you could include a disclaimer.... something like:
OTD number to include any and all taxes, fees, surcharges, and mandatory add-ons. If the deal is accepted by the buyer, any price discrepancy greater than $1 from quoted price will result in immediate refusal of the deal with no chace of renegotiaition. OTD number quoted should be the amount for which the buyer may present a check and take delivery of the vehicle, owing nothing further at any time.
What a great idea, TK. My first reaction was to cringe, LOL, thinking the salesguy might be offended. Next time I'm shopping, I'll use it with some softened language. I think it would help get me onto the same page with a straight shooter.
Just have a nice, conversational email, and then, almost as an afterthought, "oh, and I know sometimes different dealers look at OTD different ways, so I've included my definition of an Out the Door Number so I can be fair and not penalize the more forthright dealers" or something to that effect. I'm sure some ppl will post to say you shouldn't care about offending the saleman, but there are 2 reasons why you should.
1.) It's the decent thing to do. You want to be treated as a person, so give the same respect.
2.) As I've said before, you catch more flies with honey.... A busy net manager may slip a customer that seems argumentative from the start right to the bottom of the list, whereas someone they have a rapport with they may go that extra mile for.
*pssst* Hey River, you mentioned you sell 'puters.... got any good deals on RDRAM? That stuff's higher than a Sienna!
If I make an OTD offer and it's accepted, and something else shows up on the final bill to make the final number higher . . . I would be the one who was offended.
While I agree with tk's list of conditions of what OTD means, I would hope that a sales professional would understand what the customer is meaning by "OTD" without a detailed explanation. If he/she tried to add something afterwards, I would very bluntly say to them: Just what part of the term "OTD" don't you understand???
It would be unwise to assume anything. I had a customer email me with an "OTD" price from another store and asked if I could match it. I couldn't come close so I asked the customer to email a breakdown of the pricing. It turned out that this customer's idea of "OTD" did not include taxes whereas mine did.
It's like the term "loaded." I've had customer's who consider their car "loaded" because it has power stering and brakes!
In your case, I think that customer was mis-using the term whereas you had it right.
To me it's simple, how much do I have to pay before you'll let me go "out the door" with that car? (and if the dealer forgets to add the taxes, then he can pay them! LOL)
That's the problem with making assumptions. To you it's simple. To me it's simple. But to my customer it wasn't so simple. Although he may have been simple. :^)
rivertown--thanks, yeah I saw that thread. Those guys are paying too much. I used it to get an idea, although none of them seemed to be in my area of the country. My deal is better.
tk--thanks, nice disclaimer, however me and the sales guy were talking face to face. I had never emailed dealer one because he is the one I went to to test drive the car and look at it closer, so we always had face to face meetings. he is real near my office so i just went by after work.
You might want to check a website called techbargains.com for computer pricing. I use it alot.
Dealer one could not match dealer two, so back to dealer two Monday to order the car. I have a signed buyers order with the deal on it. Any other games you think the dealer can play between ordering the car and the delivery? I let you know how it goes in a few months.
Assumptions are indeed problematic. I am always assuming that the price I am willing to pay for a car is reasonable and I'm always having dealers telling me I'm wrong. LOL.
"OTD not including TTL" worked well for me. Living at the intersection of 3 states, it made comparison of quotes fair. There was no 'misunderstanding' about TTL, LOL. There was the 'doc fee' thing, and there's no way to convince me that was anything other than another shot at bumping the deal. The attempt to shift the onus for clarity to the customer strikes me as just another salesguy game, doing nothing to promote trust and only adding to the confusion. The 'pro' is confused about the price? Yeah, right! Even so, TK's suggested expansion strikes me as a good idea. It's an ultra clear signal that the customer expects a straight price; and the response tells you a lot about whether the salesguy is a gamer or a straight shooter, giving you the choice between gaming for a better deal or closing a deal.
Landru, if you're really confused - TTL is tax, title, and license (plates). Out of state buyers don't pay that until they register the car in the city/county/state where they live. When you're net shopping, some out-of-state dealers will even offer to take care of that stuff for you; but since there may be county and/or city taxes that are tricky to research, it's better to just get a drive-out tag.
If I was dealing with dealers in different states/provinces with different taxes and fees and stuff, I would think you would *especially* want to use an OTD price (all inclusive definition). You could get what you think is a really good "OTD less stuff" deal out-of-state only to find out later that the "stuff" there gives you an OTD higher than at a local dealer. Dealing with OTD will always simplify things for you the consumer. And when you're dealing with a car purchase, you're the party far more likely to get confused if negotiations get more complicated (see audiaq8's post #411).
The customer shoud ask for what they want - "OTD", "OTD not including TTL", "OTD (with a para definition)", whatever. A straight shooting pro will respond with a straight answer, a straight question, or a straight answer along with a straight question. A gamer's gonna game, whatever you ask for. A 'smart shopper' can simply read the responses carefully, get a read on 'gamer' vs. 'straight shooter', and decide for him/herself whether to play or pass. The cool thing about net shopping is the customer can sample the sales style at a bunch of dealers from the comfort of her/his home and decide where he/she wants to try to do business.
eddie777 - I don't get the prob. In-state and out-of-state quotes on "OTD not including TTL" are directly comparable, since to register the car in my state I have to pay my state's TTL and I don't have to pay TTL in the state where I buy (if I don't register there). Whether I pay through the dealer where I buy or at the DMV when I go to register the car, the TTL is the same.
When I was just graduating from college, (engineering in case you notice any words mispelled) I was looking to replace my 75 Buick Century that got me through three years of school and a trip to Florida for spring break.
I visited a Mazda dealer and looked at a black 323 with a stick. I liked the car, it was a pretty decent price, so I struck a deal and asked if the price included TT&L. I was assured I wouldn't have to pay anymore to take the vehicle.
The problem was, the dealership was in Missouri and I lived in IL, so technically, he was correct. I could drive the vehicle home at that price, but still had to pay TTL in IL.
So I went back and said I don't see in the deal where my TTL is paid. We worked the numbers a bit more and came to a number I could live with.
Being all of 21, I was really only worried about getting financed, and had to have Mom co-sign for my very first car loan. So we told them we would be there Wednesday evening after 5PM to sign and trade cars. I had the title to the Buick and picked up Mom from work, so she could come sign some papers with me.
We get to the dealership sometime around 5:30-6:00PM (ok, it was like 17 years ago, so I might not have all the times just right.) Not a sole in sight.
Never did buy that car. We went back to her office and she called a client (she was in advertising) at a local Chevy dealer. I bought a 1987 (yes one of the very few 1987's) Chevy Beretta that was factory demo car. I bought it that night for about the same $$$ as the Mazda.
Since the dealer was in IL, there were no games. When the Mazda dealer called me the next day, I told him I was there as promised to buy the car, with Mom, but he wasn't, so I bought another car.
Probably a good thing too, as I believe the folks at the Mazda dealer were pretty slimy.
So games can be played with the TTL, especially for those who live in metro areas that encompass several states.
So I'd encourage those who do live in those areas to either ask just for OTD without state fees, or ask them to break it down into the two or three checks.
In Illinois, it would be three checks.
1. Check for the car. 2. Check for the Tax to Dept of Revenue 3. Check for the Tag and License to the Sect. of State
However, from a dealer, it might be two checks, since they charge sales tax.
Finally, in IL, it might be better to buy used cars from private parties. A nine year old car purchased from a private party is a flat $50 in taxes. That same car purchased from a car dealer is taxed at 6-7%. Once that 9 year old car is over about 700-800 in price, you pay more tax to buy from a dealer than a private individual, as long as the car is under $15K in value. Of course, over 15K in value and there is a different tax table.
Finally, on the Chevy dealer. Do I regret being a payment buyer and probably "overpaying" by Edmunds standards? Nope. That was probably one of the best dealers I'd ever been to. I always got a service loaner (remember I was 21) and they took care of all the little niggly things that I had with a first model year car.
If I were in the market for a Chevy and they were closer to where I lived...
Oops, my bad. OK, I goofed up my previous post. I still think it would be best to compare an all-inclusive OTD but I realize when getting quotes out-of-state/province you have to at least exclude the tax (at least where I am) since it will be charged by your home province when you register the car.
As I'm several hours away from other provinces I've never gotten quotes from there, so I guess I never really gave it much thought how the taxes and registration would work different on the deal.
The selling dealer doesn't need to collect it on a sale of a car to be registered in another state, unless the dealer does business in that other state.
Some may try to charge it, but they either don't know what they're doing or they're running a scam. In either case, pass on the deal; you'll pay sales tax again when you register the car in your jurisdiction.
If you're financing an out-of-state buy, be sure to reserve some of your down payment money to pay the sales tax. It'll be a hunk.
In Illinois, if the selling state charged sales tax, then we can take credit for it when we register the car.
So if I did have a Missouri dealer charge salestax, I just put that on the Illinois paperwork for the DOR and if I owe more than what Missouri took, I'd pay more. Otherwise, I'm SOL taxwise.
I've been by a dealership twice looking over their inventory. The dealer did not have a V8 in the model so I have been waiting until they get one in for my final decision. They said they could get via trade whatever I wanted. No negotiations yet nor any pricing at all thrown around. Thought I'd try to get a feel for approximate market level and went in via CarsDirect and they showed $250 over invoice as target. So I hit the "request a quote" button and low and behold I've now got feedback from "that" dealer's internet guy. No pricing yet from him. Before I get too far, I don't want to ignore the first salesman who has been okay to work with, how do I handle this? I most likely will be going thru this dealer to get me one. Other closet is 40 miles.
As most of you know I'm the internet manager at my dealership now. Saturday I had a customer call me from Northern Va as she was on our website and saw the specials on Camrys. I made an appointment with her for Monday am. She came in with her father and looked at a couple of Camrys. The way I'm running my show is I set up the appoinment with the customer after we agree on a price and when the customer comes in I turn them over to a sales guy or gal on the floor. All they have to do is complete the paperwork. Well, the sales guy that happened to greet her when she came in decided he would take his day off (today) and I said "She's going to be here Tuesday morning to finish the paperwork with her husband. It shouldn't take more than an hour to finish up" I said. Just give the whole deal to someone else, I really need to take my day off. I have lots of things to do." he responded. I was speechless! Here's a guy that's been here a whole 2 months at the most and he turns down a deal?? So anyway, the lady comes back this morning with her husband so I grab the deal folder and she decides she wants a different color but same options as before. "No problem, I have that car." I call one of our other sales guy and tell him to get the key for the car and send it back to prep and finish the paperwork. An hour later the lady is done with everything and comes by my office to thank me. : ) Mackabee
I don't think you oughta feel like you've done anything wrong, if you keep on keeping from pitting the netguy against the floorguy.
I'd tell the netguy, when you are ready to start price negotiations, that you've lot looked (and test driven there if you've taken a drive) with John Doe and ask who he wants you to deal with. Or, if you'd rather deal with the floorguy, tell him you've net looked, etc.
Looking at a Mountaineer (premier version). Also very interested in a 4Runner LTD (want the leather). With $3K cash from Mercury looks like Mountaineer approx $5K less. Can't justify the additional $$ unless I look at value 5 years from now. Can anyone convince me one way or another?
Go with the toyota...the mountaineer will depreciate like a rock. What if it gets totaled in a year? Even that 3K rebate will not help you. In my area, SE, the toyota dealers add leather all the time. Can you get a lesser model and add leather or does the LTD have other features you must have?
A real big main issue is the comfort of the seats (back problems)! Mountaineer has been the most comfy of all we tried with 4Runner leather a distant second (already have had a Mountaineer for past 5 years). The leather in the 4Runner LTD has some auto controls which wifey and I both agree help a lot but cannot seem to get enough thigh support. Just "leatherizing" a cloth in the SR5 won't get us the auto adjustments. But....you are right-on with "residual" really falling on the Mountaineer vs 4Runner. I'm trying to rationalize on initial outlay of $5K more. We usually keep about 6-8 years so quick resale is not an issue.....however an accident "total" in early years is. Any more pro or cons?
Sounds like a tough decision. I too have a mercury sable that is a 96. it has been a great car, so I am not knocking mercury. But reality is resell on domestics is less than foreign makes. With keeping it like you said, hopefully an early total will not be an issue, but I have friends that this has happened to and they are way upside down now two cars later.
Price not being an issue, which do you like more? Whichever one you can honestly pick, I would go with. Its you and your wife that have to drive it for the next 6-8 years.
I just finished test driving a car. I noticed the manufacturing sticker on the inside of the driver door jamb. The manufacture date was 09/02. So it looks like the car I'm interested in (it's my color too!) has been sitting on the lot for 6 months or so. I'm guessing they'd be dying to get it off their hands since they long ago used up their 90-day holdback period. I wonder how much a discount an "old" car like that warrants?
Of course, one disadvantage to it is that the car's been sitting out all winter with little activity - that can't be good for certain components like the battery. All the more reason to get a discount I guess.
I was not just talking about being upside down, I was talking about total value.
I do not know the exact numbers but here's an example:
2003 4 runner--$30,000 2003 Mountaineer--$25,000
If buying either one put down $15,000.
So on 4 runner loan is for $15,000, Mountaineer is $10,000.
Totaled after one year 4 runner is worth $25,000, mountaineer is worth $15000. So both loans would be covered, but 4runner leaves more of your initial investment to use as down payment on another new vehicle.
Mass, you're right, the total bucks work out just that way. Vmom, though, seemed willing to eat the depreciation and planned to keep the Mountaineer 6-8 years because the Mountaineer was more comfortable for them. Thus, quick resale wasn't an issue for them while the risk of an early 'total' was. So, I thought gap ins was the answer. Dunno if I read Vmom right, but I've done the same thing - bought a car for which bucks were a lesser factor in the value matrix than something else but not wanting to blow off bucks althogether. I've also had a 6-week old car totalled.
FWIW, I think the net is the best way to locate the car and deal that suits one best however one prioritizes the factors in the value matrix. LOL, I knew a guy once who weighted color high enough that he'd pay $1k extra for the color he wanted. The trouble was that the local dealer wanted more than that.
At my dealership, if I get a net customer who shows in the computer as having been in touch with a salesman in the last 3 weeks, I just print the lead and give it to the salesman. They aren't even considered an "internet" deal.
same here. OTOH if a customer sends a quote request and they were here 2 or 3 months ago and the salesperson never followed up on them then it's a 'net sale. : )<000> Mackabee
Update: Went to local dealer, sat with salesman and we got the "locater" sales guy. Told them what I wanted. They located a couple with exact requirements at two other dealers. Sales guys asked me that they would appreciate a little profit. They threw out a number above invoice. I responded with a number at 60% of theirs. They agreed. Shook on it. Will be sending their driver with trade either tomorrow or Sat. to get it and for my pick-up on Monday. Couldn't have been easier. Wham, Bam, thank you Mam.
Look it over hard and test drive when you go to pick it up. There should be no prob, but you and the dealer will be happier if you pick up any prob before the sale is finalized.
Makes sense to me. Truth to tell, I know boo (plus a little) about the trades. That 15K came from Mass(?), and I think you're right about the number while he's right that the other vehicle retains money value better.
Doesn't really matter in V-mom's situation. Comfort value out weighs money value to them; and, given that, gap insurance is the way to hedge an early total, which was his remaining concern.
..... I agree 110% .. GAP insurance is the cheapest form of being the "master" of your own destiny .. I can't tell you how many customers, friends, neighbors, relatives, golf buddies, etc, etc that owe $35,000 on $25,000 vehicles -- all you can do is STRONGLY recommend it.
I tell them all the same thing - "don't come whining back here if it gets whacked and you are flipped in the vehicle" and "you have to dig deep into the *Hip National Bank* later - it can get ugly" .. l.o.l..
I prefaced my comment by saying I did not know the exact one year old values. I was just trying to give an example.
Gap insurance is all well and good, but what about the scenario I described where you put down like 40%-50% and finance the rest? How do you protect yourself then? Gap is not the answer since you owe less than what the car is worth.
..... Just like Vwguild mentioned, then it's a pass .. but most folks put little or no money down, plus they drag in $2,0/$4,0+ of negative equity, then add in the taxes and in no time, wango tango you are financing $28,500 on a vehicle that is worth $22,0 -- cash is good, cash is king.
Now on the flip side of that coin, putting big money down on a lease is a loser, it only buys the payment down. leasing should be done with little or no money down, the money instantly evaporates on a lease.
thanks for the comments..you and vwguild make perfect sense
I was just trying to say that if you were putting down like 50% you might want to look at the relative depreciation (other things being equal of course), so you did not have a big loss of down payment if car is totalled or stolen
Comments
OTD number to include any and all taxes, fees, surcharges, and mandatory add-ons. If the deal is accepted by the buyer, any price discrepancy greater than $1 from quoted price will result in immediate refusal of the deal with no chace of renegotiaition. OTD number quoted should be the amount for which the buyer may present a check and take delivery of the vehicle, owing nothing further at any time.
Next time I'm shopping, I'll use it with some softened language. I think it would help get me onto the same page with a straight shooter.
1.) It's the decent thing to do. You want to be treated as a person, so give the same respect.
2.) As I've said before, you catch more flies with honey.... A busy net manager may slip a customer that seems argumentative from the start right to the bottom of the list, whereas someone they have a rapport with they may go that extra mile for.
*pssst* Hey River, you mentioned you sell 'puters.... got any good deals on RDRAM? That stuff's higher than a Sienna!
I agree about not offending salesman. It is the decent to do to refrain from giving gratuitous offense.
(P.S. 'Puter stuff, camera stuff, electronic stuff, stuff like that, I'd shop eBay.)
While I agree with tk's list of conditions of what OTD means, I would hope that a sales professional would understand what the customer is meaning by "OTD" without a detailed explanation. If he/she tried to add something afterwards, I would very bluntly say to them: Just what part of the term "OTD" don't you understand???
It's like the term "loaded." I've had customer's who consider their car "loaded" because it has power stering and brakes!
To me it's simple, how much do I have to pay before you'll let me go "out the door" with that car? (and if the dealer forgets to add the taxes, then he can pay them! LOL)
tk--thanks, nice disclaimer, however me and the sales guy were talking face to face. I had never emailed dealer one because he is the one I went to to test drive the car and look at it closer, so we always had face to face meetings. he is real near my office so i just went by after work.
You might want to check a website called techbargains.com for computer pricing. I use it alot.
Dealer one could not match dealer two, so back to dealer two Monday to order the car. I have a signed buyers order with the deal on it. Any other games you think the dealer can play between ordering the car and the delivery? I let you know how it goes in a few months.
Tax
Title
License
TB (now you are going to ask me what that is, LOL)
There was the 'doc fee' thing, and there's no way to convince me that was anything other than another shot at bumping the deal.
The attempt to shift the onus for clarity to the customer strikes me as just another salesguy game, doing nothing to promote trust and only adding to the confusion. The 'pro' is confused about the price? Yeah, right!
Even so, TK's suggested expansion strikes me as a good idea. It's an ultra clear signal that the customer expects a straight price; and the response tells you a lot about whether the salesguy is a gamer or a straight shooter, giving you the choice between gaming for a better deal or closing a deal.
Landru, if you're really confused -
TTL is tax, title, and license (plates). Out of state buyers don't pay that until they register the car in the city/county/state where they live. When you're net shopping, some out-of-state dealers will even offer to take care of that stuff for you; but since there may be county and/or city taxes that are tricky to research, it's better to just get a drive-out tag.
So in the last few posts we have seen some consumers want an OTD price to include everything. While some want an OTD price not including TTL.
It is clear that asking for for an "OTD" price is not enough. Consumers should make it very clear what they mean by OTD.
A straight shooting pro will respond with a straight answer, a straight question, or a straight answer along with a straight question.
A gamer's gonna game, whatever you ask for.
A 'smart shopper' can simply read the responses carefully, get a read on 'gamer' vs. 'straight shooter', and decide for him/herself whether to play or pass.
The cool thing about net shopping is the customer can sample the sales style at a bunch of dealers from the comfort of her/his home and decide where he/she wants to try to do business.
eddie777 - I don't get the prob. In-state and out-of-state quotes on "OTD not including TTL" are directly comparable, since to register the car in my state I have to pay my state's TTL and I don't have to pay TTL in the state where I buy (if I don't register there). Whether I pay through the dealer where I buy or at the DMV when I go to register the car, the TTL is the same.
I visited a Mazda dealer and looked at a black 323 with a stick. I liked the car, it was a pretty decent price, so I struck a deal and asked if the price included TT&L. I was assured I wouldn't have to pay anymore to take the vehicle.
The problem was, the dealership was in Missouri and I lived in IL, so technically, he was correct. I could drive the vehicle home at that price, but still had to pay TTL in IL.
So I went back and said I don't see in the deal where my TTL is paid. We worked the numbers a bit more and came to a number I could live with.
Being all of 21, I was really only worried about getting financed, and had to have Mom co-sign for my very first car loan. So we told them we would be there Wednesday evening after 5PM to sign and trade cars. I had the title to the Buick and picked up Mom from work, so she could come sign some papers with me.
We get to the dealership sometime around 5:30-6:00PM (ok, it was like 17 years ago, so I might not have all the times just right.) Not a sole in sight.
Never did buy that car. We went back to her office and she called a client (she was in advertising) at a local Chevy dealer. I bought a 1987 (yes one of the very few 1987's) Chevy Beretta that was factory demo car. I bought it that night for about the same $$$ as the Mazda.
Since the dealer was in IL, there were no games. When the Mazda dealer called me the next day, I told him I was there as promised to buy the car, with Mom, but he wasn't, so I bought another car.
Probably a good thing too, as I believe the folks at the Mazda dealer were pretty slimy.
So games can be played with the TTL, especially for those who live in metro areas that encompass several states.
So I'd encourage those who do live in those areas to either ask just for OTD without state fees, or ask them to break it down into the two or three checks.
In Illinois, it would be three checks.
1. Check for the car.
2. Check for the Tax to Dept of Revenue
3. Check for the Tag and License to the Sect. of State
However, from a dealer, it might be two checks, since they charge sales tax.
Finally, in IL, it might be better to buy used cars from private parties. A nine year old car purchased from a private party is a flat $50 in taxes. That same car purchased from a car dealer is taxed at 6-7%. Once that 9 year old car is over about 700-800 in price, you pay more tax to buy from a dealer than a private individual, as long as the car is under $15K in value. Of course, over 15K in value and there is a different tax table.
Finally, on the Chevy dealer. Do I regret being a payment buyer and probably "overpaying" by Edmunds standards? Nope. That was probably one of the best dealers I'd ever been to. I always got a service loaner (remember I was 21) and they took care of all the little niggly things that I had with a first model year car.
If I were in the market for a Chevy and they were closer to where I lived...
TB
As I'm several hours away from other provinces I've never gotten quotes from there, so I guess I never really gave it much thought how the taxes and registration would work different on the deal.
Some may try to charge it, but they either don't know what they're doing or they're running a scam. In either case, pass on the deal; you'll pay sales tax again when you register the car in your jurisdiction.
If you're financing an out-of-state buy, be sure to reserve some of your down payment money to pay the sales tax. It'll be a hunk.
So if I did have a Missouri dealer charge salestax, I just put that on the Illinois paperwork for the DOR and if I owe more than what Missouri took, I'd pay more. Otherwise, I'm SOL taxwise.
TB
I now live within 200 hundred miles of 5 other states, so the sales tax thing comes up a lot.
The OTD idea is the big idea, and I think it's right on.
Many dealers, including one in IL, didn't even attempt to charge me sales tax. A straight shootin' dealer!
: )
Mackabee
: )
Mackabee
I'd tell the netguy, when you are ready to start price negotiations, that you've lot looked (and test driven there if you've taken a drive) with John Doe and ask who he wants you to deal with. Or, if you'd rather deal with the floorguy, tell him you've net looked, etc.
Can anyone convince me one way or another?
But....you are right-on with "residual" really falling on the Mountaineer vs 4Runner. I'm trying to rationalize on initial outlay of $5K more. We usually keep about 6-8 years so quick resale is not an issue.....however an accident "total" in early years is.
Any more pro or cons?
Price not being an issue, which do you like more? Whichever one you can honestly pick, I would go with. Its you and your wife that have to drive it for the next 6-8 years.
Of course, one disadvantage to it is that the car's been sitting out all winter with little activity - that can't be good for certain components like the battery. All the more reason to get a discount I guess.
I do not know the exact numbers but here's an example:
2003 4 runner--$30,000
2003 Mountaineer--$25,000
If buying either one put down $15,000.
So on 4 runner loan is for $15,000, Mountaineer is $10,000.
Totaled after one year 4 runner is worth $25,000, mountaineer is worth $15000. So both loans would be covered, but 4runner leaves more of your initial investment to use as down payment on another new vehicle.
Vmom, though, seemed willing to eat the depreciation and planned to keep the Mountaineer 6-8 years because the Mountaineer was more comfortable for them.
Thus, quick resale wasn't an issue for them while the risk of an early 'total' was. So, I thought gap ins was the answer.
Dunno if I read Vmom right, but I've done the same thing - bought a car for which bucks were a lesser factor in the value matrix than something else but not wanting to blow off bucks althogether. I've also had a 6-week old car totalled.
FWIW, I think the net is the best way to locate the car and deal that suits one best however one prioritizes the factors in the value matrix.
LOL, I knew a guy once who weighted color high enough that he'd pay $1k extra for the color he wanted. The trouble was that the local dealer wanted more than that.
: )<000>
Mackabee
Couldn't have been easier. Wham, Bam, thank you Mam.
Look it over hard and test drive when you go to pick it up. There should be no prob, but you and the dealer will be happier if you pick up any prob before the sale is finalized.
Very cool!
Aaah, not on this planet .. 1 year old loaded up Mountaineers are doing "around" the $21's ..
Terry.
Doesn't really matter in V-mom's situation. Comfort value out weighs money value to them; and, given that, gap insurance is the way to hedge an early total, which was his remaining concern.
I tell them all the same thing - "don't come whining back here if it gets whacked and you are flipped in the vehicle" and "you have to dig deep into the *Hip National Bank* later - it can get ugly" .. l.o.l..
Yep, from Mass ...
Terry.
That trip to the Hip National bank may be short but 'tain't fun or cheap, especially on foot.
Gap insurance is all well and good, but what about the scenario I described where you put down like 40%-50% and finance the rest? How do you protect yourself then? Gap is not the answer since you owe less than what the car is worth.
particularly in an environment where interest rates are high...
If you are putting down 40%-50%; pass...
Now on the flip side of that coin, putting big money down on a lease is a loser, it only buys the payment down. leasing should be done with little or no money down, the money instantly evaporates on a lease.
Terry.
I was just trying to say that if you were putting down like 50% you might want to look at the relative depreciation (other things being equal of course), so you did not have a big loss of down payment if car is totalled or stolen
becomes effective if your lease car is totalled and you lease a new VW...