Any Questions for a Car Dealer?

cadillacmike

Bird turds

Oh yeah, My wife would never clean them off and she had spiderweb etchings all over her hood from it :mad:

witty2

I am asking because I have a friend who has just arrived in California from a foreign country. He is essentiall "illegal." Can he buy a car from a dealer here without Social, no drivers license, without proof of insurance and no passport! In otherwords, give the dealer under $10,000 cash and both parties walk away happy without documents?

witty2

NO checking account. NO soical. NO drivers license. NO insurance.

cadillacmike

Your rates are going up anyway, just not as much as if it was your fault.

cadillacmike

USAA

Only good car ins company out there.

british_rover

Agreed that is who I have all my insurance policies and all loans through.

tamaraster

I've had Amica insurance for a few years now. I've had two claims in the $2-3K range. One was my fault (single-car accident in a parking garage) and one was not (rear-ended at low speed). My insurance rate didn't go up after either one, and I thought they were great in handling the claims. One claim was paid by the other insurance company, of course, but Amica still handled it for me completely.

tamaraster

They also charge me about half of what Progressive's quote is. Go figure.

typhon1991

Our dealership insurance requires that we only let drivers over 18 years old drive our vehicles. If we don't get a license from you and you have a suspended license or no license at all and get into an accident, the dealership is held liable. Just a simple insurance requirement for us.

ncmom

USAA is the best - we have everything banking and insurance related with them, and have never regretted it.

They have also been broadening who they will let in, like grandchildren. I think they are even letting non-officers join.

zodiac2004

Much easier to do this when you buy from a private seller. Shouldn't be a problem in Cali, where you find cars with forsale signs by the plenty.

qbrozen

So that guy with the cheap Bimmer finally emailed me back this morning.

his response:
"combination = highway/city"

I'm not buying it. Why, then, do I only see that "combination" tag on suspiciously cheap cars?

bmw3434

We have bottles of champagne to give to customers, as well as a rose to give to the wife.
Also, we might throw in a tag or a coupon to our parts and accessories counter.

isellhondas

Your friend shouldn't be driving a car without insurance or a driver's license. Pretty common for California as I remember well!

If he insists on breaking the law in this manner, he really needs to buy a car from a private party.

charlotte7

Unfortunately, that's not true. From their Web site:

Who can apply for USAA membership?

* Active duty officer and enlisted personnel
* National Guard and Reserve officer and enlisted personnel
* Officer candidates in commissioning programs
* Former spouses and adult children of USAA members

I'm a grandchild of an officer, and I sure wish they WOULD let me in.

lemmer

I am in as the husband of the adult stepdaughter of a retired officer.

charlotte7

Yes, that would put you in the category of "spouse of adult children of a retired officer." I was pointing out that the previous poster, who said grandchildren and people with no association to officers were being let in now, was unfortunately wrong.

carheat

I am looking at buying a 2005 Toyota 4Runner V8 Sport Edition 4x4. I'm getting charged an advertising fee, dealer holdback, and Whole Reserve Finance. This all adds up to $1700. Does everyone pay ad fee and whole reserve finance? What is the last fee mentioned? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

kyfdx

It sounds like you negotiated "invoice + $xxx"... If so, those are all part of the invoice price... and legitimate...

If you just negotiated $32,500, or something like that, and they are trying to add these things on to your deal, then that would be wrong...

regards,
kyfdx
(not a dealer)

user777

in a private party sale, aren't you obligated to take the tags off the car?

bdr127

Our dealership insurance requires that we only let drivers over 18 years old drive our vehicles.

I don't know if it's federal or just most states' law, but it seems that most places require you to be 18 to buy a car... so it's only rational to require drivers to be 18, as well.

jlawrence01

**I don't know if it's federal or just most states' law, but it seems that most places require you to be 18 to buy a car... ***

It is basic contract law. Contracts entered into with a minor are voidable by the minor. Basically, if you sell a vehicle to a 17 year old, he can void the sales contract at some point. If his parent buys it, you have a sale that is NOT voidable.

typhon1991

Yes you are right you do have to be 18 to enter a legally binding contract in the state of Illinois. I work in a fairly affluent suburb of Chicago and parents buy vehicles for their high school age kids all the time. They want the kids to try to drive them and we won't let them. The parents can but not the kids. Thats why I said what I did.

cusackm

Hi everyone,

I went out looking at motorcycles this weekend to try to save a little money on gas... well yeah, and get a new toy. :P (I spend $200+ every month now)

Anyway,
They checked my credit and approved me for a loan @ 14.45% for either 48 or 60 months. Dont remember which.
I'm 21 and have had a credit card for about 2 years and thats it. I asked and they said my credit score is 721 :confuse:

So my question is, is this rate high or about average?

Thanks in advance for any advice.
Mike

manamal

721 is good. You should do better than that.

graphicguy

It probably has more to do with your age and lack of credit history than your credit score. I'd still shop that rate around at a credit union or eloan.com.

zodiac2004

You will most certainly not save any money if you buy a new motorbike to save a little gas money.

Insurance can get very expensive especially given your age.

The only way to come out ahead money-wise is if you buy a used bike to REPLACE a car, then take liability-only insurance.

geo9

Something to remember.........INSURANCE on a motorcycle !!!!

Check with your agent to see if medical is included for the operator.

In some states (NY is one) the operator is NOT covered for medical care in the
case of a accident. Some companies WILL issue it but it is very $pendy
with $$ limits...............
Most agents will warn you of this and tell you that you are better off if you
have personal healthcare/medical insurance to cover your body.

Funny tho....they will pay for the bike, a passenger, what you damage, etc.
But NOT YOU ! No death benefit either.....................

basscadet

If he has health insurance it is a non-issue.

cadillacmike

Enlisted service members can now join as assiciate members. Mr Brother , a Master Sergent joined a few years ago. I've been with them almost 25 years.

rroyce10

.... **I'm 21 and have had a credit card for about 2 years and thats it. I asked and they said my credit score is 721** ....

Credit scores don't guarantee anything, especially being 21 and having 1 credit card .... there's oodles of 21/30 year olds running around from dealer to dealer with a 700+ FICO score with a Burdines and a Home Depot credit card with a $2,500 limit, short employee time and little or no credit history and wanting to drive home in a G35 or an Acura TSX .....

The vast amount of decision making is based on time on the job, income, current debt - and how much $$ somebody is putting down ...



Terry.

cusackm

Thanks for the input, but....

1)
a) I have health insurance
b) I plan on getting only liability, pretty cheap on a bike

2) You will most certainly not save any money if you buy a new motorbike to save a little gas money.
wasn't going to buy new, the one I was looking at a used one that was about 6K but decided to look more into the 35-45 range.
and, hasn't anyone ever heard of a medical or mental condition (depending on how you look at it) called CCBA

3) To Terry
I've been at the same job for over two years.
have a 2900 limit
That particular loan was assuming 0 down but I could put about 1000 down on it
(maybe a little less comfortably after I pay my college tuition this week)

jcbama85

The company I work for ordered me a Chevrolet Equinox on June 22nd. It was estimated to have been built the week of August 8th.

I called the dealer where it is being shipped and the fleet rep said he couldn't track it because we didn't order it through his dealer, even though I have the VIN number.(My company is a Fortune 500 company that uses a fleet management company to order and lease our fleet of several hundred cars and trucks).

My question: is there a way to check the status of a GM special order vehicle, maybe via a website, using the VIN number?

Thanks in advance.

jlawrence01

Why don't you call your company's fleet manager? That person will be able to tell you the status of the order and where it is at. Most of the large fleet management companies (ARI, GE Leasing, Wheels) can pretty much give you a date that the car will arrive at the dealership.

A lot of times, the dealership does not know that the car will be delivered until the car arrives off of the carrier or until the leasing company provides them with the paperwork.

ncmom

I am not trying to start a word war, but I know for a fact that grandchildren can join USAA: several in our family have done so after graduating college, when they are no longer covered under their parent's policy. The USAA website is not always the most up to date. Please, do yourself a favor and call them and get the current information.

jcbama85

I did. Apparently I just got unlucky and got a rep who had no idea of what she was talking about. She said, "oh, it'll probably be in a month or so." When I told her that it was to be produced the week of 8 August, she said "oh, the factory has to do some many different individual tests on each car that it often takes over a month from the time it is made until it can be shipped."

This showed up as someone who had no idea of what they were talking about and simply wanted to get me off the phone. Our fleet company is a major one, but not one of the ones you menctioned. I was simply trying to get accurate data.

Thanks for the reply.

graphicguy

In all honesty, if it's going to be a "tight budget squeeze" to put even $1,000 down, you might want to hold off on buying that motorcycle.

If you really want one that badly, save up the entier $6K and pay cash. You'd be doing yourself a favor (considering, it sounds like you're still in school). Believe me, tuition is much more important than the motorcycle.

typhon1991

Having a credit card is a good way to start establishing credit but it is revolving credit. Borrowing money for a motorcycle, car, house etc is installment credit. On your bureau, it states the payment history(on time or late) but not how much you mailed to the credit card company. All the bureau states is your minimum monthly payment $20, $25 etc. The lender dosen't know If you mailed $300 a month and then $20 the next. Installment credit states that you pay $300 a month every month. It shows a better ability to manage your finances. Everyone has to bite the bullet on their first loan, why not do it on a 6k balance. the difference between 8% and 14.5% is around $10 a month. A lot better than on a 40k note. Your credit score dosen't really start to hold any weight until you are in the system for at least 5 years. Be careful though, don't bite off more than you can chew, it is very dificult to recover from a default on your first loan.

graphicguy

I guess I just see it differently.

Scrounging up money for a motorcycle or making that tuition payment.....maybe it's just me, but tuition wins by a country mile. Anything that would jeopardize that, and it's a no brainer where my money's going.

dbell1

I looked at the Chrysler Town & Country short wheelbase last night. The Internet Sales Manager swore up and down that they had ABS standard, went on and on about how they have the latest safety features. I looked at the wheels, didn't see the telltale ABS signs - he said "it's only on the back". :confuse: Looked at the sticker, didn't say ABS. He said, "oh, it's standard and not listed". Today, I look up the sticker on line. No ABS. Call a salesman at the dealership today "nope, you only get ABS on the Touring version. Obviously, I won't be buying from them.

I've asked for side curtain airbags on the vehicles I've looked at. Been told, "oh the DVD player is a better option" (Ford Dealer) and "you'll need to go into the higher model for that" (Toyota).

Why is it so hard to have safety features standard on your base vehicles? Is the life of a $20K customer worth less than a $30K one? Subaru does it.

typhon1991

Be careful though, don't bite off more than you can chew, it is very dificult to recover from a default on your first loan.

I thought that I implied that. He asked a question about why he got the rate that he did and I tried to answer him. I agree college is more important than a motorcycle payment. All I was saying was don't sweat that rate on such a low balance thats all.

typhon1991

Thought I would mention. 2006 Chevy Uplander has standard 4 wheel ABS with side curtain airbags as a $350 option. Total MSRP $24,925. Not to mention SUV styling and a standard 200hp V6 rated at 24mpg on the highway. :shades:

rroyce10

... **Why is it so hard to have safety features standard on your base vehicles? Is the life of a $20K customer worth less than a $30K one? Subaru does it** ...

Personally, I agree with you ..... but it really doesn't have anything to do with Chrysler, Ford or Yota .... it's what the "vast" majority of buyers want and what they will spend their money on ... folks find a better value in DVD's, sunroofs, wheels and Sirius radio's than they do on safety products .......

Terry.

jb_turner

"Why is it so hard to have safety features standard on your base vehicles? Is the life of a $20K customer worth less than a $30K one? Subaru does it."

Certainly not... so get the 30k one instead of the 20k one.

user777

doesn't an accord DX come with ABS, SRS, front, head and side curtains?

it isn't hard to have all the safety features - you just have to research the products.

manamal

I ran into the same issue when I bought my (hated) 2002 Camry. I wanted base LE with Auto, Side Airbags and ABS. To get the site airbags and ABS, the price went from 18400 to 23500 -- because of the other options that were packaged together.

In my Subaru Forester, safety is standard (as it should be in all cars).

Heck, in June of 2002, side airbags greatly improved the quality of my life when I was t-boned by a caddy running a red light at 60 MPH.

lumbar

How difficult should this procedure be, or does it depend on a lot on the relationship between the two dealerships? To be more specific, I've been told by Dealer A (seller) that they do not know the mileage of the car that I'm interested in (they've provided the build date) or whether it has since been sold by Dealer B, although computer records indicate it still is in stock. They would like a "good faith" deposit to even make an inquiry on the vehicle from Dealer B. I realize the latter is probably to establish my bona fides and bring me to the table, but should it really be necessary for two relatively easy to obtain pieces of info? Do they not have access to this info anyway?

Thanks much in advance.

austin_danger

I have seen adds from "tote the note" lots in south florida advertising the fact that you can buy a used car with no social, dl, etc. i dont know what the big deal is. anymore, I dont think you can get deported unless you rob a bank or something, so why not be able to buy a car?

cusackm

I still want another bike but I'm going to wait and pay cash for it.

They made me ASSUME that I could afford it by offering low monthly payments. But, after running the numbers through an excel spreadsheet, I realized that to pay it off in a timely manner (3 years MAX) that the payments would really be closer to $250 a months.

Just wanted to update and say thanks.
Mike

typhon1991

I work for a Chevy dealer outside Chicago and we do dealer trades all of the time. At our store the salespeople start the trade by contacting the dealer that has the desired vehicle and management finishes by deciding what to give back. You are at the mercy of the other store. They don't have to give you the vehicle if they don't want to. We always ask for a deposit to make sure that they are a serious buyer. It is time consuming and costly to do a trade. Your sales person should offer you the courtesy of making a phone call to the dealer to see if the particular car is availible and what the mileage.is. Tell them you will gladly leave a deposit once they get this information for you. Good Luck