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Thread: New car buying question

  1. #1
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    New car buying question

    I need a new car. Mine is 15 years old, around 170,000 miles and is failing. When I go to buy a new one, my DH will go with me and he'll drive. We'd both go at once, except that the dealer I like the most is about 43 miles away through lots of traffic, and I don't want to drive both cars if it isn't necessary. (And I don't want us to drive my car, since if it dies, there's no one to come get us!)

    My question is this........If my car is 15 years old and has multiple things going wrong with it, is it important to actually have the car with me when I "deal"? I have had this car serviced at this place on schedule for 15 years, so they can see what's been done. I haven't done anything for it in over a year though, because at the last service they said not to sink any more money into it, and just drive it 'til it quits.

    If we go in to look over/buy a new car, is actually having my old car there (for trade-in value) that important? DH says we're just going to look, but if they offer us a really good deal, I would like to buy it then. Just didn't know (with all the games that are played) if actually having my car there for a trade-in matters. If it doesn't really matter, I would rather donate my car to PBS and get at least a $400 tax deduction. Usually there is time to come back to get a new car, and I could bring my car in then.

    I just wish there weren't so much game-playing when buying a car.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
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    CarMax is totally without games. They work on a completely different business model. I love them.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CathyA View Post
    I need a new car. Mine is 15 years old, around 170,000 miles and is failing. When I go to buy a new one, my DH will go with me and he'll drive. We'd both go at once, except that the dealer I like the most is about 43 miles away through lots of traffic, and I don't want to drive both cars if it isn't necessary. (And I don't want us to drive my car, since if it dies, there's no one to come get us!)

    My question is this........If my car is 15 years old and has multiple things going wrong with it, is it important to actually have the car with me when I "deal"? I have had this car serviced at this place on schedule for 15 years, so they can see what's been done. I haven't done anything for it in over a year though, because at the last service they said not to sink any more money into it, and just drive it 'til it quits.

    If we go in to look over/buy a new car, is actually having my old car there (for trade-in value) that important? DH says we're just going to look, but if they offer us a really good deal, I would like to buy it then. Just didn't know (with all the games that are played) if actually having my car there for a trade-in matters. If it doesn't really matter, I would rather donate my car to PBS and get at least a $400 tax deduction. Usually there is time to come back to get a new car, and I could bring my car in then.

    I just wish there weren't so much game-playing when buying a car.

    Thanks.
    I wish I had some words of wisdom, but I don't. I do, however, feel your pain. A little over two years ago my ex-wife and I went to Splitsville. We shared one car. I had a job. She was unemployed. As soon as she left she refused to let me use the car (it was in her name, though we both used it, and since I worked I had been paying for everything for it). So I was suddenly thrust into needing a car very badly (so I thought...).

    My sis and BIL let me use one of their cars to get to work (luckily though, I worked mostly from home). I found the cheapest new car on the market (Nissan Versa hatchback) and bought it. I paid the 5 year loan off in 18 months.

    But looking back, I wonder if I should have gotten a used Honda or even if I should have rented a car for my job then (I only needed a car one day every two weeks). But what really gets me is that I probably could have gone car-free! But I was not even aware of the concept at the time.

    So all I can do is wish you luck. Buying a car/owning a car seems like a losing venture in many ways. But your lifestyle may require this necessary evil.

  4. #4
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    Having just got through the car buying process (used), we decided early on not to mess with the trade-in stuff. We just listed my old Volvo on craigslist and had a solid buyer within a few days for double what the dealer would have given us. I believe the dealer will need to see your old car to evaluate and then they will offer you a pittance. Maybe in your case, they can go by using repair records but should be able to get an answer over the phone as to what they will do.

  5. #5
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CathyA View Post
    I need a new car. Mine is 15 years old, around 170,000 miles and is failing. When I go to buy a new one, my DH will go with me and he'll drive. We'd both go at once, except that the dealer I like the most is about 43 miles away through lots of traffic, and I don't want to drive both cars if it isn't necessary. (And I don't want us to drive my car, since if it dies, there's no one to come get us!)

    My question is this........If my car is 15 years old and has multiple things going wrong with it, is it important to actually have the car with me when I "deal"? I have had this car serviced at this place on schedule for 15 years, so they can see what's been done. I haven't done anything for it in over a year though, because at the last service they said not to sink any more money into it, and just drive it 'til it quits.

    If we go in to look over/buy a new car, is actually having my old car there (for trade-in value) that important? DH says we're just going to look, but if they offer us a really good deal, I would like to buy it then. Just didn't know (with all the games that are played) if actually having my car there for a trade-in matters. If it doesn't really matter, I would rather donate my car to PBS and get at least a $400 tax deduction. Usually there is time to come back to get a new car, and I could bring my car in then.

    I just wish there weren't so much game-playing when buying a car.

    Thanks.
    if you wish to make a deal without your trade in, then do it. Tell them you don't have a car to trade in, so that's not a factor in negotiation.

    We we bought two new cars in 2009 because we just didn't want to invest the time in finding good used cars. That was the height of the Cash for Clunkers program which greatly reduced the supply of used cars anyway.

    but I have to say that pragmatically, used cars are generally the best deal. My two favorite cars of our married life were both used. One was our neighbor's company car that we bought for well under book price and it was luxurious! It was a Ford, but plush and my first car with automatic everything.

  6. #6
    Senior Member SteveinMN's Avatar
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    No dealership will make a trade offer on your car without seeing it. You can tell them all the work has been done there, but you also told us that there is work the car needs that you haven't had done, so their going by their records will not result in an accurate picture or offer. You know they will offer low to cover their butts. If you plan to offer the car as trade-in bait, it has to be there when you do the deal. Otherwise, understand they'll just make a goodwill offer (essentially a further discount on the newer car because they'll send yours off to auction moments after you leave the lot) and decide if the trip is worth it to you.

    BTW, I don't know where the $400 PBS figure came from. I'm not contesting it particularly; most cars will clear $500 in parts alone (minus whatever costs are incurred in moving the car to its disposal location). But I know the IRS has cracked down mightily on the valuation of cars for donation purposes. You might want to make sure you have the most current information about donating your car to PBS.
    Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington

  7. #7
    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    I just bought a new car this Wednesday. I took the vehicle I was replacing to the dealer with me, a 17 year old Volvo wagon with 150k+ miles on it, and some serious mechanical issues. It was in Edmunds "rough" condition, and I looked up the Edmunds trade-in value for this car in this shape before I left - it was ~$1100, and I think that was a generous.

    I sat down with the sales guy, told him I'd like to reach agreement on the price of the vehicle I was purchasing first, and then we'd talk about what they would give me for the Volvo. He agreed to this procedure, and there was none of the classic old-school dickering back-and-forth with trips to mysterious sales managers.

    Took us 5 minutes to discuss the price of the new vehicle, and about 5 minutes to come up with the value of the trade-in. They simply glanced at the Volvo to verify it was what I said it was, and we looked it up on Edmunds, then adjusted a wee bit. They didn't look at all the service records I brought with me. I suspected I even wasted my time washing it before I took it over. I got $1000+ for the trade-in, which the dealer was just going to turn around and wholesale out - it'll probably end up salvaged for parts and not rehabilitated as a useable vehicle, as it needed new tires, new brakes, some transmission work, a catalytic converter replacement, and its turbo seals repaired or perhaps even the whole turbo replaced. Many thousands of dollars of work, for a car whose interior was "dearly loved", and exterior scuffed and scratched from life in the bush.

    It would have cost me $100 just to get the car home, given gas and ferry fees. In the local market in my county, I would have been lucky to get $1000 for it, and I would have hated knowing anyone was trying to rely on it for transportation who didn't have deep pockets or mechanical skills to keep it running safely, so I was just going to donate it to the fire department for extrication team practice.

    So, in my case the trade-in vehicle being there didn't complicate matters, but it wasn't worth much to begin with.

  8. #8
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    I guess I was lucky to get 1900 for my 95 240 sedan with 160K miles on it. The first person who looked at it bought it. I do have to say our recent experience of buying used at a dealership (Honda) was exceedingly pain-free. I offered $2500 under their web price and they said it's a deal.

  9. #9
    Senior Member iris lilies's Avatar
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    Oh yeah, Steve is right that they will not price your car without seeing it. Our last trade in had wonderful doggie aroma and no service record was going to show that.

    i can also relate to wondering if the thing will limp to the Dealer. We had that problem with our first trade in, it barely made it.

  10. #10
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    When I bought my new Kia Soul last year, I was limping into the dealer with a 2005 Chrysler Town & Country. I had put way too much time and cash into repairs during the previous year, it was making a strange engine noise , and I just didn't trust it any more. My criteria for keeping a car is that, no matter how many miles, if I can still trust it to drive 100 miles from home, it's all good. I told them I did have a possible trade-in, but wanted to negotiate the new car first.

    I had already gotten sticker prices by phone from several dealerships (I live in a large metro area), and knew what the "list prices" were for the various extra features. I drove a car, while they located cars within a 100 radius with the exterior color that I wanted, and determined their features. Then we sat down to look at features and prices; I ended up without the sunroof and cd player that I thought I wanted, but in retrospect, I don't miss the sunroof- it's been too blasted hot and windy to enjoy it anyway!- and I Love the satellite radio (vs. cd player). When they offered me the car with the other features I wanted for $6500. below list price, I said 'Sold! Now let's talk about a possible trade-in." They offered to take the Chrysler in for $3000. off the just agreed upon sale price of my new Soul, and again I said 'Sold!' It had 201,000 miles on it, good tires, and rated a Good for both interior and exterior, but I knew it needed front brakes and new struts _again_ and the engine noise could have been an expensive problem. So I was very happy to leave it with them and drive my new car home. All in all, a very pleasant and rewarding car buying experience.

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