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A writer I follow on social media once wrote a guide to buying a car without ever speaking to a salesperson: https://the-toast.net/2014/07/11/how-to-buy-a-car/ I've never done it, but others have said it works a charm.
Thanks, I'll check that out!
Quote:
Originally Posted by shelato
I am sorry this happened to you. For what its worth, one of my friends used the Costco auto buying program to get a Subaru and they said the process was quite painless. If you are far enough into your current process I get that too.
Do you have to be a member, though? And do they sell new cars? I have my eyes on a specific new car that isn't much more costly than a used one, and the warranty from the dealers is awesome. Lifetime limited, 10 year powertrain, 5 year bumper to bumper...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chowhound
Weird timing on this as I'm literally about to pull the trigger and buy something. I want to before inflation kicks in and interest rates start to rise.
I've finally got which car I want nailed down now, just need to decide between black or burgundy.
I'm trying to decide....
Base trim - Pros - I can get it in the color I want, Copper color, and it's less expensive. Cons - There are features I want that I won't get, and the savings isn't THAT much, so I feel like I'm sacrificing too much just to get a pretty color.
Second to best trim - Pros - Sweet features that I like, such as roof rails and solar glass and a number of other things I put in a list but don't remember at the moment. Not that much more costly. Cons - Hard to find in the color that I like, and if I do, it's WAY more expensive for some reason...I'll probably end up with a silver car, which seems BORING.
I'm looking at a Kia Sportage. I was thinking Mazda CX-5 before, but the Sportage is similar and I can afford a new one, with the new car warranty, for what I'd pay for a used Mazda. I've read that there have been significant improvements in this model year, so yeah...think I'm gonna go for it.
So since I'm pretty indecisive about the color vs. trim question, I figure I'll (within those limits) let the inventory at the dealership make the determination for me, more or less. But I'll probably visit the other Kia lot, not the one where I yelled at the lady for calling me. lol
Black
Black is pretty badass and is a classic color that looks good on a lot of cars. Cons are is that here in So Cal you can swing a cat by its tail and take out several black Challengers in one swoop. They are all over the place. Not to mention the dirt issue.
Burgundy
Burgundy is a little bit more on the rare side, this particular burgundy really looks good in the direct sunlight and does the car some justice. I like the idea of not seeing as many of the burgundy models, sorta has more of a unique twist.
Do you have to be a member, though? And do they sell new cars? I have my eyes on a specific new car that isn't much more costly than a used one, and the warranty from the dealers is awesome. Lifetime limited, 10 year powertrain, 5 year bumper to bumper...
I'm trying to decide....
Base trim - Pros - I can get it in the color I want, Copper color, and it's less expensive. Cons - There are features I want that I won't get, and the savings isn't THAT much, so I feel like I'm sacrificing too much just to get a pretty color.
Second to best trim - Pros - Sweet features that I like, such as roof rails and solar glass and a number of other things I put in a list but don't remember at the moment. Not that much more costly. Cons - Hard to find in the color that I like, and if I do, it's WAY more expensive for some reason...I'll probably end up with a silver car, which seems BORING.
I'm looking at a Kia Sportage. I was thinking Mazda CX-5 before, but the Sportage is similar and I can afford a new one, with the new car warranty, for what I'd pay for a used Mazda. I've read that there have been significant improvements in this model year, so yeah...think I'm gonna go for it.
So since I'm pretty indecisive about the color vs. trim question, I figure I'll (within those limits) let the inventory at the dealership make the determination for me, more or less. But I'll probably visit the other Kia lot, not the one where I yelled at the lady for calling me. lol
My mom, my sister, my niece, and my niece's best friend who lives with them all drive Kia's. They love them. My niece's best friend, who is like family actually, bought my step dad's when he passed away. Wanted to keep it in the family!
@Chow I like the burgundy, but I've heard that red cars get pulled over more by cops and cost more to insure... Don't know exactly how true that is, though? And if it's the same with a burgundy as it would be with a brighter red?
One thing I wonder about, is if I'll draw more possible police attention in a compact SUV than I used to in a minivan. Not that I really need to be speeding along, but in the van, I could road trip down an empty highway in flyover country at 90, blow right by a Trooper, and somehow not get pulled over. It happened a number of times! Guess they figured that the lady in the Mom-mobile wasn't gonna yield any extra joy in the form of contraband or even an unbuckled seatbelt, and they'd probably have to hear screaming kids? I dunno. Can't explain it. Just the way it was. But I don't road trip (or speed) as much as I used to anyhow.
Last edited by Sonic_Spork; 04-19-2021 at 03:12 PM..
My mom, my sister, my niece, and my niece's best friend who lives with them all drive Kia's. They love them. My niece's best friend, who is like family actually, bought my step dad's when he passed away. Wanted to keep it in the family!
They are really good cars, very dependable.
I'm glad to hear that! My reading indicated that once upon a time, they had a bad reputation, but Hyundai bought 'em out and really rescued the brand.
This is what I want, if I were to get my whole entire wish list, right here...
And the earlier article (which was written in quite a funny way) that talked about closing the deal without any in person wrangling... I would love to do something like that, the only issue is that the dealerships I'm seeing, really want to get a hold of your phone number. Their contact forms ask for it. Even the site that they referenced, Truecar.com, for finding values on cars, asked for a phone number to unlock all of the features of the site, and they also listed prices higher than most of what I'm seeing, as being "good deals"...
We'll see how it goes, I guess!
I once had a situation where I went into a dealership with an idea of what I wanted and what price they had on their website for it, only to be told that the website prices were "a mistake" and were not the real prices. It has been pretty educational reading about the shenanigans they try to pull, the games they play. I really appreciate the articles that have told me to not talk about financing or trades or any of that, until late in the game, get the price haggled and locked in where I want it to be first. Never let them talk monthly payment amounts during negotiation! That is super good advice. Lots I didn't know about car buying. I haven't done it many times, and the last time I did, they had me over a barrel and they knew it, I limped in with a dying vehicle! I couldn't even go home without buying something!
Black
Black is pretty badass and is a classic color that looks good on a lot of cars. Cons are is that here in So Cal you can swing a cat by its tail and take out several black Challengers in one swoop. They are all over the place. Not to mention the dirt issue.
Burgundy
Burgundy is a little bit more on the rare side, this particular burgundy really looks good in the direct sunlight and does the car some justice. I like the idea of not seeing as many of the burgundy models, sorta has more of a unique twist.
My last car was green, and I loved it. Unfortunately it was totaled when I got rear-ended, and my car options when I had to replace it were silver, dark grey, and white. I got the grey one, but I miss having color (and I know that's a very girly thing to say, but there it is.)
And the earlier article (which was written in quite a funny way) that talked about closing the deal without any in person wrangling... I would love to do something like that, the only issue is that the dealerships I'm seeing, really want to get a hold of your phone number. Their contact forms ask for it. Even the site that they referenced, Truecar.com, for finding values on cars, asked for a phone number to unlock all of the features of the site, and they also listed prices higher than most of what I'm seeing, as being "good deals"...
We'll see how it goes, I guess!
I once had a situation where I went into a dealership with an idea of what I wanted and what price they had on their website for it, only to be told that the website prices were "a mistake" and were not the real prices. It has been pretty educational reading about the shenanigans they try to pull, the games they play. I really appreciate the articles that have told me to not talk about financing or trades or any of that, until late in the game, get the price haggled and locked in where I want it to be first. Never let them talk monthly payment amounts during negotiation! That is super good advice. Lots I didn't know about car buying. I haven't done it many times, and the last time I did, they had me over a barrel and they knew it, I limped in with a dying vehicle! I couldn't even go home without buying something!
That car looks great! Love the color
Buying a car can be super stressful so I am sending you good vibes. I will be on that path next year as well.
Do you have to be a member, though? And do they sell new cars? I have my eyes on a specific new car that isn't much more costly than a used one, and the warranty from the dealers is awesome. Lifetime limited, 10 year powertrain, 5 year bumper to bumper...
You can buy new cars through the Costco program. You get the dealers warranty. What happens is that dealers agree to enroll in the program and they agree to pay the price negotiated between Costco and the manufacturer. Because Costco is representing all of their customers nationwide, they are acting like someone buying in bulk. For me what I saved on buying gas from Costco pays for the cost of my Costco membership each year.
If you are really good at haggling, I suspect you might be able to get as good or a better deal without the program. But if you are looking for a process that is fairly painless I think its a good choice. I know on certain cars if you sign up for the program you will often get a rebate from Costco on the purchase that is more expensive than the cost of membership but I don't know if that is the case on the specific Kia you are interested in.
But right now the program has additional 400 incentive if you are your spouse was in the military. Another 2500 if its financed by Kia or 2500 if you you don't use Kia Finance and that is on top of the Costco price.
Again if this is just more work and you are feeling pressured for time, skip it. But if you are getting really stressed out by the hell that is buying a new car in the US I think this might be a good choice.
We all could use an airplane. Weren't we all supposed to have flying cars by now? I feel robbed.
Can you imagine the carnage! Lol
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