Car buying

[theoddz]

I'm a Dodge lover and I'm on my 4th Dodge truck, a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn (Hemi 5.7L w/ 20 in. rims) Quad Cab. Out of the 4 trucks, only one was bought used......a 1999 Ram, and 3 of the 4 were full sized Rams with one (the first truck) a new '94 Dakota.

One thing I do is to get my financing lined up and pre-authorized from my credit union, which is Navy Federal Credit Union before I ever go in to seriously look at a vehicle. I NEVER let the salesman know what financing I have available, or if I am interested (or not) in their financing, or if I'm going to trade or what I'm prepared to put down, specifically. The great majority of the big money they make on their deals is in the financing and (extended) warranties they sell. I always, always act undecided (read....."poker face") and never give them the impression that I'm anxious or impressed by any of the numbers they throw out, or any vehicle in particular, even if I am. When I find the truck/vehicle I want, I let them know what I am prepared to pay for that truck/vehicle. I always go in to shop fully knowing what the value of these trucks are, both wholesale and retail. I also have a general idea about what the true price is that the dealer paid for that vehicle and I know exactly what my truck is worth.....either if I sell it myself and the trade in value. The actual price of the new vehicle is what I am interested in and NOT what the sticker says, is what I negotiate on. When we get to a "close" price is with negotiating, I THEN tell them what I have to put down in cash and what I need to get for a trade on my truck. Now, don't get me wrong.....I am prepared to give a little, take a little, but I don't let them know what my true high dollar is on the deal. What I'm interested in is their LOW dollar. I never, NEVER shop for a payment amount!!!! These days, with the prices of cars and trucks being what they are, these dealers love to stretch your payment terms out as long as they can, even beyond the length of time that the vehicle "life expectancy" might be. The longer they stretch the payments out, the more interest the buyer pays. I NEVER finance longer than 4 years.....period. If I can't afford a 4 year payment, I don't buy it. Period. No car/truck is worth paying for after it's in the junk yard.

Lastly, I use the "walk away" technique to budge a stubborn salesman into lowering his price. That's what gets them the most and I have ALWAYS had success with this!!! I've literally had salesmen frantically lowering their "low dollar" amounts while I was climbing in to my truck and telling them that I was heading over to a competitor for a better deal. The last salesman I dealt with was almost trying to climb in my driver's side window while talking like an auctioneer to get me to stay and deal!!! I laughed my ass off about it once I got home with my new truck on that one!!! I have always gotten good deals and........

I always pay the vehicle off early.

It's like the parting shot and a testament to my thriftiness (read....TIGHT).

~Theo~

[Ginger]

Oh, Theo made me think of something. If you belong to USAA they have a car buyer's service.

They give you a quote for the make and model you want and dealers in the area that participate in their program give you that price, which is always a little lower than list.

[Glenn]

Well if I were in your moccasins, I would go out and get me a small, old, diesel rabbit, honda, or toyota while parts are still cheap and plentiful because diesel will be easier to store for the coming global showdown with Iran. These cars will still be running if you store diesel and the grid goes down. I refuse to even make a car payment. My mechanic drives a geo tracker. You don't need alot of money to buy a car. They are not good investments. If you want cheap and dependable, go to honda, toyota, or nissan. I've noticed this fiero already has 40ooo on the turbo rebuild. Imo, turbo means engine rebuilt anytime pending, which for a turbo 87 fiero, can cost up to 800.

[DapperButch]

I agree with several people on here, plus have my own thoughts.

*Forget the Fiero (for more than one reason)

*Always get a PPI (pre purchase inspection) prior to buying any used car, ever

*Sell the dually privately, as you will get the most money that way. Sell it kelly blue book or nada values.

*I don't know pick up values, but I believe that chevy and ford are the most reliable. Determine how much you want to spend and then hit consumer reports to find the most reliable truck for the money you want to spend. Then search autotrader, cars.com, etc. for the truck you want. I personally like to find private parties and not dealers. Better deals. Either way, PPI or scram.

*If you go with a dealer for purchase, do not tell them what you want to pay each month, that should have NOTHING to do with the negotiations and you should not let them see your hand. As Tony said, THEN see what price they will take your car for.

*Helping others research/find/buy new/used cars is one of my fav hobbies!

[clay]

Miss_Tia. One thing to seriously consider are these factors.
Given the back/neck/shoulder problems you have had, you will want a vehicle that allows for easy entrance/exit!
The Fiero is a lower to the ground vehicle than getting in a big ole dually! Consider the clearance underneath the steering wheel and ease with which to get into and out of, once again!
Chrissy is tall, so headroom, legroom, and passenger and driver space is important to consider!
I need something along lines of an SUV to get into and out of, where I don't have to force my old joints to fold up to enter/exit, have to squat to get into, and be sitting almost to the pavement.
Clearance under the steering wheel, legroom, and headroom are so important to me!
Just consider your joint issues to help you to decide on what it is you want to get...good luck my friend...

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by claybaby

Miss_Tia. One thing to seriously consider are these factors.
Given the back/neck/shoulder problems you have had, you will want a vehicle that allows for easy entrance/exit!
The Fiero is a lower to the ground vehicle than getting in a big ole dually! Consider the clearance underneath the steering wheel and ease with which to get into and out of, once again!
Chrissy is tall, so headroom, legroom, and passenger and driver space is important to consider!
I need something along lines of an SUV to get into and out of, where I don't have to force my old joints to fold up to enter/exit, have to squat to get into, and be sitting almost to the pavement.
Clearance under the steering wheel, legroom, and headroom are so important to me!
Just consider your joint issues to help you to decide on what it is you want to get...good luck my friend...

Really good points, Clay. A car has to "fit" like clothes do—you want something comfortable because you'll be wearing it EVERY day!

[Rockinonahigh]

When I unloaded my big old suv that got next to O in milage I bought a cadilac,There are a fue things I wish I could change to make it beter even tho I get way better gas milage.One I would get something that sits up high enough to keep the other folks head lights out of my eyes at night..a big problem for me..Then its the cost of fixing my cadi,it uses struts insted of shocks...I priced them all around for $2000.00 no jokeing hear I promiss.Recently I replaced the over flow tank for $101.98 new as I couldnt find anything anywhere used to replace it.I do miss my old ride for just being able to do a lot with it I wont do with this one.I must have easy in and out of whatever I drive and comfort is a definat biggy.