suzanne Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 My friendsI need some advice and direction on purchasing a car. I must admit I have never done this on my own even though I have reached 55 years of age. I own a 1995 Lincoln Mark VIII and the repairs are eating me alive all of a sudden since Will crossed over, $600 dollars for brakes, $180 for air, $356 for a door handle and now $800+ for shocks for the front (air ride system), all in less than a year. I feel like I am throwing money away for something I will never recover. I know I need to look for a newer car but how? I have discovered if someone finds you are a single woman they do take all the leverage they can in the outside world. And you don't have to tell them, guess I have that dear in headlights look. Any help would be appreciated.Suzanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandralb Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 I think you would benefit if you go to Edmunds.com. You can look up the values of vehicles you like, then go to the "payment calculator" link. You can select the vehicle options you need, and even list the value of your current vehicle as a trade in. Then you select how many months you would like to pay off the new vehicle and what interest percentage rate you think you can get from the bank that you will be using to finance the loan. You can keep adjusting all of those pieces of data until you get a monthly payment that works for you. Then I suggest you print it out and take it with you to the car dealership. Never, never discuss what you want your monthly payment to be. If they come to you with a payment that is too high, just tell them they are getting close, but they're not quite there yet. Make them do the work. Don't tell them about your trade in vehicle until after you have the payment you want pinned down. Then, tell them about the trade. Go to the dealership towards the end of the month because that's when they are most desparate to make a deal and meet their sales quota for the month. Plan on spending a few hours there and if you are really serious about buying the car, you should be able to get what you want out of them....eventually. Also, don't be afraid to walk away if they aren't cooperating. You are the customer. They need you more than you need them. Good luck.Sandra B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzanne Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Thanks for the advice Sandra. I am so scared of doing this alone. I'm too too fragile to make a good decision yet I know it is one I have to make.Suzanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpodesta Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 I know it is difficult to look for a car. First thing is go to kelly blue book on the internet and find out the value of your car. Make sure that when you are talking about price that they tell you how much they are going to give you for your trade in. I had one dealership in the past that told me that they don't discuss what they are giving for the trade until you are in the finance office. However they wanted to discuss monthly payments. I told them that I couldn't discuss monthy payments without knowing what they were giving me for my trade. Needless to say I walked out. Go into the dealership with a price in mind on how much you want your monthly payments to be. When you set that price tell the dealership a lower price, I have found that I will usually end up around what I want for my payment. I know it is hard once you find a vehicle you want to walk away if the deal isn't good. Try several places and don't let them tell you that the deal won't be any good if you leave. The deal usually is good for several days.give them as little information as possible. I hope this helps and good luck, let us know how it goes.Love alwaysDerek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WendyJ Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hey Suzanne,What I ended up doing for the same reason is leasing. I know alot of people do not agree with leasing but the last thing I need to worry about is if I can afford car repairs and I work for a bodyshop so you must really be nervous. My mothers comment when I first started to lease was " But you don't own your vehicle " I said "Mom who has the title for your car, the bank right, and by time you finish paying off your vehicle things will start to go wrong and then what, buy another one?" If I have a problem it goes in and they fix it. I think of it this way, why invest in something you know is going to lose value? Would you buy stock knowing that you were going to lose money? When my lease is up every 3 years I get a new vehicle. Think about it, just consider it an option....good luck !Love,WendyP.S. You can either apply your car to your lease or get the blue book value and sell it on your own and bank the money in something that gets good interest like ING direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DesertBob Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Good advice, Sandra.I'd add that many dealerships now have an "internet desk" or a salesperson dedicated to internet sales, so if you do in fact have that "deer in the headlights" look, it may be a good strategy to deal with dealerships via email and perhaps phone rather than in person. If you keep your communication brisk and to the point and act like you know what you're doing (easier to do if you're not there in person) then you should get better treatment. You needn't actually walk into the dealership until you've agreed on a price. They may try to get you to come in on their turf, but just pretend to be an incredibly busy business person who can't take the time.In addition, when you zero in on a make and model you're interested in, it can be VERY valuable to perform a Google search on that make and model. You will invariably get not only reviews from car magazines and the like, but you will generally get a lot of candid remarks by owners of that particular make and model that have been made on various online discussion lists just like this one but dedicated to car talk. In this way, when we would shop for cars together online, Linda would invariably come up with several pointed questions about the car we were interested in. For example we were interested in a particular car but we saw some people reporting electrical problem that were very vexing and we were able to get an interview with the head of maintenance at the dealership and he walked us through the factory bulletins and demonstrated that indeed it was a real problem but was solved early in the second production year and was no longer an issue.If you come armed with knowledgeable questions like this, plus a knowledge of fair market value, you are way above the average buyer and they will respect you for that and will be less likely to play games. Most buyers just lust for a car that gives them status and want a low payment. Buyers smart enough to buy according to actual need and who don't care about anything but total financed cost, are seen as sharp buyers who can't be fooled.I will also second Sandra about trade-ins. NEVER let that get mixed up in the initial offer. Always hold out until after you've gotten a quote on the car alone, then they can't play games. As far as they're concerned you don't have a car to trade in, then you add it as an after thought and then they have no fig leaves to put over what they're giving you in trade.Lastly -- in my software work, I dealt for years with car dealers. I've NEVER met a dealer that I would consider honest. Some are just much less dishonest than others.Dealers have a cynical term for how they deal with buyers -- it's called "grinding". Grinding your resistance down, getting you salivating and invested in wanting something, and then moving in for the kill. It's very much to your advantage to bypass the games they play in person -- making you wait for half an hour while they pretend to confer with the manager and fight to get you the best possible price, etc.Be skeptical of everything. The thing you have in your favor is that although many of them are inveterate liars, they are seldom very bright and they are childlike liars. Think of them like naughty little boys and you will have it about right.Oh, one more thing. On my last car I went to my bank's web site and entered the car I was wanting to buy and they came back with a loan offer via email. I think it was at 6.9 percent. I printed it out and took it with me to the dealership. When I went to the dealer they offered financing at 8.5 percent. I showed them my offer from the bank (which I hadn't mentioned up to that point) and they said they'd match it. That's almost 20 percent less interest. Obviously 8.5 percent was the "sucker" rate.--BobI think you would benefit if you go to Edmunds.com. You can look up the values of vehicles you like, then go to the "payment calculator" link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Hi Suzanne,I just needed to get a new vehicle. I had a '92 Explorer that was really starting to have problems. I actually leased a vehicle for the first time for the same reasons as Wendy. Being a woman it is a real pain going to a garage for repairs, you always have to be on guard so they don't rip you off. I leased a Toyota RAV4 and I love it. It was also cheaper for me to lease than to buy. I know what you mean about the expense on repairs on a Lincoln. When Jimmy was alive we always had a Lincoln and the replacement parts are really costly.Hugs & prayers, Corinne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzanne Posted January 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I think I will begin my search via internet. I know I would appear way too nervous in person. Leasing was something I hadn't thought of but I intend to look into that as well. I am so tired of repairs!Suzanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpodesta Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Suzanne,Make sure to check out the laws in your state and county. Some areas can charge property tax on lease vehicles. A long time ago in my county they did charge tax and we didn't find out until we got a tax bill at the begining of the year for about $500. It used to be the whoule state and then they change it where it was up to the cities or counties. Luckly now my county doesn't charge for leasing so I am able to lease now and that is what I did with my last truck in order to keep the payments down. Later on I might buy out the lease and keep the truck but I have another 2 years to decide that. Anyway, check it out to make sure you don't get an unexpected bill in the future.Love alwaysDerek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stallyn Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Suzanne, I would think better to sell it privately since the dealers have to buy it and mark it up, I took a 2K hit on my honda when I sold it, granted, if I waited and sold it myself it would fetch higher, definitely shop around and also, do a vehicle id check online, I cant remember the name but it tells you if the car you like has been salvaged, wrecked, flooded etc. Also, my friends, Wendys mother went in the hospital for dehydration and enteritis, please keep her in prayers, I know what shes going through in chemo and anything will help,love, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyG Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 You really can get more money for your old car by selling it yourself instead of trading it in to a dealer. But you have to know what your old car is worth before putting it up for sale.I've sold three of my past cars instead of trading them in. Each time I got about 15 to 20 percent more than car dealers offered me.There are lots of good ways to determine what your car is worth. Definitely check online, but if you have a reliable mechanic or garage, they can give a good ballpark figure too. Also, check prices of similar cars in the classifieds, especially if those free "cars for sale" booklets are available at newsstands in your area (here, there are at least 10 or so different booklets published every week). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suzanne Posted January 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Well I did it yesterday. Found a 2007 Honda Accord I fell in love with. Had a wonderful salesman. Took my 80 year old mother and she did the talking. Pretty good at dealing. Much better than me. It was painful to say goodbye to yet another piece of our life together but at least I don't have to worry about can I make it to work in what I was driving. The salesman found a dime in the back of my mothers car and on the one I picked out, found two dimes. I really felt like Will was with me and giving me his okay and telling me this is a good deal go ahead and buy it. Thanks so much for everyone's advice. I did my searching on Edmunds and didn't go in blindfolded.Suzanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinne Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Congratulations Suzanne! I am so happy for you and wish you the best of luck with your new car.Hugs & prayers, Corinne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WendyJ Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Congratulations Suzanne, I wish you all the best of luck with your new car ! What you described with the coins has always been a tradition in my family. Each time one of us gets a new vehicle whether it is brand new or just new to us we tell the person good luck and throw coins into the back of the vehicle. Love,Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stallyn Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 Congrats Suzanne, Hondas are a great car to own and drive, you may just miss the visits to the garage One big step ahead and wow I like the dimes! Love,William Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now