# I'm buying a new car for the first time! I need coaching. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 7, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343 "2010-04-07T23:30:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/21 "2010-04-08T18:27:55Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > Honda doesn’t do this. > > . Yes they do. It usually happens in the form of reduced rates. Also, I don’t agree that you should spend time going back and forth with the dealer. Tell him what you’ll pay up front, and they’ll almost always give you the deal you want (as long as you’ve done your research). If you want to pay $X out the door, then tell them you want to pay $X out the door & to call you when they can make it happen. I’ve bought 3 cars this way, and I didn’t play the back-and-forth game. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/22 "2010-04-08T18:28:48Z")
Do what I did the first time I bought a car: walk onto the lot, see a car you like, and pay the price painted on the windshield.:smack: In my defense, I was 18, and thankfully, it was only a $2,000 car. (Oh, and yes I _did_ test drive it first. And it was a Toyota.) …but still… :smack::smack::smack: ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/23 "2010-04-08T18:35:37Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Can anyone give a newbie some tips on how to get my price on a car? It’s a Honda Crosstour, by the way. Thanks for any help. Where are you located? My delaership also owns a Honda dealership. So if you are local, I can introduce you to the general sales manager and you can bypass the salesmen. PM or email me if this is of interest. From what I hear Crosstours are not exactly flying off the dealers lots, so you should be able to find one. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/24 "2010-04-08T18:45:34Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Yes they do. It usually happens in the form of reduced rates. I was referring to the “huge discounts” bit. Yes, honda does give out special rates. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Also, I don’t agree that you should spend time going back and forth with the dealer. Tell him what you’ll pay up front, and they’ll almost always give you the deal you want (as long as you’ve done your research). If you want to pay $X out the door, then tell them you want to pay $X out the door & to call you when they can make it happen. I’ve bought 3 cars this way, and I didn’t play the back-and-forth game. The “back-and-forth” only takes about 20 minutes, if you do it correctly. Easier to just get it out of the way, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/25 "2010-04-08T18:50:57Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > I was referring to the “huge discounts” bit. Yes, honda does give out special rates. I never said Honda would offer huge discounts. I said Toyota currently is, and that you may see price reductions from other dealers. I never implied that those subsequent discounts would be huge. > [@](#): > > The “back-and-forth” only takes about 20 minutes, if you do it correctly. Easier to just get it out of the way, in my opinion. But why get it out of the way when you don’t have to do it at all? In my experience, negotiators are much less willing to work with you when they think you’re playing games. Offering a price well below invoice could be construed as such. Really, there are many ways to buy a car, and different people are more comfortable with different methods. If it works for you, there’s nothing wrong with haggling for price. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/26 "2010-04-08T19:01:09Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > You won’t be able to get a fair deal from some dealerships. Accept this and move on to the next dealership. One of them will be fairer than the others, it’s just a matter of weeding out the really greedy ones first. All the advice in this thread is good except for this part. A “fair” deal is not the same as a “good” deal. If you accept the terms it is a fair deal. If they say they will go no lower and you reject it, it’s not greedy, it’s just business. Remember, this is not a charity you’re dealing with, it’s a business. They want to make all the money they can make, and you wish to pay as little as possible. Good luck to you. I hate car shopping as well. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/27 "2010-04-08T19:43:30Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > If it works for you, there’s nothing wrong with haggling for price. You misunderstand my advice. My advice isn’t from purchasing a car, it’s from selling a car, and being intimately familiar with the car business. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/28 "2010-04-08T20:13:49Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > You’re willing to pay them some profit, but only if they cut the shit (be concise and to the point about it). Bring you a legit deal that puts you out the door at under 28,000. They’ll probably come back with a deal around 28,900, work them back down from there. When you say “out the door at under 28,000”, do you mean this should the price before or after the tax, title, and DMV stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/29 "2010-04-08T20:16:25Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > You misunderstand my advice. My advice isn’t from purchasing a car, it’s from selling a car, and being intimately familiar with the car business. Okay, which part of your advice do you think I misunderstood? ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/30 "2010-04-08T20:45:07Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Shop online to get prices. Print out the best ones and take them with you, especially for the dealerships that you’ll visit. > Take along a coolheaded friend, or your SO if s/he’s also coolheaded. This person’s goal is to act as the Voice of Reason when you get excited about a particular vehicle. I’m the Voice of Reason when my husband goes carshopping, because I hate negotiating for cars, I don’t get excited about cars, but I can recognize when the dealership is trying to pull a fast one on financing. I have a male work friend that I take with me every time I need to make a major purchase…this started several years ago when he got me a great price on some major electronics. We are both in sales so we know most of the tricks, we sometimes get a good cop / bad cop vibe going. Sometimes one of us will stick with the salesperson while the other wanders off to do research or look up something online. It has turned something that has always been a stressful situation for me into an actual fun experience. Be careful of that visit when you go to pick up the car, they view that as an upsell opportunity and will try to sell you all sorts of extended warranties and service plans. I got a pretty good look at a document on the finance managers desk (reading upside down is a great sales skill) before she hid it quickly, it was a rundown of the profits on my car and the sales commisions paid, with columns showing them how much those numbers would increase if I bought service plan A, B etc. It confirmed that I got a really good deal but jeez they would’ve made it up plus more on the upsell. I bought no service plans, of course and I gave the woman a bit of a hard time about it…“you’ve been telling me how great this car is and now your trying to convince me it’s going to break down the second I drive it off the lot”?? ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/31 "2010-04-08T21:04:28Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Finance through your own bank or credit union. Don’t let the dealership finance you, or make arrangements for financing. They make a LOT of money by doing it this way. Don’t let them do it to you. So it’s OK for your bank to make money but not the dealer? Yeah, it’s great to go in with preapproval from your credit union or bank, but don’t completely write off the possibility of dealer financing. When I bought my last car I was preapproved with my CU but went in knowing that if I qualified for the dealer’s current financing incentive I’d save money. At this point I already had an out the door price from the Internet Manager and was just going in to finalize things. I’d already told him that I had CU financing, but when we sat down I mentioned that I’d be interested to see if I qualified for their lowest rate. The best advice is to do your homework. Know what incentives are currently being offered. Know what the dealer has on the lot for the model you want, the trim level, options, etc., and know what the cost is for each of those options. Most car manufacturers have a dealer inventory tool you can use. Compare models to figure out how much that spoiler adds to the MSRP so that you know what the markup should be if they’ve added it. I think either Edmonds, Costco, or both give you a breakdown of option costs too. Once you know the car inside and out, then start emailing the dealers. ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/32 "2010-04-08T23:04:56Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > I _am_ the voice of reason in this relationship, so that’s why I’m going out to do the negotiating. I already have financing lined up through a credit union that I joined for this very purpose. > > I know that $26,886 is the invoice price, and that the MSRP is $30,308. I hope to land a price of about $28,500, after asking initially for $28,000. Does this sound reasonable? I’ll use your tactics, **Todderbob**. It may very well be that the Crosstour is popular enough that it’ll whittle away at my advantage, though. I’ll report back on my success or lack thereof. > > Did I mention that I despise car salesmen? I would start at invoice ($27,596 with delivery) and work your way up from there. I got quotes from the local Honda dealers at $400 under invoice for an Accord Coupe last summer. Dealers can and do make a profit selling cars at invoice. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/33 "2010-04-09T00:32:23Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Okay, which part of your advice do you think I misunderstood? Where my advice was coming from, not the content of the advice. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/34 "2010-04-09T00:45:22Z")
> [@Todderbob](#): > > Where my advice was coming from, not the content of the advice. I apologize, as I think it was my post that caused confusion. I didn’t mean “you” specifically, but in the generic sense. I certainly appreciate your experience and point of view. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/35 "2010-04-09T00:50:45Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > […]I think it was my post that caused confusion. Nope, I go through life in a constant state of that. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/36 "2010-04-09T01:17:29Z")
Read your contract thoroughly . They will agree to some terms and write something else in the contract and if you catch them say it was a mistake. They will push a warranty for as long as they can. They will try to get you to take their financing so they can get a kickback. ---
**Author:** ![Todderbob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@Todderbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Todderbob)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/37 "2010-04-09T01:28:45Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Read your contract thoroughly . They will agree to some terms and write something else in the contract and if you catch them say it was a mistake. They will push a warranty for as long as they can. They will try to get you to take their financing so they can get a kickback. Yeah… it’s not a “kickback.” It’s profit. The same way the bank makes profit, the car dealership can, except the car dealership _can_ make more. You just have to choose which deal is best for you. Always entertain, but don’t necessarily accept, dealership financing. And if you get dealership financing, make sure you read the contract carefully. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/38 "2010-04-12T16:02:07Z")
Well, I’m driving a new Honda Accord Crosstour. In addition to taking everyone’s good advice here, I also went on to [Edmunds.com](http://Edmunds.com) and [MotorTrend.com](http://MotorTrend.com) and looked at a good tool that both sites provide. It’s a “how much people in your area have paid for the model of car that you want” kind of resource. A bell curve will show you low, medium, and high prices paid. I paid what these sites tell me is a low price, comparatively speaking for my area. I also utilized Costco’s auto program, which promises their buying power to help you negotiate a lower deal, and this was of use to me as well. So we’re happy with the price paid, and extremely happy with the car. Thanks for all your advice. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/39 "2010-04-12T16:29:04Z")
I had a friend tell me to buy in January, because that’s when they’re trying to make space for all the next year’s models. They also said to shop early Saturday when some places have bonuses for the dealer who has the first sale, or late Sunday when they are trying to make a sale before they close up. They also said that if you are going for a test drive to take the dealer with you. That way they don’t have a bunch of time to look up info on you using your driver’s licence. My dad tells the story of when he was helping his sister by a car. She had come into a lot of $$ and was lowballing with the dealer. He didn’t like the price, but she actually pulled out her check book and wrote a check for the amount she was offering. It would be fun to do that just to see the salesman sweat. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343/40 "2010-04-12T16:39:52Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > I had a friend tell me to buy in January, because that’s when they’re trying to make space for all the next year’s models. They also said to shop early Saturday when some places have bonuses for the dealer who has the first sale, or late Sunday when they are trying to make a sale before they close up. > > They also said that if you are going for a test drive to take the dealer with you. That way they don’t have a bunch of time to look up info on you using your driver’s licence. > > My dad tells the story of when he was helping his sister by a car. She had come into a lot of $$ and was lowballing with the dealer. He didn’t like the price, but she actually pulled out her check book and wrote a check for the amount she was offering. It would be fun to do that just to see the salesman sweat. This post reads like a laundry list of things not to do, up to & including writing a check in the middle of the negotiation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-buying-a-new-car-for-the-first-time-i-need-coaching/535343.md?page=3)