https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:22:33 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2132076 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 12:04:00 +0000 BananaPancakes 2132076@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The best deal I ever got on a car was because we went in an hour before closing on a Saturday night knowing which car I wanted. The whole dealership had to stay until they made the deal and they could not get me out of there fast enough. We actually didn't mean it to happen that way, but man, they just really really wanted me to go away by closing time. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2132062 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 11:51:13 +0000 AmeliaBedilia 2132062@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Don't be afraid to walk away- there are lots of cars and lots of dealers.<br /> If you're a costco member, going through them will often get you the best no-haggle price. You can also check out truecar.<br /> Buying a 2014 new car is sometimes only slightly more than a used car.<br /> Use consumer reports- you can often get the reports free through the library.<br /> Other discounts to consider- if anyone in your family works in relation to cars, or Subaru has several organizations that members get discounts. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2132018 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 11:07:17 +0000 snowjewelz 2132018@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I first checked KBB and other sites to get an idea of how much I should be paying... Then emailed a couple dealerships to get quotes... Went with a dealership that I felt comfortable with, may not have the lowest rate but they will match other people's quotes. Pretty straight forward! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2132016 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 11:06:29 +0000 avivoca 2132016@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We paid cash for our car at the beginning of the month. Be firm when you go in and be prepared to walk if they won't give you the price you want. We didn't want to pay more than $15k for our car and we had the funds to pay cash. We ended up paying about $100 more than we wanted, but that included tax, title, and license fees and we told them we would walk if they wouldn't work with us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2131983 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 10:48:35 +0000 catlady 2131983@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We bought new, so not sure if this is relevant, but we knew what make/model we wanted so we got quotes from dealers all over the state before figuring out where we wanted to buy ours. The cars were all the same (just different colors) but the range in prices we got was crazy. We ended up driving a couple hours away to a dealership that we never would have considered because they gave us by far and away the best deal. I think we lucked out with a situation like the one they talked about an TAL because we actually got an upgraded version of the car we wanted for a price that was less than the price of the standard one everywhere else. They told us someone cancelled their deal and they just wanted the car off the lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2131971 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 10:36:01 +0000 BSB 2131971@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When I bought my car it was the end of the year in November, so they were trying to sell me on a new car (not in stock yet). Though I could see some dealer trying to sell the current stock, but maybe that happens in January when they advertise that they need to make room for the new stock. I have noticed that the ultra low rates are usually seen in early in the year. I got a low rate in November but it was not 0%. Though, I was buying a CRV which is Honda's most popular car so they probably didn't need to offer 0% on the car. Maybe the 0% sales are for their other cars.</p> <p>ETA: I know you aren't trading in, but when I traded in my last car, I cleaned (vacuumed and washed it) so they would see it and appraise it without having to see the dirt and trash. DH's car was pretty messy when he traded his car in, but his car was a bit more rare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2131951 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 10:26:16 +0000 Modern Daisy 2131951@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Chillybear: no trade in! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2131938 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 10:13:23 +0000 Chillybear 2131938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Are you trading in? I noticed they negotiated towards giving me more money for my trade in vs. lowering the price of the car </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2131935 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 10:10:35 +0000 Modern Daisy 2131935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Okay, well we will just pay cash if they dont offer us a good rate. That's great advice about waiting until the end of the month! As much as we want a car now, we aren't in a hurry so if he doesnt offer a good deal we could wait and come back. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2131928 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 10:02:18 +0000 Eko 2131928@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with @lawbee11 and buying at the end of the month gives you better negotiating power than at the beginning. Dealerships make the most amount of money from the financing and extra stuff (warranty, etc.) than off the actual cost of the car. While you can negotiate some price off the car, you won't usually see a large difference. My advice is to get a loan pre-approval from another bank before discussing financing, which will more than likely be a couple percentages lower than what the dealership will offer you. That way, you know whether they are giving you a good deal or not or the dealership will have to try to match your rate. </p> <p>When I purchased my vehicle, I got a pre-approval from Bank of America with a 3.25% interest rate. Through the financing, they were trying to quote us an interest rate of around 6-7%. After we showed them our pre-approval they ended up matching our Bank of America rate and we financed through the dealership at that rate. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2131909 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 09:48:22 +0000 lawbee11 2131909@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Buy at the end of the month. Have you ever heard of the podcast "This American Life"? There's an episode called "Cars" and it's SO interesting!</p> <p>ETA: <a href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/513/129-cars" rel="nofollow">http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/513/129-cars</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/car-buying-tips-1#post-2131902 Fri, 03 Apr 2015 09:41:21 +0000 Modern Daisy 2131902@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What are your best car buying tips? I am test driving a used car today and i've never bought a car before.</p> <p>As far as negotiating on price, do dealers typically sell at, above or below KBB value? If I agree to finance can I expect a low rate or $ off the purchase price? </p> <p>What should I ask about? Any other pointers? </p>