I need recommendations for a no BS car dealership (Japanese Imports Only) (Raleigh: sale, home)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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I bought a car two years ago and I feel like I had a good experience. I searched online using cargurus.com and broadened my range to a few hundred miles. That site is good because it shows you what people have recently paid for similar cars and assesses whether the asking price is a great/good/fair deal.
I ultimately found a car I thought I wanted in Norfolk, VA that had been titled but traded after only 500 miles so it was like new. I set up financing through my credit union who, after I was approved for the loan, gave me paperwork to give the dealer in VA if I wanted to move forward with the purchase after seeing and driving the car. Since the dealer and I had agreed on a price over the phone and I had my financing settled, I rented a car one way and drove up to VA and after seeing and liking the car, I offered them 500 less than the agreed upon price which they accepted. I gave them all the paperwork from my bank and the deal was done. They even drove me to drop off the rental car before I headed back to NC. I think all in all I spent less time than most people do buying a car locally with all the haggling and financing bs at the dealers. I think I was in and out in less than an hour including the test drive. The same car that had not been titled was selling for almost 7K more at a local dealer. By being willing to drive further, I saved a ton.
There is so much info online now that if you take the time to really see what people are asking/paying you can figure out an appropriate price.
I bought a car two years ago and I feel like I had a good experience. I searched online using cargurus.com and broadened my range to a few hundred miles. That site is good because it shows you what people have recently paid for similar cars and assesses whether the asking price is a great/good/fair deal.
I ultimately found a car I thought I wanted in Norfolk, VA that had been titled but traded after only 500 miles so it was like new. I set up financing through my credit union who, after I was approved for the loan, gave me paperwork to give the dealer in VA if I wanted to move forward with the purchase after seeing and driving the car. Since the dealer and I had agreed on a price over the phone and I had my financing settled, I rented a car one way and drove up to VA and after seeing and liking the car, I offered them 500 less than the agreed upon price which they accepted. I gave them all the paperwork from my bank and the deal was done. They even drove me to drop off the rental car before I headed back to NC. I think all in all I spent less time than most people do buying a car locally with all the haggling and financing bs at the dealers. I think I was in and out in less than an hour including the test drive. The same car that had not been titled was selling for almost 7K more at a local dealer. By being willing to drive further, I saved a ton.
There is so much info online now that if you take the time to really see what people are asking/paying you can figure out an appropriate price.
I would not waste any time looking for data on what people pay for cars. The info you find is typically off by a bit and most of the time you will end up overpaying for a car. A dealer's dream customer is the person who walks in and demands to buy a car for "invoice." They love that.
Actual vehicle costs and retail transaction pricing is not readily available like most people think. Don't know why people think dealers and manufacturers would allow that info to get out there. That's bad business for them...
Best thing you can do is get 2 dealers pricing against each other on the exact same car spec to drill the price down.
Carmax is for people who don't want to bother with negotiating.
True, and I think, and I may be wrong, that you might stand less a chance of getting ripped off with a lemon or other serious issue, and that the cars are in good shape. the salespeople don't work on commission. Or so they say....
I would not waste any time looking for data on what people pay for cars. The info you find is typically off by a bit and most of the time you will end up overpaying for a car. A dealer's dream customer is the person who walks in and demands to buy a car for "invoice." They love that.
Actual vehicle costs and retail transaction pricing is not readily available like most people think. Don't know why people think dealers and manufacturers would allow that info to get out there. That's bad business for them...
Best thing you can do is get 2 dealers pricing against each other on the exact same car spec to drill the price down .
Yes.
Working the internet sites, available and arriving inventory, and pricing makes it easy.
We could have saved about $150 if we had bought Heartthrob's latest ride from a Ford Dealer in Winston-Salem.
Decided the $150 was a sound investment in convenience and good will at Crossroads.
I had a similar experience when buying my last two cars.
The 2013 Edge I picked up at Stearn's Ford in Burlington, but that was inventory driven, as much as price. And, the price was very good. They had one that I wanted. I only test drove it so they could punch out the paperwork.
For the 2016 Edge I have, Crossroad's was very competitive.
Yeah, and what dealers actually pay for a car is much less than “invoice” in which the public accepts at face value, as if dealers would even bother if all they stood to make was the $2-$3K difference between “invoice” and MSRP.
There are are many, many kickbacks for them based on how many cars they sell in a month or given period, and some come 6-9 months later.
I went with my Dad to Capital Ford in 2004 to buy a new Explorer (loaded) at cost through his company which for decades used Ford for its fleet.
My dad wrote a check for $31,000 total,,without any trade, for the model with a sticker price of $42,500.
So remember there’s $10- $15K of pure profit built into the prices especially once you’re beyond average new car price range.
Yeah, and what dealers actually pay for a car is much less than “invoice” in which the public accepts at face value, as if dealers would even bother if all they stood to make was the $2-$3K difference between “invoice” and MSRP.
There are are many, many kickbacks for them based on how many cars they sell in a month or given period, and some come 6-9 months later.
I went with my Dad to Capital Ford in 2004 to buy a new Explorer (loaded) at cost through his company which for decades used Ford for its fleet.
My dad wrote a check for $31,000 total,,without any trade, for the model with a sticker price of $42,500.
So remember there’s $10- $15K of pure profit built into the prices especially once you’re beyond average new car price range.
"Pure profit?"
I suspect that "Gross Profit" may be more applicable.
Yeah, and what dealers actually pay for a car is much less than “invoice” in which the public accepts at face value, as if dealers would even bother if all they stood to make was the $2-$3K difference between “invoice” and MSRP.
There are are many, many kickbacks for them based on how many cars they sell in a month or given period, and some come 6-9 months later.
I went with my Dad to Capital Ford in 2004 to buy a new Explorer (loaded) at cost through his company which for decades used Ford for its fleet.
My dad wrote a check for $31,000 total,,without any trade, for the model with a sticker price of $42,500.
So remember there’s $10- $15K of pure profit built into the prices especially once you’re beyond average new car price range.
If you want to have fun with a dealer ask them if there is a current Stairstep program going on with the vehicle you are looking at. That will get you a funny reaction at times.
To the OP all I can say is shop around. The more work you're willing to do the more money you can save. Don't discount out of state dealers, either, as I personally believe the pricing level in our area is inflated especially when you factor-in the ridiculous DOC fees they charge here.
I bought 5 vehicles in the past year - 4 new and 1 used. Two came from North Carolina but also got one from Maryland, Texas and Florida. Even with shipping costs it was significantly buying locally and I try to give the local dealers a chance to match but some (especially Leith dealers) just charge too much and won't negotiate enough for my tastes.
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