Is the only way to get the real car offers actually visiting the dealers?

[archcommus]

I've noticed that when I browse car manufactuer sites and play around with prices and options and monthly payments everything always seems so damn expensive. Of course, that's because it's all MSRP. Then you see the commericals on TV for a local dealer, you know, the cheap ones where the owner of the dealership talks about the place, and they advertise the prices and lease payments and they're crazy low, way lower than I see anything advertised on the internet or on the manufacturer's TV ad.

So, if you're shopping for a car, must you actually visit dealers and ask for prices to even get a general idea of how low you'll be able to go?

An example would be the new Cobalt. I saw a dealer on TV advertising a lease for it for $0 down, $139/month. I would have NEVER guessed that that would be obtainable. I'm still skeptical.

 

[isekii]

carsdirect.com

 

[ryzmah]

Try edmunds.com

 

[Zim Hosein]

http://www.consumerreports.org

Click on Autos

 

[JulesMaximus]

Why would you want a Chevy Cobalt?

Do you live near a big city? If so, you can use this to your advantage and send out a bunch of internet requests for price quotes on the car you want. Print out the quotes and play the dealerships off against each other to get the best price. And for the love of god, walk the fvck out the door if they start jerking you around on the price or any other detail. Best way to approach car buying is to have your finance arrangements in order before you begin and have a couple different car options. If the dealership offers you better financing than your bank (and this should be the last thing you talk about) then you make out even better.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Why would you want a Chevy Cobalt?

Do you live near a big city? If so, you can use this to your advantage and send out a bunch of internet requests for price quotes on the car you want. Print out the quotes and play the dealerships off against each other to get the best price. And for the love of god, walk the fvck out the door if they start jerking you around on the price or any other detail. Best way to approach car buying is to have your finance arrangements in order before you begin and have a couple different car options. If the dealership offers you better financing than your bank (and this should be the last thing you talk about) then you make out even better.

I don't, it was an example of seeing a price way lower than I would have ever expected.

 

[PowerMac4Ever]

I go to the car dealership and point at my skin... they know i mean business.

 

[z0mb13]

contact their internet sales person

 

[MacBaine]

I thought you people just "jacked" cars... when did legitimate purchase come into the question?

 

[yllus]

You might want to search for RossMAN posts on "loss leader" car deals.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Why would you want a Chevy Cobalt?

Do you live near a big city? If so, you can use this to your advantage and send out a bunch of internet requests for price quotes on the car you want. Print out the quotes and play the dealerships off against each other to get the best price. And for the love of god, walk the fvck out the door if they start jerking you around on the price or any other detail. Best way to approach car buying is to have your finance arrangements in order before you begin and have a couple different car options. If the dealership offers you better financing than your bank (and this should be the last thing you talk about) then you make out even better.

I don't, it was an example of seeing a price way lower than I would have ever expected.

Oh, then just disregard that part of my response.

A couple years ago I went looking to buy a truck. I had already narrowed my choices down to the Toyota Tundra or Ford F-150 and I checked out Ford first since this was actually my second choice. I found a truck with the options I liked but those damned salesgoons seemed to think their truck was made of gold or something. That and they kept playing the old "I need to run off to my sales manager for 20 minutes to let you get frustrated" ploy. In the end they would only knock the sales tax off the msrp. I walked the fvck out the door and negotiated a good deal on a Toyota Tundra a few days later. I was able to get the Tundra for almost $3k off msrp with decent financing.

I traded that truck a couple years later for an '03 Nissan Maxima (the ATOT car of choice) and I paid $5k under msrp on that and got 2.9% financing.

The best thing is to research the car of your choice to death and find out what others are paying in your area for the same car. Edmunds is an excellent resource. Check out their confessions of a car salesman write up. Great stuff.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: yllus
You might want to search for RossMAN posts on "loss leader" car deals.

Hehehe, my '03 Maxima was a loss leader. Great buy! :thumbsup:

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: yllus
You might want to search for RossMAN posts on "loss leader" car deals.

Hehehe, my '03 Maxima was a loss leader. Great buy! :thumbsup:

Congrats!

I would also recommend reading my post here.

 

[archcommus]

All great reads, especially the Edmunds stuff.

I'm not in the market for a new car but I think about it for fun, as any guy (or girl) does. I figure, the hit is so hard with depreciation for new cars, it's just not a smart move unless I could justify the high price, however I'm a big warranty guy - I like my warranties and I like my protection and peace of mind. This just isn't possible without buying new.

So if I'm in the market in a year or two when I'm in college, would I spring for a cheap new compact so I could get the peace of mind? Would I get a CPO with a warranty but a very short one? Or would I just buy used and hope to the big man upstairs that it'll be reliable?

 

[archcommus]

Bumpity.

 

[MrChad]

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/

Some good advice on this site.