to get to and replace. He then put on the " Honda commercial act" about how they hardly ever  need work and this and that. I then told him that I still dont like front wheel drive cars and tranverse engines. He argued this and that and blah blah blah . I know they are there to sell a car that they have but dang , at least try to understand what the customer is saying. If I had it my way , my wife would be getting a Toyota Tacoma like mine with a FRAME and a longitudinal engine and rear-wheel drive with a 4WD option  :cool:

 So we went back to Crest Honda and my wife picked out her Honda . Crest Honda was really cool but the other places sucked butt. 

 Ok I am off my soap box .  :wave:

 

[Patton]

Having been a car salesman and eventually marrying a former car saleswoman, that guy would have gotten his ass lite into by his sales manager. He should always smile and say oh yeah. People will buy a car from a salesman who they think is impressed by them and their car theories, possibly overpaying. There is a saying in the buisness, "Stay stupid". Never try to educate a buyer, you don't have time and they won't believe you. If you get a feeling that they like your particualr car for a particular reason go along with it. My wife always said to make money all she had to do was show cars, worthless talking just loses you money.

Congratulations, it is hard to go wrong with a Honda, a Subaru, a Tacoma, or a Wrangler, they all hold value and are easy to get rid of.

[tercel89]

Having been a car salesman and eventually marrying a former car saleswoman, that guy would have gotten his ass lite into by his sales manager. He should always smile and say oh yeah. People will buy a car from a salesman who they think is impressed by them and their car theories, possibly overpaying. There is a saying in the buisness, "Stay stupid". Never try to educate a buyer, you don't have time and they won't believe you. If you get a feeling that they like your particualr car for a particular reason go along with it. My wife always said to make money all she had to do was show cars, worthless talking just loses you money.

Congratulations, it is hard to go wrong with a Honda, a Subaru, a Tacoma, or a Wrangler, they all hold value and are easy to get rid of.

Oh for sure . I am a LEO but a part time mechanic so I do know what I am talking about as far as cars and engines go , so I just went along with his stuff and let it go in one ear and out the other. But the guy from Crest Honda was great. We kept our older car for a spare car and just bought the Honda with no trade-in. The salesman at Crest was cool and that is the fastest I have ever bought a car in my life. We got it way lower than any price I would have thought of. 

Edited April 21, 2014 by tercel89

[teecro]

Even when wrong the customer is always right......

 

Sales people should just smile and nod their head curiously...

[Trekbike]

I will say you have a valid point that it's harder to work on a front wheel drive car, but finding a passenger car that isn't front wheel drive is hard to do at this point. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[frankmako]

i hate car shopping.  we have been looking for a new car also.  it is so much a pain in the butt to deal with a car salesman.  i also like to work on my own vehicles and we keep them until the wheels fall off.  then i put them back on for a few more miles.  

[vontar]

I agree, major pain in the arse.  Glad she got what she wanted.

[Hershmeister]

[quote name="frankmako" post="1141278" timestamp="1398119016"]i hate car shopping. we have been looking for a new car also. it is so much a pain in the butt to deal with a car salesman. i also like to work on my own vehicles and we keep them until the wheels fall off. then i put them back on for a few more miles. [/quote] Here is the easy way: 1) Figure out what you want 2) look online to figure out what you're willing to pay 3) pre-secure financing with your bank if not paying cash 4) call dealers and tell them you want their best offer for model xxxx and you will be buying from the best quote. Insist they email you the offer 5) wait for emails to roll in 6) pick best offer I did this a couple years back for a new vehicle and found the best deal in chattanooga. So i hitched a ride on airport shuttle for $50 and saved a couple grand. Crazy part was the local dealer was owned by the se company as owned the chattanooga dealership but wouldnt price match their own store due to higher demand here in nashville due to the may flood

[hipower]

Congratulations. You are a Wise man. Letting the wife pick her own is the best thing you can do. Ever. Period. It took me 20+ years and 3 vehicles for that to sink in.

 

I used to pick everything we owned. Life is much simpler now. And usually more peaceful. After all, I am married.

[runco]

Here is the easy way: 1) Figure out what you want 2) look online to figure out what you're willing to pay 3) pre-secure financing with your bank if not paying cash 4) call dealers and tell them you want their best offer for model xxxx and you will be buying from the best quote. Insist they email you the offer 5) wait for emails to roll in 6) pick best offer I did this a couple years back for a new vehicle and found the best deal in chattanooga. So i hitched a ride on airport shuttle for $50 and saved a couple grand. Crazy part was the local dealer was owned by the se company as owned the chattanooga dealership but wouldnt price match their own store due to higher demand here in nashville due to the may flood

Absolutely agree with this approach!  This is how we bought the last vehicle.  Even after the best quote through email, there is still significant negotiations at the dealer.  Just make sure to always talk OTD price!  Never trade anything in, and always have your financing done by yourself.  The dealer will get a signing bonus by the finance company if you finance at the dealer, i.e. $500. 

[Dustbuster]

3 deadly sins

If this doesn't help u consider jumping off a bridge:

Buying a car from any dealer

Having to get anything done at a verizon or AT&T store.

Having to do anything in person at TN DMV.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 of course it ate my spelling.

[bersaguy]

How many of you know that there are people out there who own cars that don't even know they are front wheel drive cars.  I could not count the times over the years that I have seen so many front wheel drive cars with snow tires on the rear wheels. I actually dated a girl (for short time) that drove an Acura and we went to the store one day to buy a few groceries and she wanted to go in her car so we did. When she opened the truck to put the groceries in, there in the trunk was four 50 lb bags of playground sand. Two on each side. I asked he what they were for and she said added traction in winter. I bit my tongue and didn't say anything right then. Over supper I asked her how long she had owned the Acura and she said two years. (Remember when i said dated for a short time)  I was polite when I explained to her that she needed to figure out a way to get those bags of sand under her hood because her car was a front wheel drive and she was actually decreasing her traction by having the sand in the trunk. Never got invited back for dinner any more and the poor salesman that sold her the car, all I can say is I hope he had moved on or was his day off when she arrived at the dealership to find out why in the hell she was not told she was being sold a front wheel drive car? Oh yea, I did get to ask her before I told her about the Acura what kind of car she owned prior to that and she said Toyota Camry.......... :shrug: :shrug: 

[tnguy]

Nothing like rear-wheel drive and you're right, they're hard to find. I'm very tempted to the Infiniti G37 as a future vehicle as it has RWD and is a lot of fun to drive, Not impressed by the looks though. The Hyundai Genesis is a little more sporty looking and also RWD but I'm not quite ready to go Korean yet

Edited April 22, 2014 by tnguy

[nightrunner]

Dodge Charger

[Defender]

OP: Glad you had a good experience.  I normally hate car dealerships, but recently bought a good used vehicle, since I very rarely buy a new one.  I had heard good things about Carmax, so I went to the one in Rivergate.  Great experience al the way around.  They offered me peanuts (but probably a fair price) on my old car, so I just kept it,  No haggle price, great car (2011 Ford Escape) and an all around pleasant experience.I did my research before on car prices, and they were as good or better than any other dealer.  The salesman was friendly, respectful and guided me (based on my desires) with no pressure to buy this or that car.  Id go there again.

[LagerHead]

Nothing like rear-wheel drive and you're right, they're hard to find. I'm very tempted to the Infiniti G37 as a future vehicle as it has RWD and is a lot of fun to drive, Not impressed by the looks though. The Hyundai Genesis is a little more sporty looking and also RWD but I'm not quite ready to go Korean yet

 

I had a Hyundai XG350L, and it was one of the best cars I have owned. It was loaded, had a V6, rode great, handled decently for that type of car, and was less than a stripped Accord or Camry. I only got rid of it because it was destroyed in the hail storm in March of 2012. They don't make that model any more either. 

[bersaguy]

I think everything Chrysler is building in RWD now but not sure. If I was 30 years younger I would own a Hemi Challenger or Charger even though they are not true Hemi's they are still sharp looking cars and have that 70;s appearance. They also offer the 100,000 mile warranty with them............jmho

[jtmaze]

They are still hemispherical combustion chambers just not dual plug. And with today's lighter cars could we really handle a 426. :rofl: JTM We the People of the United States, in order to form a more Perfect Union......

[bersaguy]

They are still hemispherical combustion chambers just not dual plug. And with today's lighter cars could we really handle a 426. :rofl: JTM We the People of the United States, in order to form a more Perfect Union......

Yea I know that the heads are same to a point and yep, these lighter cars would make 426 w/ 425 Hp a hand full.  I did own a 1970 Cuda  440 six pack with 411 rear gears and Hurst 4 speed and it was no slouch by any form of imagination and the new Challengers remind me of that car in body style.......jmho

[jtmaze]

Yeah. I want one so bad I can't afford it. JTM We the People of the United States, in order to form a more Perfect Union......

[Johnny Rotten]

Here is the easy way: 1) Figure out what you want 2) look online to figure out what you're willing to pay 3) pre-secure financing with your bank if not paying cash 4) call dealers and tell them you want their best offer for model xxxx and you will be buying from the best quote. Insist they email you the offer 5) wait for emails to roll in 6) pick best offer I did this a couple years back for a new vehicle and found the best deal in chattanooga. So i hitched a ride on airport shuttle for $50 and saved a couple grand. Crazy part was the local dealer was owned by the se company as owned the chattanooga dealership but wouldnt price match their own store due to higher demand here in nashville due to the may flood

Couldn't agree more, I always purchase using those rules

 

Absolutely agree with this approach!  This is how we bought the last vehicle.  Even after the best quote through email, there is still significant negotiations at the dealer.  Just make sure to always talk OTD price!  Never trade anything in, and always have your financing done by yourself.  The dealer will get a signing bonus by the finance company if you finance at the dealer, i.e. $500. 

Nothing wrong with trading in as long as everything is up front, last week I traded in a car (not your average day car) with just pictures, I told them what I wanted, they agreed, drove 2hrs to the dealership, they talked me down $500, then in turn I lowered my price by $500, so we both win. 

[E4 No More]

I bought my XTS last November from Crest Cadillac, and I must say that the experience was great! No-haggle pricing applied even though they had to do a dealer transfer from a dealership in Atlanta to get the car I wanted, and it was better than Andrews Cadillac. The salesman was no-pressure nor rush. They gave me what I wanted for my trade-in when Nashville Dodge's offer was downright insulting. The only problem was having to take the car back several times for warranty fixes, but that was handled well in the service shop. Cars are getting too "smart" for their own good nowadays.

[nightrunner]

Actually the new Hemis have more in common with the GM LSx engines than anything, some parts will actually interchange.

And if you take comparable cars, the modern version will weigh MORE than the old ones, all the electronics and safety equipment we have now is quite heavy. Compare, say a 12-way power adjustable heated leather seat to a muscle cars bucket seat, no comparison.

Also, the 2014 Challenger SRT8 has 470hp. Edited April 22, 2014 by nightrunner

[Patton]

There is about 100 different approaches to cleverly buying a car. The majority of the time you are better off selling private party instead of trading but not always, when you trade you only pay tax on the trade difference. I have twice gotten the real money value for my trade or more when trading as opposed to the amount I was attempting to achieve private party sale. Cars over about $7500 are hard to sale private party no matter how hot of a deal it is. If you are going to trade never tell them, wait until you have gotten your best price, and say well, "For me to do this deal today I would need to trade, I have my current vehicle on a sale lot right now. Let me go and bring it here for you to appraise". This is throwing a trade in last minute and it pisses the **** out of dealers, they call it a "parachuted in trade". 

One of the biggest ways for you to save money is to go to your credit union and get approved for what you think you will end up spending THAT SAME DAY.  Then you make your fourth, fifth, or tenth trip back to the dealership to close the deal.  This whole time you have landed hints that you are going to allow the dealership to set up your financing, only you end up taking your buyers slip out the door to get a check from your credit union. What happens here is the dealership has cut the price off of the front end of the deal with anticipation to making significant profit on the back end of the deal. Only once you get into the F&I box do you break it to them you are not allowing them to finance. Dealerships make most of their money in the finance office and not out on the sales floor.  Example: I sold a Ford Contour in 2000 that my dealership was buried in, we had ended up with almost $14k in a $10k car.  I ended up selling the car for about $10k out on the sales floor.  I had an extended warranty, credit life, paint protection, and a $400 payment sold before they made it into the F&I box.  The back end of the deal exceeded the $4k difference, if the guy was smart he would have not bought the extra crap and set up financing on his own.  What I am getting at is we gave the car away knowing we would make it up on the back end of the deal.  Oh, and why I am thinking about it, NEVER tell a dealer that you are paying cash!

People that called and asked the bottom dollar were my favorite, all you have to do is throw a price and see if they bite, it saves the salesman a lot of time. This also allows me to only pick customers that I can make money. If I have two customers one ask price I give them the price I want to sale for.  Give me another customer I show them the car and work a price, if they don't like it I work with it and I have so much time invested I do not want to walk away now.  This is especially true when I have spent days working these people and I feel it is almost completed.  Hindsight, I wished I could have just thrown a price earlier and hoped that they bit, instead I waisted time and ended up giving a car away just to get something.  These people are buying off price and not off the car.  You should pick the car you want and bug the hell out of them to get the rights price. I will take an easy sale over one I have to waist all day or several days with. The time that you ask a best price is the time immediately before going to another dealer and saying you have to beat this price, use this as a last resort. The reason is because I have known one or two people that the first price the sales manager came back with was a cheaper price than what they had on the other dealers price sheet. 

True Car and USAA's Car Buying Service have changed the market and are worth using.  I also recommend trying to buy your car the last Saturday of the month or even  better is the week after Christmas before the new year.  Not always but more often than not you are trying to squeeze in another unit before the sales calendar closes. The reason, most programs pay twice as much when you sell 12 cars a month than if you only sold 10. Also,all the managers get anxious to sale more at the end of the oth to justify there jobs and bonuses.  I have actually seen a deal offered on the 30th of the month not be honored on the 1st of the next month.

[mav]

I think your wife made a great choice.  The Accords are fantastic cars.  I just sold mine a month or so ago to a fellow at work only because he has been bugging the crap out of me to sell it to him so he can give it to his son.  I put 250k miles on it without the first problem.  I was so impressed with my Accord that I bought a new Honda Crosstour to replace my Accord.  I was looking for something 4x4 with decent gas mileage (~26 mpg).