Car Buying Process

Lesson learned from buying a van last month. If you froze your Equifax credit report it helps to remember that and have it unfrozen at least two days before you go to get the loan...

For those in the CR/IC area we had a GREAT experience at Warehouse Auto.
 
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Go for what works best for you and what you are comfortable with. I don’t really get the used car fascination for cheaper cars. I got a brand new Corolla for like 19k total after all fees and stuff. Yet when I would look at comparable older used ones it wasn’t really cheaper. I suggest valuing the confidence and maintenance advantages of a new car. I won’t have to pay anything other than my car payment, insurance, registration, and gas for 2 years. Not sure what deals you can get with used vehicles but I found that made the differences negligible.
Also echo put as much down that you are comfortable. Get it paid as quick as possible. I’m not doing as much as I’d like but I’m also saving for my next purchase in a house.

I agree about the new car thing. I keep my cars for a long time. 8 or 9 years. I’ve always gotten a new one because even low mileage used have 40,000 miles and that’s 3 less years I can keep the car. If you take into account rebates, new cars aren’t that much more than used.
 
OT. Bought a used car a couple years ago for $9K. Had to listen to them tell us how stupid we were for paying cash. Then we go to sign the paperwork and the bill comes to over $15K. I was like hold up, the car is $9K. They were like yeah, it's $6K for your extended warranty. I was like A. it's a Toyota, don't need no extended warranty and B. you guys are ******* criminals
 
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There are a ton of sedans coming off of 3 year leases you can pick up for a great deal these days. Oil was over $100/barrel and everyone wanted sedans for the fuel economy back then.

Also, look at cost of ownership before you buy: https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html

Keep in mind, you never hear people complain about buying a lesser car. However, you hear people complain a lot when they buy more car than they needed.

Best of luck.
 
One question about the end of the process here in Iowa. We finally paid off our new car and the lender sent us the title but they also sent a letter to take with and apply for a new title. Should you actually go get a new title and why? They signed the title releasing the lien so I don't really see the point.
 
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There are a ton of sedans coming off of 3 year leases you can pick up for a great deal these days. Oil was over $100/barrel and everyone wanted sedans for the fuel economy back then.

Also, look at cost of ownership before you buy: https://www.edmunds.com/tco.html

Keep in mind, you never hear people complain about buying a lesser car. However, you hear people complain a lot when they buy more car than they needed.

Best of luck.

I bought too small of a car last time.
 
For what its worth- I had a great car buying experience at Budget Rental in Cedar Rapids Iowa. They had three of the cars I wanted in various colors. I buy cars with 40,000 or less miles. I got the car I wanted in the color I wanted for 2,000 less than any dealer was willing to offer me on the same car. I researched for a year so I knew what I wanted and that the cars I was looking at had no issues. Used this site to research https://www.carcomplaints.com/
They are excellent. I know the owner and he is a stand up guy. They always have really nice cars on the lot.
 
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One thing to also check for, if you are a recent college grad, some car companies have special deals. For example, when I graduated in 2010, I bought a new car a couple of months after graduating. I bought a Scion TC, so a Toyota car. Just for being a college grad, I got $1000 off the purchase price and was automatically put into the top credit rating level (although my credit was already there).

I think Ford and GM offered the same credit level, but only $500 off the car for being a college grad.
 
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They are excellent. I know the owner and he is a stand up guy. They always have really nice cars on the lot.


Dan was awesome- If I could give them a 10 star review I would but they only allow 5. Best car buying experience I have ever had.
 
One question about the end of the process here in Iowa. We finally paid off our new car and the lender sent us the title but they also sent a letter to take with and apply for a new title. Should you actually go get a new title and why? They signed the title releasing the lien so I don't really see the point.
I work at a credit union and work with titles every day. It is not necessary for you to get a new title printed as long as they have signed off on it. The reason you may want to is to officially take the lien off the vehicle with the State of Iowa, otherwise there will still be a lienholder listed in the system.
 
Nada.com is the "Book Value." My rule of thumb is the dealer wants to own each used vehicle at or below NADA Average Trade in value. so if you assume they own the car you want for that, offer $500 no more than $1200 over that price. Always be willing to walk away, do not get emotional, there will always be other cars just as good as the one you want.

1st - negotiate the price of the car you are buying, do not let them negotiate on down payment and payment. That is how they win. The Out the Door price is all you are concerned with.

2nd - after you have the vehicle you are purchasing at the price you are comfortable with, then negotiate your trade-in. Your loan is going to be based on the difference between the new car and your trade.

3rd- talk about financing only after you have the Out the door including tax, title and License price.

I don't believe in service contracts as most have a deductible and the parts they warranty do not cost the amount of the service contract to fix. but if it makes you feel better to get one, don't pay over $1200.

Follow that simple guide and the process should be easy.
 
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Has anyone ever really had luck (or know if it works) to try to buy at year end or month end? Is there truly a financial incentive to a dealer to move a car before those dates?
 
Has anyone ever really had luck (or know if it works) to try to buy at year end or month end? Is there truly a financial incentive to a dealer to move a car before those dates?

Yes and no. I haven't had much luck with it but my dad did when he bought a new car back in 2013. They gave him a great deal but he had to do it by the end of the quarter which happened to be in a couple of days. Kind of a YMMV kind of situation.

I would also suggest looking around and use several different search tools. I am a fan of CarGurus and have found both my car and my wife's van using it.

My car I got a great deal on because it was a Honda Accord at a Chevy/Buick dealer in rural Iowa. They took it on a trade and sat on it for six months before I came along. Made the negotiating easy because they could not go lower. Based off of the research I did I got it barely above if at all what they gave for it on trade. That leads to my next point.

We all want a good deal and a lot of depends on the place and salesman obviously but remember they are people too with a business to run, families to feed and bills to pay.
 
I bought a new car on last day of the month 3 hours before closing. "This deal would not be happening if I didn't have to report numbers by 5:00pm"