I know "We bought a car" isn't an exclamation point-worthy sentence, and may not seem like much of a title for a blog post, but it is a momentous occasion for me.
I've never been able to successfully negotiate a new car purchase before. In the past, car salesmen (they have all been men so far in my experience) have tried the typical tricks, the four-squaring, hidden fees, outright deceptions, etc. that I just can't abide. I've always stormed out of the dealership in disgust and ended up buying a used car, preferably from an elderly relative.
In one case, I stormed off the lot, drove to a different dealership, told the salesman about all the shady tactics the last guy just pulled and that I finally couldn't take it any more and just left. The salesman said "I can't believe they let you walk off the lot," and then proceeded to attempt the same shady tactics.
It's ego, I think. That guy just figured he was so much better than the other salesman that I'd roll over for him where I'd put up a fight before.
All this is ironic because I've taught car-buying workshops in the past. I know too much about how the car sales game is played, and it's made it tough for me to hold my nose and go through with the purchase. Anyone who attended any of my seminars probably wasn't as hard-headed as I am about it, but hopefully my advice saved them some money all the same.
Anyhow, this time around I'm married, my wife had her heart set on a new car, and storming off the lot in a huff wasn't an option.
I ended up going to FightingChance.com. For $40, I got a package that helped me negotiate the best price for the car I wanted while avoiding sales negotiations and other hassles common to auto buying. In the end, the price we got was below invoice, $500 below the next lowest offer, $2,200 under MSRP, and $1,011 under the average price across the 12 dealers I contacted.
My wife is thrilled with her new car, I'm thrilled that we didn't get ripped off on the price, and we barely had to deal with salesmen at all. (The only pressure was to buy an overpriced extended warranty, which we politely but firmly declined.)
If you're buying a new car, I highly recommend Fighting Chance. You'll almost definitely save way more money than their program costs.
If you're buying a used car, Fighting Chance won't help you much. In that case, I highly recommend Remar Sutton's book, Don't Get Taken Every Time. For around $12, you'll learn how to save hundreds or even thousands on your next car purchase. You'll also learn too much for comfort when it comes to the auto sales industry.
So, what did she get?
Posted by: Topher | June 02, 2008 at 02:19 PM
A Honda CR-V. It's very nice; she wanted something with more luxury to it, so we got heated leather seats and everything.
Honda just dominates in every measure: reliability, safety, resale, etc. I don't know how domestic auto companies can compete with them. And with gas prices where they are, I expect Hondas to get even more popular. Just driving to work and back, I think she's getting 28 miles per gallon in the CR-V.
Incidentally, of all the replies we got, the CostCo member price was actually the second best offer.
Posted by: Jeff Michael | June 03, 2008 at 12:22 PM