I'm buying a new car for the first time! I need coaching.

[Todderbob]

@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.

New model year cars come in much earlier in the year than January. I’ve seen them in september, and earlier. If you can find an 08 a few months into 09, then you’ll get a good price, otherwise… Meh.

I was working at one dealership that had an 07 SUV loaded, in 2009, which normally ran 40,000+ and they were trying to offload at 32,000. And they’d have taken lower, probably.

@Gedd

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.

Please take me with you in hhe test drive, so I can upsell things that you like and minimize things that you don’t. Please, please, PLEASE.

Any information I’m going to look up, my manager is going to do while I’m on the test-drive with you anyway, and they’re only going to pull your credit and see what kind if terms they can get for you. It’s not like theyre checking a secret NADA database.

@Gedd

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.

Please, please, PLEASE do this too. It makes me know that you’ve committed to that car already… In fact, one tactic in closing often used is "giver me a check for 1,000 USD so i can show my manager youre seriously interested in this car.

@Labrador_Deceiver

This post reads like a laundry list of things not to do, up to & including writing a check in the middle of the negotiation.

THIS.

[Mr.Excellent]

Not much to add, but I’d point out that this will probably work out okay. Your descendents, after all, are tremendously lucky.