Two words: CONSUMER REPORTS!

Hi Ladies, hope you don't mind me posting http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/biggrin.gif

Nikki,
I bought my first car a couple of years ago. I concentrated so much on getting my payments where I wanted them, that I neglected a couple of things. Of course, which I discovered later.

1) Don't accept their first payment offer. I had my dad with me, but I did all of the talking. I was going to walk out three times, but the guy kept crunching numbers to get the payments where I wanted them. Be firm, let them know that you are about business and you know what you're talking about (even if you don't http://www.greekchat.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif ) Dealers tend to take advantage or belittle women.

2) Shop around for financing. Get the dealer's rate, then go to your bank or credit union. Sometimes they'll tell you the dealer's is too high for that car.

3)Watch for demo cars. I got one and they cut me a deal because it had a "few" miles on it, but that doesn't extend the warranty. So be careful on that.

4)Good luck!

Another bit of advice. Don't tell the dealer how much you want your payments to be. They can give you the payment that you want for 72 months (outrageous time period for a car note). Instead, tell them how much you are willing to pay for the vehicle, and then discuss the finance rate. That is a common mistake, telling the dealer what you're willing to pay per month.

Thanks so much for the responses thusfar. I am confident that there are things to know that just aren't written within the confines of a bounded book.

I look forward to other responses indicating the do's and dont's of first-time car buying.

First Time Car Buyer
 

I'm 25 (that's what the Nikki25 is for), and I'm going to purchase my first car in the next month or so. I've been doing some searches on the net for cars and general car buying research. However, there's just some things that books/web articles can't tell you.

I'd love to hear from you all about any advice you'd give to a first-timer at the car buying game (cuz I know it is a game). Both anecdotal and factual information would be helpful.

[This message has been edited by nikki25 (edited April 04, 2001).]

When you have agreed apon a price, etc. with the dealer and are ready to sign the paperwork look over it very carefully. Dealers are notorious for doing "add ons" at outragous prices. $400 underbody protection, $500 fabric protection, etc. Read every line and question any fee that you do not understand. IF you feel it is unwarrented, ask them to take it off. If they won't be prepared to walk (and mean it). With my first car the dealer added some pin striping for around $200-300 that I did not ask for. When I questioned it, and asked them to take it off, they told me they could not remove the pin stripes. I basically said too bad, so sad, 'cause I didn't ask for it. The stripes stayed, but the fee was removed.

You should definately take Discogoddesses advice and get the car buyers guide from Consumer Reports.