Buying a Car for the First Time...

[0ni0n]

Is it paid off? If so you can get a very nice deal. Honda's have a really good resale value.

Yup, I bought it for about $17,000 about 3 years ago. There are some scratches on the front bumper though.

[Azkarin2]

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually checking out CarMax after this post. Dimm, when I was there yesterday I saw the exact leader board you were talking about but it was written on glass so it was backwards. I'll keep an eye out for it and flip it around lol.

As for Hondas, my family has pretty much owned nothing but Hondas in the last ten years (3 Accords, Civic, and a Pilot). The Civic and Pilot are going well but they are only 2 years old. For some reason, every damn Accord we've bought has needed two new transmissions each with only two being in warranty. For some reason my dad kept buying another Accord. I'm really a fan of the Explorer though so I think I'm finally going to branch out. Thanks for the advice guys.

[Dimmauk]

Thanks for the advice. I'm actually checking out CarMax after this post. Dimm, when I was there yesterday I saw the exact leader board you were talking about but it was written on glass so it was backwards. I'll keep an eye out for it and flip it around lol.

As for Hondas, my family has pretty much owned nothing but Hondas in the last ten years (3 Accords, Civic, and a Pilot). The Civic and Pilot are going well but they are only 2 years old. For some reason, every damn Accord we've bought has needed two new transmissions each with only two being in warranty. For some reason my dad kept buying another Accord. I'm really a fan of the Explorer though so I think I'm finally going to branch out. Thanks for the advice guys.

I had to replace my Transmission on my Accord too. Its probably cause I drive the shit out of it.

[Feielle]

You know your shit. Everything you wrote is fact. Not many people know this.

Worked my way through highschool and college spinning wrenches for just about every kind of dealership you can imagine. All of them are crooked, but they each have their own special way of going about it. Personally, I'll never buy a car from a dealership ever again. If you know what to look for, you're far better off searching the classifieds.

Then again, I can fix anything that goes wrong on my own, so that opens up availability in what I can buy.

[GeneJackit]

Honestly, if you are looking to finance any amount on a car you are much better getting a brand new car and not pre-owned. I work in the auto insurance industry and deal with cars all the time. All dealers have whats called the "take price" on a car which is how much they will let it go for...so if you arent sure if you will be able to negotiate the price, trust me you can. I have never been a huge Ford fan, but you can most likely get a great deal on a '09 now so go for that. No matter how nice a used car is, it is still used and you have a much better chance of buying a lemon used than new.

[Azkarin2]

It is worth it to take on an additional 10-12 thousand in a loan so I can get an 09 instead of an 07 with 18,000 miles with a 5 year/100,000 warranty?

[_chuchu]

It's a depreciating asset, why?

[Correction]

everything you need to know.

YouTube - 4.1.5 Rob Gruhl - How to Buy a New Car - Ignite Seattle 2007

really.

[Norellicus]

I second the carmax tip, they're a lot more willing to negotiate than a lot of dealerships are. At the very least you can try a lot of different styles in one visit and then take that knowledge to a specialized dealer.

If you know someone who works the finances for a dealership (preferably of the same parent motor corp), ask them what addons are worth it and which ones are money pits designed for suckers (not talking about vehicle features, more stuff like extra warranty protection, maintenance agreements, new tires, etc); I knew a guy who worked for Land Rover and he knew the entire Ford Motor Company's (I think they own LR...) Internals like the back of his hand, could even tell you exactly what features and extras the dealers would try to push, in what order, and how they'd try to change your mind if you refused.

Another thing you can do to get a good deal on a loan is talk to your personal bank; some of them offer loyalty incentives and such with lower rates. Then if you want you can take their offer letter to the dealership and try to get their finance office to make you a better deal (some dealers get incentives for financing in-house). This also shows that you really do have a maximum limit and not just trying to be a hardass to save a few bucks.

[Talus]

If you're going in person, I advise becoming a white man and bargaining. Studies have shown that salespeople give white men the best deals. Women get a higher price on average, and everyone else gets a higher price after that. Don't believe me? Read Malcolm Gladwell's Blink.

[shaqswede]

Car loans, auto financing tips, dealer scams to avoid

Decent info here.

[Azkarin2]

Thanks for all the help. I had a follow up question that I'd like to get some opinions on. I'm searching for a Ford Explorer Limited and most of the dealers around here don't have any of them under their Certified Pre-Owned program. The main plus about this program is that they provided a powertrain (engine and transmission) warranty for 6 years/100,000 miles. The downside is that it limits the selection of cars.

The cars that I am looking for I'd like to have no more than 25,000 miles on them. Is the CPO program worth the limited selection? I've only driven hand-me-down cars with 100,000 plus and have no idea how often cars face huge engine/transmission trouble in their first few years (I know they are expensive since I've paid for 2 transmissions already). Is it worth paying $1-2,000 extra to find a similar car that is under a CPO program? What do yall think a fair premium is for a car under such a warranty?

[archibaldcrane]

If your car has major engine/tranny problems in the first, say, 5 years/60k miles, it is a piece of shit and you got completely screwed.

[Dimmauk]

Well you will probably only find CPO cars at Dealerships. Most cars near 100k miles will be close to needing a Trans. The engine should be ok, if they have kept up with the seals and belt replacement.

[MrW]

If your car has major engine/tranny problems in the first, say, 5 years/60k miles, it is a piece of shit and you got completely screwed.

Truth.

[Azkarin2]

So if I decide to not go the CPO route, is there anything else I should do before buying the car besides test driving it, getting the vehicle history report, and taking it to my usual trusted mechanic to have him inspect it?

[Dimmauk]

So if I decide to not go the CPO route, is there anything else I should do before buying the car besides test driving it, getting the vehicle history report, and taking it to my usual trusted mechanic to have him inspect it?

Sounds good.

[levish]

imo for a first time car buyer with the Ford Exploder particularly in mind:

- Research prices on KBB, Edmunds, Nada (yes all three).
- buy from a Ford Dealership.
- look for a car that has at least one year factory warranty left.
- do your homework about the warranty transferring to the next owners.

If they have one talk to the internet sales manager before going into the dealership to check to see if they have that car in stock at the dealership itself. Once you are there are lots of tricks they use to pad their bottom line including the switcharoo (oh hey, that car was sold how about this one?).

stick to your guns and don't buy the undercoating and sealant, get the sealant done on your own.

and do more research on common dealer sales tactics and know what fee's they can charge in your state.

[Cochise]

Questions from your sales person

Q.) How are you going to pay for said vehicle? A.) No money down and a co-signer.

Q.2) Do you have good credit (or does co-signer)? A.) Above average.

Bring a calculator and act like your interested in payments.

Negotiate "sale price" until they say they need to see your credit or co-signers credit.

Then spring it on them that you will be putting most of the money down and really just want to see the sale price.

They will get really pissed at the salesperson and act like they don't want to sell you anything.

If you manage to get out of the door they will call you back with a really good offer.

[Awoir]

What year(s) are you looking at specifically? Do you prefer an XLT, Sport, or Sport Trac? I know if you want a ST they only come with the 4.0 OHC motor, but if you get a sport or XLT, if you opt for a V6 I would recommend the 4.0 OHV moter over the OHC, or even a V8 (4.6L) over the OHC.