Where do you start? HERE!
Mar 19 '00
Research!Research!Research!
You need to start looking for cars online. There are hundreds, no, thousands of car sites on the web. One of my personal favorites, www.edmunds.com, has an outstanding site that allows you to figure out most of the key features of almost any car or truck you want (new or used). Here are some of the more important things you can get off of the site.
1 It gives you the MSRP of the car (new), the price that each option costs (new), AND it tells you what the dealer invoice for each of those is- !CA-ching! That is money in the bank. If you know what the dealer paid, you know where he can fudge a little on the price. It also lets you know what the dealer kickback is for just selling the car (no matter what you pay). Additionally, if there are any manufacturer rebates out, it will tell you that too. Bottom line is that you pick all the features you want down to the color, and you can figure out how much they are going to ask for it. You then come back with your counter-offer (usually right around cost) and go from there.
2 It gives you all the info on engine size, 0-60 time, crash ratings, and it also gives you links to 4 other cars in its class for you to compare to. That way if a salesman is trying to tell you that it has the biggest engine in its class (and it really doesn't), you can call him on it and make him feel like a real dope. May give you some bargaining power later too. **example** "Well, I don't know. I think I might go check out the Mustang instead of the Celica, its cheaper and has a more powerful engine. . ." or something like that.
3 You can go to the used car section and see how much the car you are driving now is worth as a trade-in and as market value. That way if the dealer tried to short you on what the car is worth, again you are armed with knowledge. You can say that you know the car is worth more, and see if he'll give you a better trade-in price, OR edmunds will allow you to print out a spec sheet and you can put it on your web page or print it out and put it on your car so people can see it (if you want to sell it yourself).
Each car you inquire about will give you about 10-12 pages of printed data that you can read in your comparison of vehicles, and so you have a better understanding of the vehicles you are looking into. It is an invaluable resource.
If you want more information about actually buying a car, I recommend that you read some of the other member's opinions, they have covered a lot of ground with some excellent advice that I do not need to repeat here. Edmunds also has a pretty good online buying guide if you check it out.
One final thought I will leave you with though is make sure you do not get taken for a ride on your interest rates. Most of the times that is where they can stick you--especially if the dealership has its "own" financing department.
Hope this gives you a good start. Remember, if you START your search at a dealership instead of with a good knowledge base, you will already be behind in the game.
-J
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Epinions.com ID:
ljrunner
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Location: Kentucky
Reviews written: 95
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