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I am looking at a base Impala. The dealer has us working thru the fleet manager (thru a credit union), and he said that the '04 I test drove would be $100 over invoice. Is that good for an '04? I would imagine there would be the 3% holdback and probably a 5% carryover allowance on '04s. I don't know if it would be $100 over invoice for all his cars. Especially because I want antilock brakes on the base--hard to get--and he would have to bring the car from another dealer.
If he can't do that pricing, I might do a fax attack to uncover where my car might be. Not sure.
Like anything else in this world, long hours, hard work and staying on top of things can be very rewarding - but like Dr's and Firemen, it can kill the social life ........
Terry.
I am looking at a base Impala. The dealer has us working thru the fleet manager (thru a credit union), and he said that the '04 I test drove would be $100 over invoice. Is that good for an '04? I would imagine there would be the 3% holdback and probably a 5% carryover allowance on '04s. I don't know if it would be $100 over invoice for all his cars. Especially because I want antilock brakes on the base--hard to get--and he would have to bring the car from another dealer.
If he can't do that pricing, I might do a fax attack to uncover where my car might be. Not sure.
I did rent a Camry V4 already. I thought that was the car for me, but it proved otherwise during the rental. It was one of the first cars I considered. Found it to be uncomfortable for me. After making adjustments to my seating (I got a special back pillow), I did another test drive and on a V6, hoping it would be better. It just won't work--me & Camry.
The $150 car rental for the weekend for a great investment, I agree. But I have to take short test drives to narrow down the car I'd like to rent next time. It can get expensive after a few cars!
I found I like bench seating better, and the more specific the kind of car I want, the harder it is to get from the car rental place. Many of them categorize their fleet by size of car and not much more info--so that the cars are interchangeable in a rental...
I got lucky and went to a car buying seminar after I wrote my last post and found a dealer that's associated with our credit union. They gave me a nice test drive yesterday, w/o a guy breathing down my neck. So maybe I'll check if other car makes are associated with the credit union.
THANKS for your suggestions, everyone!
That's an "inline" Four.
-Mathias
I rented a Camry from ERAC for a weekend. I found it to be a good drive but very uncomfortable on a long drive.
Also, check your yellow pages. Some of the larger dealers also have a car rental business on the side and **might** have something that you are looking for.
v-6 auto, cd, power goodies.............
My aunt is ready to pull the trigger on one minus our GM family discount, plus GM card points,GM card bonus cert., and GM loyalty cert.
So this will put her in a new one for around 11k.
BTW: One mega dealer is offering ex rental Impala 04s for $9995. 10-15 k miles on them.
Have you checked on them? Great deal for a current year 04.
Absolutely.
Big dealer groups, increased incentives, more auto choices.
Profit margins are down and it is hard to keep good salespeople due to decresed earning power.
If your in the top 5% of salespeople you'll do fine, if not, its not much better than Wal Mart.
What I don't understand is how the Chevy dealers can offer an '04 Impala for $15.5 and an '04 Malibu for $14.9 and still sell a Malibu.
My wife is averaging about 30 mpg on the Impala which is a lot better than the 25 mpg I was getting last week on the rental Cavalier.
That price on the used Impala is pretty good. The lease companies that I deal with are offering '03 Impalas for $7000-8000 with 45-55k miles (and that's not a bad deal in my opinion.
I have one friend that just bought a NEW '04 Ford Taurus SE for $11.8 which is the best deal that I have seen this year for basic transportation.
How do I pay cash for a car? I haven't purchased a car in many years, and the last time I financed it through the dealership. This time I want to pay cash.
Do I pay part by credit card and part by personal check? All by personal check? Get a cashiers check for what I think will be 3/4 of the price and then pay the rest by personal check? I don't know what the cost of the car will be before I go to the lot. I don't want to make out a cashier's check that's too big, and get in the position of a dealership "promising" to give me back the rest, but not doing so.
What paperwork will I expect to fill out if I don't finance the car?
I did a search on this topic for this board and didn't find that information.
THANKS!
Enjoy .. by the way, what type of vehicle is it.?
Terry.
The car I want is very specific. I am a person with long legs, don't do well with bucket seats due to a back problem. I don't want to find my car and have the deal fall through. I have been looking at cars for 6 months! LOVED the Camry, but the seating caused my back to spasm after the test drive!
I think I'd like the base Impala, with the 60/40 bench seat. ABS is very hard to get on the base model. I would like to get it soon, because I just noticed the new '05s have that ugly Onstar antenna on the roof that looks like a beard's whisker. The big problem is the antenna application that blocks part of the windshield view!
Tomorrow I hope to test drive a Taurus or Sable. That's another choice, but I'd like to buy toward the end of this month.
Thanks!
One of my friends landed a new '04 Taurus for under $12k. Personally, it was one of the more unbelievable deals that I have seen in a while.
If legroom is an issue, I would take the Impala over the Taurus as the center console on the Taurus rubs against my right leg giving me that "cockpit" feel that I dislike.
You save a lot of money if youluck into finding a vehicle that suits your needs by buying 2 years old. I believe that's true whether you trade frequently or you buy and keep as do I.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
The key is that they know where you live and they know how long you have lived in the house.
Do the same thing in a dealership 1000 miles away and it **can** be a lot more difficult.
Buckets won't get it for her...........
Otherwise if she could fit.... she would of got a new Cavilier for about $8000 with all the employee discounts, etc we get............
Then walk in to the dealer with (literaly) cash in hand. They won't turn you down I guaranty it.
It also might be kind of fun and you'll feel rich for that short time that you actually have the cash.
On the other hand, having all that cash in hand might make you realize what an enormous amount of money you are about to spend. Think about how long it took you to save and earn that money.
Maybe there's a better choice for you here ??
It isn't hard to buy a car with a check.. Besides, unless you plan on driving the car out without it being prepped, just make the deal, then go back to your bank and get a cashier's check.
I think we are making this too hard.
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I think you need to re-evaluate what you are saying. Are you saying that cash is no good ?
I saw a study done recently of a man who bought around 10 cars at different dealerships all for cash and without the so called reporting requirements. Does it surprise anyone that car dealerships would bend the rules to make a profitable sale.
Cash is King !
What I would do is put the $30k in my front shirt pocket so that everyone could see it.
Then I'd see which salesman would offer me a test drive !
The dealer can require whatever payment they choose.. and you can choose to accept their terms or go elsewhere.... Of course, it was here locally where they took the guy's personal check for a 911 Turbo, without checking on available funds.... so, there you go..
Anyway...maybe a car dealer will weigh in with some real world examples...
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The whole thing about getting an app instead of taking a check is BS. They know that many people can pay cash but when they come to you with "But you could finance it for XX months with this small monthly payment and invest that cash and earn xx%) (It's amazing how F&I guys suddenly become Financial Advisors to get you into a finance deal.)
Definitely do it this way - Hammer out the deal and go get a certified check while the car is being prepped. If they balk, just stand your ground. You are the customer and you may pay with any legal funds you want.
Bringing that much cash would bring up a lot of cash laudering questions and would also subject yourself to some risk.
No dealership will appreciate the hassles of dealing with all of that cash. Sure, they will take it.
I was kind of being a wise guy here while pointing out that a check is NOT cash.
Someday when I'm really bored I'll stuff my pockets with cash, like Richy Rich, and go see if I can get some attention at the BMW dealer after all.
Thanks for the memories..
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(ii) A lot of cash brings on NO question of illegality. It is perfectly legal, it is just unusual. I also brings with it filing requirements, and some dealers may have to figure out how to do it, since it's rare.
(iii) Don't do it. Last time I bought a car, I brought a (local) cashier's check + a few thousand dollars in cash, and they miscounted by a cool $1000. We got it sorted out, but I won't do it again, trust me :-)
(iv) Cash is a pain, because it has to be counted, and there is no real paper trail afterwards. A check can be fully verified 3 months later, cash once across the desk is gone and becomes whatever number was written down.
-Mathias
My Exploder sale this week was also a cash transaction; compared to the above, $8500 was lunch money, though I still slept with the briefcase right by the side of the bed.
Paying hard cash just doesn't have any positive, for the individual or the dealer, over paying with a more traceable form.
My 05 Ram will be handled with a bank check for the down payment.
Frankly (and not just for argument's sake), I'd say that depends. I live in a small town with a large elderly population. It is my understanding that the one new car dealer in town, cash is often paid for a new car--but it's typically a LeSabre purchased by a 80 year old who's purchased 8 cars there before. I highly doubt that a 27 year old plunking down 500 hundros at Lexus North Shore will be viewed with no suspicion. I certainly would be suspcious. Fair? Probably not. But, as my mother always said, life isn't fair. My point? If I could afford it, I would not make a payment like that in "cash". No sense giving anymore information to the government than is absolutely necessary, IMO.
Steve, Host
I rob a bank, take $9,000 in cash and buy a used car with it. Later, I get caught.
What's the legal implication to the guy who sold me the car?
Does it matter if it's a dealer or private individual?
And is it different if I pay with a $9,000 check?
Is it different if I pay with a credit union check tied to a loan?
I reckon the first question is interesting to anybody who ever sells a car...
-Mathias
I have 3 months remaining on my Nissan Pathfinder lease. I am considering a Ford Explorer for my next vehicle. I want the V8 engine, but after searching dealer inventories in the area it appears that these models aren't nearly as popular as the V6. I am thinking about ordering one to make sure it's here when my lease is up. I have a few questions about this process...
1. Is the Edmunds TMV still a target selling price when ordering?
2. Would there still be advertising/dealer fees since the vehicle never really sits on the lot?
3. Would I need to put any money down at ordering time?
4. Which rebates apply - those at the time or order or when I take delivery?
Thanks in advance!
2) Yes
3) Yes, Just to make sure that you are serious and especially if you are ordering some goofy (unresellable) options.
4) Rebates and incentives are those in effect at Delivery Time
Another option to consider is to have the dealer do a local search for the exact vehicle you want when you are really ready to buy.
I like the idea of getting the cashier's check while the car is being prepped. But I want to know if there are other options--I am thinking of doing a fax attack, and won't really see the car until after the bidding is done. Then I drive to the winning dealer, check it out, wait while they prep it, and drive it home.
So would the dealer take possible credit card/personal check options for part of it? So I don't have to run to the bank for the whole amount at the last minute, I could maybe get a $20K cashier's check ahead of time, and pay the balance on a $25K car plus fees by check or credit card? I would be faxing at the last few days of the month, wanting to take ownership before the end of the month. So things will need to move quickly.
2) Probably not. It's an amount under the reporting requirements, there's no way to know the money was stolen, etc. I would say, in general, the authorities are more likely to push themselves around with a screamer store than with Joe Schmoe, simply because the screamer is a big bad dealer and "should know better". (Legally, that really means nothing, but in the real world, it means everything).
3) I don't think so. Because of the amount, the cash-related reporting, etc doesn't apply. Like I said, a DA might get bully about it with a dealer, "what are you doing, taking $9000 in cash?" I would point out that conducting transactions in a way to avoid the cash reporting requirements is also a federal crime--i.e., I can't go to the casino 8 times with $9999 and cash out. It might not be noticed for a while, but trust me, someone will figure it out.
4. No. Even if the amount were over $10000, the only thing (in your scenario) that paying cash adds to the equation is the reporting requirement, thus probably making it easier for you to be caught. That said, ultimately, the end result is the same. Money taken from the seller, the car *MAYBE* returned (and if so, not for a while because it's evidence). In this scenario, it's not the cash vs cash equivalent issue, it's the money is stolen issue.
I agree with your aunt, bucket seats are just awful! I am not big, but the lack of padding and thigh support aggravate my back.
Question for you, since you seem to know about the GM discount program. I built my possible car on the "GM in the Driveway program" website, and it shows how much I could save. Some real bucks, it looks like, for the supplier price.
But I am an identity theft victim, and really limit giving out my DOB and my SS#. What ID does the dealer ask for? If I just have to show my license, and not my SS card, then OK. I could just make up something that my relative and I agree on for the SS# and give the dealer that number.
It's unbelievable how little info someone needs to take on an identity, and how easy it is to get mother's maiden name. Some banks ask for just the same last 4 digits of SS# to get access to your account. I heard of identity theft that happened at dealerships on the radio the other day; the data at a dealership isn't real secure, and there's a lot of personnel turnover.
This is a sensitive question, and I have mixed feelings about it. I'd like to save the money, but I want to protect my personal info. I thought maybe a dealer on this list could help me. Comments?
Thanks!
I got the report and other great information at www.insidersspeak.com. They teach you how to buy at invoice without hassle. I'm very pleased with the report.
Thanks
Remember a GM employee/retiree has to sponsor you to get that deal. Now its a simple phone call and you are given a # to give to the dealer. No paper anymore.
The GM site is a secure site and ya need the SS# to check the deal prices.
We have never had a problem .....
FYI..That program expires at the end of Dec. or Jan. 1. Good luck !
I think holdback is listed on it too. But just about all dealers won't dicker over it........
I have seen the GM dealer invoice with the other stuff blacked out and just the GM employee/family price showing.......
On my aunts recent Impala purchase they whipped it out with nothing blacked out.
Great deal, super rebates, great salesman.......I got a $50 Birddog fee.........Everybody Happy!
Not sure about other brands.....
A salesperson should pop in and poss. know Mazda pricing.