car buying...

Discussion in 'Politics' started by dgmodel, Jan 12, 2004.

  1. dgmodel

    dgmodel Guest

    anyone here have any car buying tips???
     
  2. yea.. don't buy a new one unless you have like 80 million and don't care about throwing money away.....
     
  3. Value-wise this is true, buying 2-4 yo car would be better BUT it all depends on how you divide your pie and how important it is for you.

    TM Trader
     
  4. You sound like an accountant. I drove my accountant's car. A piece of shit 8 year old Mazda Millenium.

    People take expensive trips for enjoyment, and what do they have to show for it afterwords? People go to concerts, the movies, out to dinner, etc. What do they have after these experiences:

    Memories.

    Having a nice ride is worth the money, it is irrelevant to someone who is doing well that they lose money through depreciation. A new car is as valid a form of entertainment as anything else.

    A car is not an investment anyway.

    If you can afford it, buy what you like and enjoy it.

     
  5. maxpi

    maxpi

    Forget about image. most car buying decisions are made on image. List what you will be doing with the car. I did that on my last purchase, it was: Pavement 99.99 percent, commute through canyon roads, rarely more than 2 people at a time, comfort not a big factor at all, I bought a Camaro.

    Max
     
  6. dgmodel

    dgmodel Guest

    i was speaking in terms of haggling, and knocking price down...
    I am looking into an e46 bmw, or e36 m3... (new body style 3series, or previous bodystyle m3.) in terms of depreciation, and practicality im simply using the car for pleasure driving, and daily use with an average yearly mileage of approx. 12-15k miles... debating between purchase, lease or finance... i file taxes on a k1 basis (this would be my first year.) but the main focus and point of this thread was too simply find out if anyone had any tips on getting the best possible price on the automobile...
     
  7. OK, I'm of Jewish ethnicity, so I'm more than qualified to help you out here: :p

    First price the car you want, including your desired options here:

    http://autos.msn.com/

    The retail/sticker price means nothing. Don't bargain down from the sticker price, bargain UP from the dealer's invoice price. This is very important. Now, the best deals on 'new' cars can be had if you buy a used car that was purchased less than a year ago. Indistinguishable from new, but the price can be 70% or less than originally paid.

    If you still want to buy new from a dealer, I have a tried and true trick. First, bring a printout of the invoice pricing from the above website. Tell them that you have a friend who works at a dealership in (insert city about 6-8 hours away) who is willing to sell you the same car at $200 over invoice. Now, you'd really like to save yourself the long drive, so you'd be willing to pay four or five hundred over invoice here in town. This tactic worked perfectly for me, and was for a $40K Lexus. I'm sure they'd take an even slimmer margin over invoice on a less expensive car.

    Good luck...
     
  8. dgmodel

    dgmodel Guest

    niiiiiiice... thank you for the advice...

    i was thinking actually maybe getting a preowned to save the extra bucks and keep in the "bank..." might be the most logical/economic way to go...
     
  9. One more thing...always negotiate your purchase price first. If you have a trade-in, negotiate your selling price of the old car afterwards...NOT in a package deal with your new car purchase. Trading in your old car is generally a bad idea anyways. You can get more for it in a private sale. If you have a really junky old car that couldn't possibly sell for over $2K, your best best could be to donate it to charity, as the charity will often greatly overvalue the car for your tax purposes.
     

  10. agree. i think you are WAY better off buying a preowned luxury car with low miles sub 10k than buying new. i am a big range rover fan and buy them 2 years old saving 25k or more from new. just make sure you have a full warranty !

    best wishes,

    surfer
     
    #10     Jan 12, 2004