New car shopping sites

[Hank_Scorpio]

Anyone know any good shopping sites for new cars?

I haven't been in the new car shopping game for numerous years, but am starting to now. Obviously kelley blue book helps with trade-in values and such. Just looking for other ones that people have used.

 

[Ellis Redding]

Cars.com
Also, Carmax.com is very useful.

 

[writing irish]

I bought my last vehicle through Carmax and was extremely satisfied with the entire process.

 

[OTD]

Edmunds.com is good for finding the value of your trade and what you should be paying for the new car.

A few of my special new-car buying tips:

Allow the whole day. If you're in a hurry, it'll cost you money.

If you can, sell your trade first, then buy the car instead of trading it in.

Keep the salesman off-guard. Don't feel you have to respond to everything he says.

Don't be afraid to walk off the lot, even if you've got the pen in your hand to sign the papers. There's always another car.

 

[writing irish]

If you're going to by from a dealership, find out in advance which of your dealerships have good reputations and which are dens of douchebaggery. You can improve the odds of your getting a good deal by avoiding the places where people routinely get ****ed over.

At car dealerships, management pretty much determines the way salesmen approach their job. Some places want as many sales as possible, preferably with extortionate terms. They don't care if you ever come back and they discount the significance of your testimony hurting them down the line. Other places want to treat people well so that they can build their business slowly but surely through word-of-mouth and repeat customers. There's a world o' difference.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Edmunds.com is good for finding the value of your trade and what you should be paying for the new car.

A few of my special new-car buying tips:

Allow the whole day. If you're in a hurry, it'll cost you money.

If you can, sell your trade first, then buy the car instead of trading it in.

Keep the salesman off-guard. Don't feel you have to respond to everything he says.

Don't be afraid to walk off the lot, even if you've got the pen in your hand to sign the papers. There's always another car.

Good tips. Was at a Saturn dealer today. Wasn't going to be signing anything today anyway, since really just started looking.
Dealer offers $200 for my trade-in (98 Neon, 130,000 miles), then when I'm not showing signs of buying, they offer another $500 for the trade.
I get home and go to kbb.com and it says trade in value is about $940.



question about carmax: that's really only a good option if you have one in your state, isn't it?

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

If you're going to by from a dealership, find out in advance which of your dealerships have good reputations and which are dens of douchebaggery. You can improve the odds of your getting a good deal by avoiding the places where people routinely get ****ed over.

At car dealerships, management pretty much determines the way salesmen approach their job. Some places want as many sales as possible, preferably with extortionate terms. They don't care if you ever come back and they discount the significance of your testimony hurting them down the line. Other places want to treat people well so that they can build their business slowly but surely through word-of-mouth and repeat customers. There's a world o' difference.

Very true. Like I said in my last post, went to one dealer today and it has a good rep. Going to hit the dealer my sister used a few months ago (where they got a great deal).

 

[KYSportsWriter]

I just bought a 2006 Cobalt that books around $21,000 for $11,000. I went to a dealership where my dad works and got the employee discount.

 

[Ellis Redding]

question about carmax: that's really only a good option if you have one in your state, isn't it?

Not necessarily. Unless you live in BFE, you're bound to have one within driving distance. And in regions, the cost is free to ship a car from one store to another.

 

[OTD]

Edmunds.com is good for finding the value of your trade and what you should be paying for the new car.

A few of my special new-car buying tips:

Allow the whole day. If you're in a hurry, it'll cost you money.

If you can, sell your trade first, then buy the car instead of trading it in.

Keep the salesman off-guard. Don't feel you have to respond to everything he says.

Don't be afraid to walk off the lot, even if you've got the pen in your hand to sign the papers. There's always another car.

Good tips. Was at a Saturn dealer today. Wasn't going to be signing anything today anyway, since really just started looking.
Dealer offers $200 for my trade-in (98 Neon, 130,000 miles), then when I'm not showing signs of buying, they offer another $500 for the trade.
I get home and go to kbb.com and it says trade in value is about $940.



question about carmax: that's really only a good option if you have one in your state, isn't it?

Hank, if you can get him to $900, take it. They don't want that car on their lot--they'll just wholesale it anyway. Just make sure they're not screwing you on the other half of the deal.

The best way to buy a car is to negotiate the price of the new car first (NOT by payments, by the bottom-line price of the car). THEN, deal with the trade-in. Then, when you get to the finance room, make sure they're not putting on some add-on (lame alarm, rust-proofing, etc.) you don't need. You can almost always get it aftermarket for less if you really need it. And most extended warranties are a ripoff.

 

[writing irish]

Re: Carmax

If you're light years from a Carmax, it's might be a moot point. But they have some good vehicles at good prices and have an inspection/warranty system that I trust. I found a car in a city worth visiting so I took my girlfriend and made a weekend vacation out of the car-buying process. And as Ellis said, they'll deliver to the location nearest to you, with cost if any depending on how far away you are.

 

[accguy]

Has anyone ever bought a car through the program at Costco? If so, how did that turn out?

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Re: Carmax

If you're light years from a Carmax, it's might be a moot point. But they have some good vehicles at good prices and have an inspection/warranty system that I trust. I found a car in a city worth visiting so I took my girlfriend and made a weekend vacation out of the car-buying process. And as Ellis said, they'll deliver to the location nearest to you, with cost if any depending on how far away you are.

No CarMax in my state. Closest one is four hours away, which I guess isn't too bad.

 

[MacDaddy]

Don't buy a new car. But if that's non-negotiable, do a lot of poking around at Edmunds.com. A subscription to the Consumer Reports website is well worth it. They have a lot of information about the shopping/buying process, as well as reviews of cars and extensive reliability data. Carsdirect.com is also good for finding out what the going rate for specific cars is -- you can even buy a car through that site.

Also, it's best to make financing arrangements before you start actively shopping. Talk with your bank/credit union; they might be able to offer better rates than the dealer and, at worst, you'll be able to compare what you got at the bank/credit union with what the dealer is offering.