My parents are going through this divorce thing....& the vehicle I'm driving is partly theirs. Have to give it to my mom because she won't have anything to drive (all properties/items have to be sold). In two months I have to start shopping. All I can afford right now is a Honda Civic. Good used car or brand new?
After this I'm going to wipe my hands clean & have my own stuff. That way if anything happens I'll have only myself to answer to. No more entaglements with them financially. So I have to shop for insurance and financing. I have to take the dp from my savings. It's so frustrating. I guess I'll have to wait another year for a house.
I'm not looking forward to going out to the dealers and haggling. I was thinking of just buying from carsdirect. Of course I have to go to the dealers to test drive. Can anyone out there tell me if they've bought a car from Carsdirect and how their experience was?
Buy a new car
March 23rd, 2008 at 02:37 am
March 23rd, 2008 at 02:56 am 1206240970
March 23rd, 2008 at 03:39 am 1206243562
March 23rd, 2008 at 06:28 am 1206253703
My current car is from CarMax, and chances are very good, that so will my next one....
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:13 pm 1206274393
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:34 pm 1206275649
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:59 pm 1206277145
March 23rd, 2008 at 01:28 pm 1206278905
Then email 4 or 5 area dealerships and tell them exactly what you want and to give you their best price. That way, you avoid having to visit aggressive dealers and wasting your time.
March 23rd, 2008 at 01:57 pm 1206280677
March 23rd, 2008 at 02:06 pm 1206281174
Actually my last car was one of those too. Easy, no haggle, good price. I think those are usually prior rentals but we have had great experience with those. (I've heard bad about the rental thing). They were generally still under warranty and dh's car is 7-years-old, never really even had a repair. I've had my car 2 years and is just fine. We bought that one with a toddler/infant in tow. I know, crazy to bring kids. But we wouldn't haggle. We just said we wanted the car, and that was that. I forgot the second time was just as easy. It's like they took one look at us and knew there was no trying to sell us more. LOL.
A lot of the time in the spring, the dealers are trying to clear inventory for new models. We've never found a brand new car with this method, but I have a couple of friends who got deals on brand new cars that were a year or 2 old - just sat on the lot too long. BEst deals to be had, bar none. New car, full warranty, "used car" price. Likewise, it doesn't hurt to visit some of the car lots and ask if they have some cars old new cars sitting around.
Good Luck!
March 24th, 2008 at 12:40 am 1206319238
http://www.carbuyingtips.com/
I just bought a new 2008 Honda Fit in mid-December. My local dealer ended up offering the best price (they were having a "$1 over invoice" sale), but I emailed 6 different dealers within 50 miles of me before buying. I sent the exact specs of the car I wanted and specified any areas where I was flexible (gave 2 possible colors I would accept). I made sure to tell them I wanted a complete breakdown of all costs and an "out-the-door price" (complete with taxes/tags/etc - the exact amount I would write the check for), as well as asking if the car they were quoting was currently on their lot.
When shopping, make sure you find out fuel economy on each model you are interested in so that you are not spending more in the long run since the car payment is bad enough to budget for each month (ask me how I know). Used Hondas are usually a great bet and will save you some cash.
Good luck car shopping!