Men...I Need Your Help!

Laura, my friend...You might have better luck getting the guys to offer advice if you didn't apologize for that thread, but tantilized them with the promise of pics of chicks.:bigsmile:

With google and the internet, there is really no valid reason you should not be able to do 80% of your product selection from the comfort of your own home, and not be talked down to or discriminated against.

Figure out for yourself: what you want the vehicle for, how often you'll be driving, where will you be driving, what features appeal to you, what features are unimportant to you, how much you want to spend (approximate), how do you want to pay for this (private financing, dealership financing, cash).

side note: valid features are class of vehicle (coupe, sedan, wagon, sports, truck, suv, etc) manual/automatic, 4WD or 2WD, even colour and styling, type of seats, stereo system, number of seats, etc. list it ALL

comb the internet for various models and manufacturers, read all the literature, and at least narrow the list down to 5 models or so.

be sure to consider important items like: maintenance requirements, reliability history for the model and manufacturer, safety features and ratings, fuel economy (if that is important to you).

do not be shy to ask friends what they think of their vehicles, but keep in mind, ususally people will want to defend their vehicle choices, so listen closely to the red flags, and past their fluff and defensiveness.

in this research phase, don't be shy to enlist of a couple of trustworthy vehicle savvy friends (not necessarily males) to help you in your research. they may have good starting points and suggestions so you're not just flailing around in the interweb.


when the rubber hits the road (pun intended), and you go out there to see some vehicles. be sure to revisit your goals and needs and wants each and every time you go see a vehicle. car salesmen are going to sell you on passion, excitement, glitz and gloss. remember why and what you are looking for.

always be friendly to salespeople. it's like keep your friends close and enemies closer... knowing they are trying to get every red cent out of you, be nice because they are people too, and will likely respond to kindness not stand-offish-ness.

never buy a car on the first visit, never even sit down to review numbers on the first visit (they will try every trick in the book to get you to discuss numbers, you sitting is a big barrier they are trying to break). the first visit is like the first date. information gathering. to summarize: test drive ok. sitting at a desk, not ok.

go see and drive every car on your top 5 (or so).

narrow the choice down to 3 (or so - whatever you're comfortable with).

really comb the internet for information on those top 3 models. look into resale prices, dig deeper into maintenance and reliability.

go in for the second date for each of the top 3. drive the vehicle again. if you feel up to it, sit down and discuss numbers. allow them to show you their best price. always talk final price, don't let them talk payment. they will incentivise you with a bit long 7 year loan at a low percentage interest rate (even 0%!!!!) and show you a very easy payment, but don't forget, that's over 7 years... who wants to be still paying off a 6 year old vehicle?!?! BUT NEVER BUY ANYTHING ON THE 2ND VISIT

they will say, well the sales manager won't give you his best price unless you are ready to commit. well then, walk away. if you have a price in mind that you want, tell them, but still walk away.

with that additional information, go home, do more research, narrow your car choice down to 1 or 2 max.

from here there are lots of ways to finish the deal. one way i've seen is to fax a request for quotation to multiple dealerships in your area. stating that you are simply looking for the lowest possible price they can offer for that vehicle, and that you are openly faxing multiple dealerships in the surrounding area. one of these dealerships will give you their really really best price. go there, and talk to them.

financing is a whole other topic: there are two distinctive different business within a dealership, selling cars, and selling money (and other extras). be aware of this, as a dealership will behave one way if you are considering dealership financing, and an entirely different way if you are paying cash (or using private financing). I really don't have the space to explain and navigate you through the details of this.

stick to your guns, and don't compromise what you want/need.

This may help...

Go on Google and search the MSRP & DEALER INVOICE prices.

Dealer invoice is what the Dealer paid for the car. Often times the dealer get Kickbacks & Rebates from the car manufacturer so you can buy the vehicle at/below/near that price.

Also, if you are on the lot & the salesman tells you feature x,y,z etc. add to the cost - tell him you don't care about those features.

Generally, I do 90% + of my negociation by phone. I find it easier that way.

You can message me if you need additional help

Yeah, everyone has a point here. There are plenty of pages and information out there in regards to cars and buying them. When you have the information on hand and you're ready to tell those suckers you know what you're getting and the value of it, make sure to bring with you a male friend.

ps. Try to bring someone who's not just standing and looking, but also to interact.

I'm a female and I negotiate all of my car purchases myself and always get a good deal.

I am a Toyota gal and I have purchase 4 Toyotas for myself in the last 10 years and got great deals on all of them. I have a relationship with the internet sales guy at one of our Toyota dealerships because I have purchased so many cars from him now. I prefer researching everything through KBB.com and Consumer Reports, plus any other site that may have ratings on the vehicle I am interested in. Then I figure out what a good price is for the vehicle I want and I do all my negotiating via email before I ever go for a test drive. I won't go to the dealership and do a test drive unless I know that I am getting the deal I want. I won't waste my time and I hate being pressured by salespeople. It makes me very cranky and I tend to become a ***** when it happens. Which makes the car buying experience dreadful!

I bought a book on negotiating which was quite fascinating and only reinforced my desire to take a shower after talking to a car salesperson.

...and wear something low cut and revealing.

I sell cars for a living. I don't know who's telling you that women get hosed but it's a complete lie.

Thick people get hosed. Those clued up get the best deals.

Aaaaaaaaaaah................penny dropped!

Find the car you like... have it inspected. Then do all your negotiating via email. Its easier to give firm number an email then it is on the phone or in person. I (as a man) bought my last vehicle by emails and I will never but anouther one any other way.

Also do not buy the services plans or any other extra add ons. They are all a waste of money and its how the dealership makes their money.

Online research. Period.

Go to manufactures website, build the vehicle you want...you'll know what MSRP is.
Then go to sites like kbb.com (kelly blue book value) and www.nadaguides.com
Edmunds reviews and so forth will help you rate the vehicle and provide idea of what people are really paying.

Know what you are getting into beforehand. Read the terms, understand the financing or the lease options.

Different car manufacturers and dealers have different pricing strategies. Some mark cars up considerablly then offer you what sounds like great discounts but really you wind up paying MSRP. no good. Some manufacturers (like toyota) aren't known for discounting their product much. They don't put a lot of pad between msrp and dealer invoice, so you pay closer to sticker more often with toyota than with Chevrolet, etc etc. These are just examples... This is why its important to do research on the internet and determine price ahead of time and then negotiate down from there. If ya don't feel you're being fairly treated you probably aren't. walk away. don't rush into anything because you "love" some feature of the vehicle and get overwhelmed with the purchase of it. you don't want to face buyers remorse.

What brand and type of car are you looking at?

truecar.com

Edmunds.com is your friend. It will give you the average actual selling price in your local area for the car you are looking at.

The way you get handled in dealerships has nothing to do with gender, and everything to do with your personality. Do your research, and stick to your guns.

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/
don't be afraid to walk away.

One of my best friends is a car salesman and has told me some things to help me out the next time I need to buy a car.

- Never, ever show excitement or love for a car, they know they can rip you off if you do. It doesn't matter how much you love it, never show it.

- Don't, under any circumstances, buy an extended warranty for a vehicle or any other extras or add ons. The dealerships make a huge amount of money off of them and they are basically a waste of your money.

- Have an list of no more than 3 vehicles with mileage and features you are looking to buy and about what they will cost.

- Do everything you can to get financing before you go to the car lot. Yes, they have a lot of options for financing, but you will most often get a slightly higher rate and other charges than you would at your local banks. They dealerships get kickbacks for financing and the higher your interest rate, the more they make. (I don't know if this is the case at every place, but it is at the dealership my friend works at) If your credit isn't good enough to get financing through a local bank then research what interest rate you're likely to get and how that will translate into payments. Unless buying new never stretch your payments farther than 5 years.

- If you or a friend aren't mechanically inclined enough to thoroughly check the car over then bite the bullet and take it to a trusted, non dealership mechanic to do so. It may cost you up to a $100 but it's worth it to avoid buying a piece of junk. If there is anything that needs to be addressed, such as tires needing replaced, ask the dealership to fix it for free before you commit to finalizing the sale.

- Only talk final purchase price, not monthly payments. This won't be an issue if you have already obtained financing or done your research. Also, don't be afraid to flat out tell the salesman no. Stick to your guns!

- Like someone above me said, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The salesman is there to make money and that is it. They will try to act like they are working to get you the best deal possible but they're not. They're trying to find the maximum price you'll pay. The salesman is not your buddy.

- Don't talk numbers or purchase on your first visit. A good salesman will try to trick you into this, but don't fall for it.

- Don't be afraid to walk away and go somewhere else.