Car-buying consultants (luxury car, truck, sell, price)

[Mr. Zero]

Thanks for all of the good advice so far. I think Costco will be our starting point and we'll see how comfortable we are with that price. Maybe I'll also try to work with a dealer or two, but if they start giving me the run around, I'll walk out. A couple of more questions:

Is cash still king? Can we get a lower price if we pay cash, or do dealers get enough of a kickback from financing that they WANT you to get a loan?

We're interested in the 2015 Volvo Plug-in Hybrid XC90. Since it's a brand new model, will there be room to negotiate right at launch or would we need to wait a couple of months before we would see them move on price?

Even after you settle on a price, I also feel like that's just the beginning. I expect that there's going to be a laundry list of fees and upsells (VIN etching, destination fees, extended warranties, bogus paperwork fees). I'm not a car guy, so how do I know what's legit, what's worth considering and what's complete BS? Something like not catching that bogus $300 processing fee would be a mistake that would almost make a consultant's fee worth it. Just even thinking about how they would try to screw someone like that makes me angry. And I'm sure there are 101 other ways they try to get you with extra fees and markup, even after you settle on the price of the car. What else should I be on the lookout for?

[jaypee]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zero

Thanks for all of the good advice so far. I think Costco will be our starting point and we'll see how comfortable we are with that price. Maybe I'll also try to work with a dealer or two, but if they start giving me the run around, I'll walk out. A couple of more questions:

Is cash still king? Can we get a lower price if we pay cash, or do dealers get enough of a kickback from financing that they WANT you to get a loan?

Not sure where this "cash is king" thing came from. The dealer gets paid in cash for the car whether it's from you or a lender. If you go through the dealer's "preferred" lender, the dealer gets additional "incentives" so I would think that's their preferred route.
If you finance with their preferred lender, you can always payoff the loan as soon as you drive the car off the lot if that's what you want.

We're interested in the 2015 Volvo Plug-in Hybrid XC90. Since it's a brand new model, will there be room to negotiate right at launch or would we need to wait a couple of months before we would see them move on price?

Probably not alot of wiggling room at launch but you never know.

Even after you settle on a price, I also feel like that's just the beginning. I expect that there's going to be a laundry list of fees and upsells (VIN etching, destination fees, extended warranties, bogus paperwork fees). I'm not a car guy, so how do I know what's legit, what's worth considering and what's complete BS? Something like not catching that bogus $300 processing fee would be a mistake that would almost make a consultant's fee worth it. Just even thinking about how they would try to screw someone like that makes me angry. And I'm sure there are 101 other ways they try to get you with extra fees and markup, even after you settle on the price of the car. What else should I be on the lookout for?

Figure out what your Out The Door price is (price of car plus TTL --tax, title, license) and that is your offer. That way, you don't have to deal with junk fees and other tricks.

[Marv101]

You can also try the AAA or companies such as Autoland.

[johngolf]

Originally Posted by mrwibble

Not trying to blow my own trumpet here, but I've done better than the price I got out of Costco for my last 4 car purchases. If you're willing to put some time in, it's not hard to beat. Bear in mind the Costco gets a fee for the referral.

How much better did you do? % or dollars.

Thanks

[johngolf]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zero

Thanks for all of the good advice so far. I think Costco will be our starting point and we'll see how comfortable we are with that price. Maybe I'll also try to work with a dealer or two, but if they start giving me the run around, I'll walk out. A couple of more questions:

Is cash still king? Can we get a lower price if we pay cash, or do dealers get enough of a kickback from financing that they WANT you to get a loan?

We're interested in the 2015 Volvo Plug-in Hybrid XC90. Since it's a brand new model, will there be room to negotiate right at launch or would we need to wait a couple of months before we would see them move on price?

Even after you settle on a price, I also feel like that's just the beginning. I expect that there's going to be a laundry list of fees and upsells (VIN etching, destination fees, extended warranties, bogus paperwork fees). I'm not a car guy, so how do I know what's legit, what's worth considering and what's complete BS? Something like not catching that bogus $300 processing fee would be a mistake that would almost make a consultant's fee worth it. Just even thinking about how they would try to screw someone like that makes me angry. And I'm sure there are 101 other ways they try to get you with extra fees and markup, even after you settle on the price of the car. What else should I be on the lookout for?

Where is that Volvo made? With all that has happened to Volvo in the last few years, I would be hesitant. This from someone (my wife actually) that drove 240 for 12 years. She cried when we had to say bye to it...accident...totaled....but she walked away without a scratch. That 240 served us well.

[Scooby Snacks]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

Why would a consultant paid by the dealer work in your best interests?

This is just not that difficult. Learn how to:

- use car shopping sites such as Edmunds
- read Consumer Reports advice
- say no when offered anything you don't want.
- if you don't know much about the process or cars take a knowledgeable friend. Buy him/her lunch

Agreed, hoff. I decide what models I'm looking for based on a bunch of internet searches, my price point, and any bells and whistles I really want. Then I hit the ground running (dreading every minute of my upcoming quest). If car dealers get pushy, I get rude and leave. If they are helpful, I hear them out. If they attempt to lie to me, thinking I'm just a dumb woman, I get even more rude and leave. I found my recent automobile purchase, bought a month ago after two days of hard searching without any consultants. It was almost exactly what I wanted, although in retrospect, I shouldn't have bought a white one. I've become an expert at washing it already

[loves2read]

Probably going to buy a new car w/in 6 mo--
have Costco membership already and AAA

what was the difference with buying through Costco that makes using that service better than doing it yourself?

I had decent experience and got good price last time I bought just by sending various emails to the Internet managers at car dealers for the car with options that we were interested in...
BUT we still had to haggle over the trade-in--which is where they always want to make up what they are losing on the new car sale...
I don't imagine that is any better if you use a Costco relationship that just going it alone--is it?

[ramkobe]

I've tried Costco, Carsdirect, Carwoo, AAA, Edmunds etc. and the cheapest is always Truecar.

I don't like Costco's program because you have to visit the dealer to see the pricing and they are often higher than others.

With Truecar, you just print out their guaranteed price and take it to the dealer. No haggling required whatsoever.

[Mr. Zero]

Originally Posted by ramkobe

I've tried Costco, Carsdirect, Carwoo, AAA, Edmunds etc. and the cheapest is always Truecar.

I don't like Costco's program because you have to visit the dealer to see the pricing and they are often higher than others.

With Truecar, you just print out their guaranteed price and take it to the dealer. No haggling required whatsoever.

When did you last use TrueCar? I've heard that it was awesome for a while, but then the dealers started pushing back and now it's not as straightforward as it used to be.

[ramkobe]

I just did it for my Honda Civic. Got it for $17k (nearly $3k off).

Just printed it out and showed it to the salesman..... no haggling at all.