is this a HOT deal on a 2002 Nissan Sentra XE $9995 ( DEAD DEAL FOR ME)

[Pliablemoose]

I'm sure it's a stripper, manual trans, non power windows, manual locks, but you can get that car, just bring the ad with you, stand your ground, and if they don't offer you the car in the ad, make a point of writing down the salesman's name, and just mention that you'll be calling your state's attny gen office on your way out if they don't offer you the car you want.

In TX, the dealer must stock @ least one of the advertised model @ the advertised price, I suspect it's the same in your state. I notice there's no stock number on your ad, so they may really have several @ that price.

I doubt that the car is used, it's too new...

 

[dragoonboy]

I'll join the fray....

The BEST way to buy a car is to know someone at the dealership or the company. Everyone has a friend of a freind in the auto industry. If you don't, FIND ONE. Use them to get a discount on a car. I got 5% UNDER dealer price for a car + a substantial rebate. This can save you a few thousand off the price of the car and even more on financing.

Other than that, use edmunds.com or kbb.com (kelly blue book) to find the REAL value of your car + options.

Also, if you have a trade-in, do NOT let them know it until after the deal is done on the new car. Trust me on this one, the value of your car could be -0- or even less after they're done.

 

[TurtleMan]

man..can someone help me out here..
im trying to buy a 2002 sentra se-r spec V in less a week, carsdirect have the price over the MSRP, which is rare, but it is true..
but the true market price for it on edmunds.com is only $16,332 included destination fee, while carsdirect want $17,689 for it..
do you guys think it is possible for me to get it for the true market value price at dealer ? Should I just argue with them on the true market value , and see if they will give me that ? because the price on carsdirect.com is higher than i can afford
after all, im just a poor student try to save some bucks here... please help.. also i live in s.cali if that's does anything ..

again, thanks !

 

[RossMAN]

This is a MUST READ Confessions of a Car Salesman.

 

[bargainshopper]

About the dealer gives you a deal if you finance the car wtih them. I did this years ago. I took their finance and then took out a new loan from my credit union to pay the dealer's loan off. They were not happy but there's nothing they can do...

 

[Bob151]

Lotust,

Go have some fun. If this is already a car that was in your sights, then go fo it. 10K isn't that bad, but you can get a Honda for about 2-3 more. Ask about the Nissan Warrenty though, ask if you can buy one BEFORE the factory one expires (but buy it later from ANY dealership in the US, you find a nissan fan site forum and ask users there who in US has lowest price). I bought a new '91 Sentra and got the ext warr, and sad to say, it has paid off brilliantly. So many things have gone wrong in the first 60K miles it was amazing, but it was all covered.

As soon as the warr expired, 100K, nothing broke any more (knock knock). I'm at 137K now. Now I drive it hard and ruthless. Accelerate as fast as that little 1.6 can go, 6+ K RPMs, 15K mile oil changes (that was an accidental oversight, not routine). The body has been in 2 minor accidents and repaired and still only one rust spot, under gas filling spout. I've been so pleased with this post 100K car that I even gave its its first post 100k wax job, it still looks good. I even shampood the interior fabric this summer. I held up very well to its first cleaning. It looked so much better cleaned up. Underneath that dirt was a new car.

Hell, I paid 13K something for it with tax, title and ext warrentee. 10K sounds good.

 

[Bob151]

I think carsdirect is just a dealer of sorts. They run up the price and save you the haggle. Which do you want, lower price or no small talk for an evening or two?

 

[ucdnam]

I purchased my car, a 2001 Honda Accord LX after I totalled my 2000 Honda Accord LX.
I knew the price I was suppose to get it at, which was around $17,600. Remember, prices do change depending on the time of year and crap. Anyway, I went to 4 different dealerships since I had some free time and rode them awhile. If you're familiar with the Sacramento area, I went to Elk Grove Honda, Mel Rapton Honda, Carmichael Honda, and Autowest Honda. I told them I just purchased one last year, so they shouldn't waste my time nor theirs fûcking around and haggling the price. Of the 4 dealerships, only one respected that. I purchased it from him for $17,600. I paid in cash again and about an hour after I arrived, I left with my car.

Some of the funnies I heard was that the salesman wouldn't make a dollar if he didn't sell the car. His partner said tha he, Jimmy, had a wife and 4 kids at home Also, it's really funny how they try to relate to you. I told them I didn't want to test drive because I know how the heck an Accord drives, but it's their policy so we drive around. At Mel Rapton Honda, Jimmy asks about me and I tell him Im a college student and so forth. So he says he just graduated from some university and was going for his Masters... right, and he's working at car dealership. Another guy, I tell him that I'm into sports, specifically basketball, golf, tennis and other stuff. So he says he's into that too. Too bad he didn't seem to understand a single damn golf term I used...

So next time someone tries to relate to you, just go in depth about the subject and listen to him squirm.

Oh yea, remember if they make you sit there for a long time, just leave and forget about them. They love to make you sit, talk with your friend/wife/partner, and think about the offer. Bastards I tell you.

 

[gold-fly]

OK, not to be contrary here, but remember these car dealers have their backs up against a wall and the need to SELL CARS.

That being said I want to relate that in a simular situation I had a very good experience at a Nissan dealer in Tampa. The were advertising new '97 Quests at $18k. Rear air, Convenience package, tint, cruise etc. The list was $24k. No other dealer could touch it for under 21 and half.

My wife called them while I was at work and asked the question: Is this for real? Will there be any when we get there? etc etc.... The guy said they had like 8 left and to come pick one.

We walked in that night and picked a color (I wish they had the metallic blue instead of green) signed the papers and were out the door in not much more than an hour and a half. (We had test driven one a couple of years before.) Good loan too (although we beat it with our credit union a couple of months later).

It does seem kind of strange for a low end car like this, but don't go in with a bad 'tude. You'll have plenty of time for that if things are sour. This might be legit....

 

[rpiengineer]

To put in my two cents...
I start looking at cars about 6 months before I'm serious buying. During this time I test out the vehicles and the dealerships. Find a dealership/Salesman you can trust, believe me, it'll pay off. Do your homework too. I would not recommend buying a car on a whim. Do thorough research, find out exactly which options you want, and how much you want to pay.

The last vehicle I bought was an incredible deal. It was a brand new 2000 Ford Ranger exactly how I wanted it (manual transmission, non-power windows and locks, extended cab, 4wd) and to boot I got 0.9% on a lease. The most important thing I learned though (this was my first lease) was to know exactly how it all works. This salesperson I bought it from was one who we had bought another vehicle from about 5 years earlier, since then we had replaced it with a vehicle that we didn't buy from him, but he knew that we were serious about buying and treated us with respect.

The best part is, is that I have a truck that I pay less per month on than I can get on any new compact car. If you have to haggle with a salesperson, it's not gonna be worth it in the long run, find one that you can trust and treats you with respect, because those are the ones who know they can make more money from referrals and repeat customers than the extra couple of $ they make being a sleazeball.

And BTW, if anyone is in the Minneapolis area and looking for a vehicle, try Roger Shaeffer at Metropolitan Ford (also at Suburban Chevrolet), he's in the fleet department and is a great guy. If you want any more info on him, PM me or email me.

-rpiengineer
goldsd2@rpi.edu

 

[sphereman]

hi

i am also in the market for a new honda accord (my car was stolen a few weeks back)

so basically dealers get their cars below the official invoice price??? if not, they sometime sell cars with loss?
thanks.

 

[ucdnam]

You should talk to people who have purchased one recently. I have friends who sell them, so I know what to expect. I knew which model I wanted and did my research. Do your work so you dont get jipped.

 

[JohnnyPC]

I'll betcha they "just sold" that last 10k Sentra this afternoon...

 

[JohnnyPC]

<< I'll betcha they "just sold" that last 10k Sentra this afternoon... >>

At least that's what my sales mgr used to tell us to tell you when we had an ad...

 

[bttjsj]

Try this site for new cars: Car Buying Tips

I found it's very helpful when I bought my 2001 Sentra SE 2.0 for $14,800 two months ago.

 

[SirDante]

Damn, must be nice to get cars below dealer prices. My last car, I had to pay over MSRP. Supply and demand and all.

 

[glee]

I have bought two cars which were loss leaders. In each case they tried to sell me extra add-ons, but it didn't take any unpleasantness to get them to honor the advertised price. At least in california, a car can't be advertised as new if it has significant mileage on it.
The mian disadvantage, as noted, is that the car is usually the "stripped", bottom of the line. Since I was buying maximas, which came with everything on the base model, I was fine with that.
My most recent purchase was thru carsdirect.com. I haven't found any b&m dealers that will meet let alone beat their prices.

 

[Tanner]

I think that it's important that U go out and just test drive a Maxima GLE


WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!


make sure to get the manual! it's like 275 HP or something CRAZY like that!

it does like 80 in third....EASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSY!


just 4 phun wouldn't it be kewl to lead the salesman on like U want the Sentra...then be like...well...lemme test the Maxima...then just drive the heck outta it...and be like...no...that's too fast for me


HEHEHEH!

I haven't been scammed yet as I'm still driving my first one. I guess my suggestion would be as long as you don't have to do it on a monthly basis...continue pouring money into your existing car until it's totally dead...

God Bless!

Tanner

g'l guys!

 

[WingsOverVirginia]

Okay, just my 2cents...
When pricing the car with the dealer you are better off making them believe you ARE going to finance it thru the dealer. They will usually give you a lower price than if you say you are going to pay cash, because they know they will make up the difference plus even more on the "back end" of the deal (the finance charges). Once you've got the lowest "financed" price on the car you want, then you give them a deposit to lock in the price and look over the finance papers, but don't sign. Say you want to check out financing with your credit union first. You'll still get the car at the price you agree on, but won't get ripped off with all the extra dealer finance charges. If you go in saying you will be paying cash or getting your own financing you will get quoted a higher price.

Also, if the dealer is quoting you a percentage over "dealer cost" and they show you a supposed dealer invoice, take notice of where the "dealer costs" are located on the invoice. If the dollar amounts are on the right side of the "invoice" you are being misled. The actual invoices from the factory to the dealer will ALWAYS have the dollar amounts listed in the middle of the invoice. When the dealer makes up their "dealer invoice" sheets for their notebooks that they pull out to show you the what the actual cost supposedly is, they will tape a blank piece of paper over the actual dollar amounts in the center of the invoice and add inflated dollar amounts on the right side of the invoice. They then make copies of the doctored invoice and place it in the notebook to show to customers.

I worked for a local dealer who had three lots, on rainy days when traffic was slow they would have us help make up the doctored invoices for all the new arrivals. It worked the same way for all the brands we carried at all three lots including: Oldsmobile, Honda, Saab, Chrysler, Dodge, Subaru, Toyota, Mazda and Volkswagon.

One of the perks of working for the dealer was the ability to "wholesale" 1 car a year (buy at cost). I hadn't taken advantage of this perk yet when my parents came into town for a visit from Illinois. Mom's Caravan was a few years old and they were thinking about getting her a new Town and Country. I called down to the Chrysler dealer and told them that I was going to use my 1 "wholesale" on the Town and Country for mom. My parents went down to the dealer and met with the sales manager on my behalf who helped them pick out the vehicle they wanted. They were quite thrilled when he pulled out the "invoice notebook" and showed them that the invoice price was over $1000 less than the sticker price. They usually won't give out copies of the "invoice" to prospects (for any number of given reasons) but dad had told them that he wanted to show me what option packages the unit had that they had picked. When I came home from work and saw the "invoice" I knew they were playing my parents just like a normal customer, the prices were on the right with nothing in the middle. Dad wanted to get the van right away but I told him to call a few dealers in Illinois before making a decision. So he called two dealers back home, long distance from Virginia, who didn't know him from Adam and told them the color and option packs he wanted. End of story is that he ended up buying the exact vehicle he looked at in Virginia (not the same van but identical setup) from the Illinois dealer for over $1800 less than the "invoice" price he was given in Virginia.

No dealer will sell a vehicle for less than he paid for it (ok, exceptions exist like flood damage, etc.) the best deals go to people who bring in their own options package price lists from internet sites. Offer $400-$600 over actual cost and most dealers will accept your offer, but be prepared for a hard sell on in house financing. To save another $50 - $120 decline to pay for the dealers Title and Tags fee, tell them you will take the title to the local DMV and get the tags and pay the state sales tax yourself before you pick up your new car. Also be sure to check if there are any manufacturer incentives on the model you are looking at. The dealer does not have to pass the incentive on to the customer, they can consider it part of the deal and pocket it themselves. It turned out that Chrysler was offering $1200 on the Town and Country that my parents got. The Virginia dealer never mentioned it, they were going to keep it to offset the supposed $1000 off for the "invoice" price. The Illinois dealer applied it to the final purchase price.

Sorry, guess that was more like 6 cents!

 

[Meep]

I just bought a Civic recently at under invoice. I'd suggest you not look at the TMV of the vehicle on Edmunds, instead, look right at the invoice, and look to beat the price. If the car has a rebate on it (I know the 2001 sentras had a nice $1000 rebate where I lived that just ended, you can also look this up on edmunds) then subtract that from the invoice. Another thing I did was to use carsdirect.com as a reference. I went into the dealership, told them I know I can easily buy it for that price (for the cars I looked at this price was $100 above invoice) and I wanted the dealership to beat the price.

The newspaper ads are often misleading. Actually, replace that word often with almost always. What I found my local dealerships to do is say that the car they're selling has that price, however, it is the price of what the car would be if it were base modeled. But, the car they're selling has about 20 different options on it such as "automatic transmission, spoiler, mudguards, power eq., floormats", each option is priced well above the normal asking price much less the invoice of the option. In my local area, the 2002 Civic EX was advertised for a little less than $13,000, while the invoice of the car is around $16,000. The dealership isn't losing money selling you the car because with all the options added on the car came out to near $20,000!

I'd suggest anyone looking for a car to just look at the invoice price, and beat that price. A lot of salespeople will give you crap about the invoice being what they paid for the car and them losing money. But as long as they're still talking to you, it means they still want to do business with you. If they really couldn't sell you the car for whatever you propose (I did 10% below invoice ) then they would just stop talking to you. The dealerships get dealer holdback (look on edmuds if you don't know what that is) and also bonuses if they manage to sell however many cars in a set amount of time (be it day, week, month, year). They can definitely sell you the car at or below invoice. If you're looking at adding a few options on the car, then don't forget to also get the invoice price on it.

my lotsa cents.

 

[MacktheKnife]

Hello all,

Have to throw my coupla cents in too..

I just bought a Toyota Camry 2002 V6 2 weeks ago. I got it thru carsdirect.com They were very nice abt the whole thing. I paid 200 $ above invoice (23,678). I initially took the carsdirect price to a lot o local dealers and tried to get them to beat it. Nobody did. It did help that I live in Southern California and that cardirect is based there. They eventually got the car to me thru Penske Toyota in Downey. It seems that the Penske Toyota owner is the same as the Longo Toyota owner and he also has a stake in carsdirect. Thus the good deals I guess.

Anyways most of the dealers treated me like dirt and I am not the type of person who can bargain a price down so I just ended up with carsdirect.

Most of my research was done using carbuyingtips It is a very GOOD site. It has a lot of referral sites but blive me the info there is very accurate.

Lotust, If you are still doing research onn cars you HAVE to read carbuyingtips.com

Also in CA we do see ads about Loss Leader cars all the time. MOST are true deals but it will take a very strong heart to sit through the dealers BS to finally get it. In CA they have to also specify the VIN # or the number of cars they have in the AD.

Hope you have fun with your car buying experience. If you need any details PM me..

Mack

P.S. Avoid Thousand Oaks Toyota like the plague. They are a bunch of thieves.

 

[TurtleMan]

well.. damn ... MacktheKnife , how did u get the car from cardirect.com from penske toyota ? did u choose to work with a car dealer or the VS form cardirect ? i really want a sentra spec v around the TMV ... but i don't have that much confident of arguing with dealer... tsk tsk
help me anandtecher

 

[roamerr]

I bought a Ford Escape XLT 4x4 Loaded last year through carsdirect.com. I shopped like heck but could not get within $700 of the carsdirect price. (avoid priceline cars -- they could not get within $300 of my best -- let alone the carsdirect price)

The transaction was excellent also. Worked only with the sales manger at the dealer I was sent to and was treated great. Even got me another $1000 on my trade vs what everyone else (4 dealers!) offered.

The carsdirect experience was excellent for me.....

 

[vinnyracer]

I hope all this link will help

Tips on not how to get your car stolen
http://www.heatreward.com/prevent.html

Edmunds.com True Market Value
http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/tmv/index.html?id=nl

Cardirect - buying a car online
http://www.carsdirect.com/home

CarSmart.com How to Buy a Car
http://www.carsmart.com/

CarBuyingTips.com car buying guide, avoiding dealer scams -VERY GOOD SITE
http://www.carbuyingtiPS.com/

Fighting Chance New Car Buying Guide
http://www.fightingchance.com/

CarPrices.com - Power To The Drivers
http://www.carprices.com/

Kelley Blue Book - Used Car Bluebook Values and New Car Pricing
http://www.kbb.com/

Carinfo.com- Car Buying Secrets
http://www.carinfo.com/

MSN Carpoint
http://carpoint.msn.com/homepage/default.asp

Carfax
http://www.carfax.com/

Car Talk
http://www.Cartalk.com/

Top 10 Car Dealer Scams Of 2001
http://www.carbuyingtips.com/scams.htm#Scam1

 

[ConnCarl]

Ross, you never fail to impress me. "Confessions of a Car Salesman" is solid gold. Thanks for sharing it!