How to buy a car and get a good deal

How to: Buy A Car
Step 1: Find a car that you like
Step number one is finding a car that you like. Try to do that away from the distractions and the pressures of the dealership. Do that at home. Go to web sites like Cars.com, Edmunds.com, Consumer Report, things like that. Narrow it down so that once you get to the dealership you know what you want and you can proceed to the next step, which is...
Step 2: Go at the end of the month
Before you even arrive at the dealership, make sure that you get to the dealership on a day when the traffic is slower. Maybe towards the end of the month or on a rainy day. Basically, when traffic is slow you'll get better service and they'll be more motivated to give you a better deal.
Step 3: Negotiating a price
Now, you've got to negotiate a price. The first thing to keep in mind is to avoid focusing on monthly payments and worry more about the bottom-line on the total price. If you focus on the monthly payments too much, which is what the dealer will want to do, it will be too easy for them to sneak in an add-ons that you don't want. So, bottom-line, price first. *Negotiating Tip: Have the invoice price handy.* So, about that price: basically, you want to have as your starting point the dealer's invoice price or their cost. And then you want to negotiate from that point upwards versus from sticker downwards. *Negotiating Tip: Ask about rebates.* Now, don't forget to have the dealer factor in any and all rebates that apply to you. So far, the dealer hasn't done anything for you yet, it's the manufacturers. So, let them be aware of that. After the rebates are factored in, say, "Hey, what can you do for me?" *Negotiating Tip: Doc fees and add-ons.* The last thing about the price is fees and add-ons. The two biggest things are the destination charge and the doc fee. Destination charge applies to newer cars; it should be around 500 dollars or so. Doc fee, that varies from dealership to dealership. Make sure that, at the very least, the dealer's not overcharging you for that fee. If other dealers are charging 400 dollars, make sure they're not charging you 900 dollars. *Negotiating Tip: Add ons???* What about things like rust-proofing and scotch-guarding, and other protection packages. Stay away from those. Number one, dealers are overcharging you for those things and they generally don't add value to your vehicle. The last one is vehicle theft recovery. Stay away from that and make sure they don't add it on to the document at the very end.
Step 4: Financing
And the last part is, the time to make a purchase, getting financing. If you can, try to get preapproved before you get to the dealership. That way you may get a better rate than what the dealer can offer you. You can also remove that from the negotiating power of the dealer. So have that settled before you get to the dealership, if you can.
Recap:
Step 1: Find a car that you like.
Step 2: Go at the end of the month: try to visit toward the end of the month or when it's slower.
Step 3: Negotiating a price: negotiate, never pay sticker, and start at invoice and up.
Step 4: Financing: make sure you can get financed; try to do that before you get to the dealership.
http://www.kbb.com/
http://www.edmunds.com/

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• how
• to
• buy
• used
• car
• new
• zappos
• financing
• dealership
• pricing

[Mrfosho09]

thank you for the advice

[ZapposHowTo]

@Mrfosho09 Anytime! Happy To help! Be sure to check out our other How To Videos!

[raginggenocide]

If I put half the money down on a car, can that person or dealership sell the car to someone else legally even if it is down in righting??? That happened to me, what can I do about it??

[ZapposHowTo]

Without knowing the details of the agreement you made, the dealers actions is probably not legal. However this is a common occurrence as they know few people will put up a fight. Im assuming your loss is only the opportunity to buy your chosen car and not your down payment. If so, it may be best to simply move on to another dealer. In the current environment there should be an abundance of dealers willing to give better service in order to earn your business. Good luck.

[hopperflowers]

HOw do we know what the invoice price is? I feel like if I asked to see the invoice price they'd come up with some bogus price/invoice... any tips on getting an autentic invoice price?

[ZapposHowTo]

Youll want to visit the major car buying websites. They will have updated invoice information and you can use that to keep the dealers honest (Edmunds and kbb). Please refer to the bottom of the description for these links.

[TELEVISIONARCHIVES]

Never ever buy new.

[MelkorHimself]

You people will tip your servers and delivery drivers 15-20%. You will buy clothes, entertainment systems, electronics, and even food that represent hundreds to thousands of percent markup. Most people replace their cars every 5-10 years, and in that period people will spend approximately $100 000 - 200 000 in markup alone. After spending all that money just in markup, you go to a dealership where they ask for 5-10% markup, and somehow they're the thieves. Makes perfect sense. -__-

[MrChameleon33]

@Mrfosho09 this video is misleading. start at invoice and up, you are setting people up for disappointment and stress. Cars have a 4-6 % mark up. off 30,000 dollars that works out to 1200- 1800 profit. If you go in and try to strong arm a salesman you will get back what you put out: RESISTANCE find a good salesman who will work with you and get you a good deal.If you think a dealer will sell a vehicle for little or no profit.. no way.they are in business to gain u as a customer. bottom line.

[heartlessvietboy]

Here's a list of other minor things they will (should) inspect. Head lights and Brake lights. Turn signal lights. Speedometer Gauge Lights. Windshield wiper, wiper fluid and wiper blades. Seat Belts. Air Bags. Tires. Horn. Other important things not listed are ignition , spark plugs, air filters, transmission and transmission fluid, power steering fluid, brake fluid, Oil leaks, etc. No guarantee because a mechanic does not know how components will work under normal driving conditions.

[yourtubeafried]

Never buy a car in the rain!!! Water beads on the body of the car will hide all the things you want to see, scratches, small dents, poorly repaired cars etc etc

[JimmyConway60]

OK..good advice...i sell cars for a living and i have a pretty good book of repeat and referral business...the bottom line...coming from an insider is "be nice"...and be educated..one thing that ruins a car deal more often is an ignorant buyer that thinks they know everything..do your homework and try to find an experienced salesperson...its a little work on your end but try to find the guy/gal thats in it for the long haul. it does matter!!

[c0uchsl0uch]

@TELEVISIONARCHIVES good idea, buy someone else's problems,yeah

[DtoWnSux1]

I am 21. i have no credit established. i want to buy a 12000 car. my first car was 2000 dollars cash, then drove it until now. I want to establish credit and buy the car of my dreams. i have 6,000 saved for a down payment but no idea how to go about it and HONESTLY im scared of salesmen tricking me to make me pay lots more. IDKmuch about financing or credit. i just know i have no credit, clean drive record and a big downn payment.CAN SOMEONEhelp me better understand the best way to go about this

[bacaboi]

@MelkorHimself Agreed. They do deserve to be compensated fairly. I dont know about you, but there are a lot of bad car salesmen that will lie and lie just to make money, resulting is a really shitty car sometimes. The salesmen I've met BANK, and I mean BANK! they make plenty of money. btw I wish we had 6%.... I pay 8.25%.