Buying a Car in Georgia (lawyer, home, depreciation)

[stevio63]

I have already asked about one phase of car buying in GA....and i've done research on this but it is still hazy....this "add on" of "document fees". I know that this has been regulated in other states because of outrageous amounts of money being charged for it ($498 in my case). Many states have concluded that this is a bogus charge...and is capped at like $100.

I'm not a lawyer but i cannot find any state law that regulates it. I've been told that it is actually a state law that if 1 person pays it at a dealership, all will or the dealership is in violation of state law (heard same thing about FL). The only thing i can find is that there is NO cap on what a dealer can charge.

In my state...everything on a "contract" is negotiable....ESPECIALLY when dealing with buying cars!

Any help would be appreciated!

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by stevio63

I have already asked about one phase of car buying in GA....and i've done research on this but it is still hazy....this "add on" of "document fees". I know that this has been regulated in other states because of outrageous amounts of money being charged for it ($498 in my case). Many states have concluded that this is a bogus charge...and is capped at like $100.

I'm not a lawyer but i cannot find any state law that regulates it. I've been told that it is actually a state law that if 1 person pays it at a dealership, all will or the dealership is in violation of state law (heard same thing about FL). The only thing i can find is that there is NO cap on what a dealer can charge.

In my state...everything on a "contract" is negotiable....ESPECIALLY when dealing with buying cars!

Based on my past experience, there are similar fees in most states. If it's not statutory, then you can negotiate it. Just don't fixate on one item if you are getting a good overall deal. Look at the drive out cost, not the individual line items.

If you are not getting a good deal, then ask for a better one or go to another dealer. It's a buyer's market, so don't settle for a crappy deal.

[Brian_M]

Originally Posted by neil0311

If it's not statutory, then you can negotiate it. Just don't fixate on one item if you are getting a good overall deal. Look at the drive out cost, not the individual line items.

This, right here, is the key. You DO want to negotiate every single line item, but if they won't budge, stating law or some other reason, then just say "Ok, leave that as it is, but take that same dollar amount off the price of the car". THAT number is completely flexible, it can be sold for any price above or below what they paid for it with zero regulation.

I'm decidedly not a fan of buying new for lots of reasons, but I've watched a few people play they game well. It started with my dad back when I was still living at home (no internet back then), just simply faxed his request list of items to every dealer within 50 miles and let them all know that he was faxing everyone. Blind bids, he always found at least 1 deal he was willing to accept. Since the internet, every dealership now has an internet dept. that does more or less the same thing through email. 2 more friends bought cars in a similar fashion (contacting dealers and explaining what they wanted and that they were contacting multiples so give the best OTD price) and both were happy with their buys. Obviously, this doesn't work Quite so well when you're hung up on just 1 car.. say a VW Diesel (just because I know they're hard to find/in high demand and there's nothing else out there that's substantially similar). But if you're only looking for an econo-box with 4 doors that returns 30mpg highway, there are a large number of options and the process works much better.

Personally, I like keeping the 20~30% depreciation in my pocket and buy used. The last used car I bought has now given me 200,000 trouble-free miles, and I expect another 100,000 without issue. I paid HALF what it cost new when it was 3 years old, and bought it from the original owners who had all the dealer service records.

[neil0311]

See, I'm the complete opposite. I won't typically touch a used car with a 10 foot pole. While you do save on the up front depreciation, if you keep the vehicle for its full useful life, you also get fewer miles for your money and less warranty. I also don't want other people's problems.

If you can find a used car with less than a year's worth of miles (12K miles), then you have to ask yourself why that owner took a bath to get rid of that vehicle. Sometimes it's due to a reasonable explanation, but it's hard to tell. For me, I want the vehicle new, before anyone else has done anything to it, and with all the options that I want in the vehicle. If that means I pay a little more in some cases, then so be it, but the reality the last few years is that if you shop the vehicle on Edmunds or have corporate discounts (as I do), then the difference between new and used is actually not that much, and certainly not "20 to 30%" as mentioned (in the first year).