Is the end of the month the best time to buy a car? I was planning on trading in my car and buying a Dodge ram Quad cab this month....but I can wait to the end of the month if that is the best time to buy.
Last July 4th, I went on a fishing boat up to the East River to see the fireworks in and around NYC. Of course everyone wants to go in my car. So when we get back, I go to my car and someone had decided he wanted to modify my paint job. Keyed all the way across the lip of the trunk, as well as all the way across the hood up front. If I had seen who did it, I would have either been kickin [non-permissible content removed], or gettin' my [non-permissible content removed] kicked!! LOL GRRR
Went to the local Olds dealer today to test drive the Aurora. I was shocked that they had an '01 left over with about 215 miles on it. I believe there is $3500 back now on '02s but nothing listed on '01s. I'll post this in Rebates and Incentives but wondered what advice this board could give me on this car. It is very obvious they want to move it bad. But if there is no mfg. incentive - I'm sure an '02 could be bought for less with the rebate. The build date on the '01 is 9/00 - so we're talking about sitting out for coming up on 2 yrs. Would this concern you? Thanks for the help.
Frankly I am surprised the dealer didn't send this one off to auction long ago. It's very odd for them to keep one car this long. I wonder if there isn't some story behind it.
At any rate, I think you made a good point. Why buy an almost 2 year old car when you can have a much newer one for roughly the same price? I mean, the depreciation alone with the '01 will curl your hair. The Aurora ain't know to hold its value well.
The dealer has probably owned the '01 for quite some time now. Let them take it on the chin. If ya gotta have an Aurora, get the nicest freshest one you can find with all the equipment you want. No sense in compromising here. It ain't a Mini Cooper or new T-Bird.
took it over from a dealer who bailed out of Oldsmobile early. He actually has two new Aurora 01's on his lot. One is the 4.0 and the other is the 3.5 litre. I don't even know what to think a good deal on this is. I'd almost rather buy a used one with some miles as I've got to think sitting there for almost 2 yrs with 210 miles has got to be hell on the car. I know the used ones can be bought for a song after that first HUGE depreciation hit.
Auroras are nice cars, but they drop in value as badly as Kias. They are among the worst, resale-wise. They depreciate more in dollar amounts than anything else in their class.
...... Ultra clean 01's with the 5/8/11k, V8, slider, and all the stuff are doing around $22/$23 at the auctions ... most dealers have them in the paper for the $25+ figure.
Right now, there is $2 grand "trunk money" on the 01 3.5's and V8's new.
The dealer that has an V8 in the paper for $19,900 sounds like a heck of a deal .. maybe too good, this one I would have checked out --- closely!
What are the 6cyl '01 Auroras going for at auction? New - they are about $5k less than the 8cyl. Seems like a big premium to pay for not a lot of noticeable performance. Thanks.
This is at my local caddy Olds dealer. They also have 02 Devilles for 29K with 12-17 k miles too ! If I was buying I would do a car fax etc..... Rentals? GM lemon buybacks ? Oh! the unknown.......geo
BTW: I talk to the Caddy salesman weekly waiting for a new CTS !
The Carfax I ran on a car I am interested in came up with a commercial vehicle registration. This car has been on the dealers lot for about 2 months now(the only Audi at a Toyota dealer). Would the fact that it's been a commerical vehicle help me in getting them to drop the price further? When I called yesterday to check if it was still available the salesman mentioned that the internet price advertised was pretty firm. We're going to look at it Thursday.
I am trading my 91 BMW Convertibe for a 2002 Dodge Ram Quad cab 4wd. The truck retail sticker is 36,795. There is a 1500 dollar rebate from Dodge and the dealer is also throwing in a 5500 dollar rebate so cap cost is 29,795. They offered me 3000 for my BMW....I think I should get at least 4000 but they dont. I cannot qualify for a lease. had a bk about 7 years ago and am 3 points short for them to try for a lease. Also part of the bk I gave back a vehicle so that is on my credit as a repo....I know that is very bad. that was also about 7 years ago...They want to finance it I come up with 4000 plus the equity in my car which is 1800 and they will give me a 6 year for $460 a month....that is a heck of a long loan....what do you think?
You must have gone to one of those places with an ad like " No credit, no problem". BTW we forgot to tell you that we are financing you for twice as long as everyone else at 25% interset and oh yeah, you have to pay for half the car upfront. LOL I am not saying people with bad credit should get the same terms as good credit risks, all I am saying is that some of these dealer ads make people think that if they have bad credit they can get the same finance terms as good credit risks.
I am just a humble buyer, not a salesman, but IMHO the term is too long. Rule of thumb for most people is a payment you can afford for no longer than 4 years. The longer the loan term the worse the negative equity for the first years. If you cannot afford the 48 month payment, then you are buying too much car. Of course people do this all the time and I have even seen loans up to 84 months for people with bad credit. Just remember that if your new truck is totaled after a year or you want to trade it, you will lose ALOT of money due to negative equity.
If you're out there today...there's a guy who had a question about a used Audi S4 over on the (you guessed it) Audi S4 Board. Specifically he is wondering about the discrepency between TMV and a private seller's asking price.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
I have read on TH that dealer doc fees can vary from $20 to $600. Why is there such a wide discrepancy for essentially providing the same "service"? They seem to be in the $300-$400 range in my area. Thanks guys.
Syracuse ny area.....Isellpontiac Hey checking out my paperwork on my 97 and 01 Chevy trucks. I was only charged 20 bucks doc. fees. Even using GM employee discount ! Same as your dealer ! COOL ! I thought it was 50. Haven't heard from my cousins about how much they paid. Thanks for the heads up....Geo
They quoted me an interest rate of 5.9%...I dont know if I will get that since I have not signed any papers....I hate going that long on a loan....I believe I could make extra payments a year to pay it off in 4 years.....
I was wondering if this is a local (southern Colorado) phenomium or if it occurs other places also. Almost every weekend the local Chevy Screamer or Ford Screamer dealer moves his entire inventory to some parking lot somewhere. Mall, fairgrounds, etc... Seems to me that just putting on miles for the sake of changing scenery is kinda a losing proposition. I could understand a "Credit Union" Sale or something like that but moving it for the sake of moving it seems strange. It does allow the lot maintenance guy to do a good job of sweeping the lots while everybody is gone though.
Ok car dealers, why does the local dealers move the cars around on their lot? Seems like about every 2 weeks, the trucks are moved over there, the little trucks back there, the big sedans up front, the medium sedans in the middle.
many consumers drive thru dealers lots looking for a specific cars...often if we move things around alot it always looks like we have new fresh inventory....
I have a few spots on the lot that seem to attract the buyers. No matter what I put there....I can't explain it but it works.
If you are driving through car lots frequently enough to recognize how often we hold lot parties, you have entirely too much free time or no hobbys. Take up golf are fishing.
They offered 3000 for the trade but are only crediting 1800 equity in the calculations? Did I miss something?
Take a financial calculator with you (< $20 at a discount store, spend an hour learning it if necessary). Mine says that 36795 - 1500 rebate - 5500 rebate = 29795 X 1.1 (assuming 10% t&l, adjust as required) - 1800 trade equity??? - 4000 cash = 26975 at 72 months at 5.9%/yr = 445.77.
It looks to me like there is ~$15 leg in the quoted payment. 15 X 72 = $1080. We can put a great warranty on your truck and your payment will only go up $3 a month. Lojack? Paint and fabric protection?
We cannot decide between a Chrysler T&C minivan and a Toyota Sienna. The T&C is certainly roomier and the 7/100,000 warranty is a plus, but the Toyota is, well, it's a Toyota. Longevity is it's reputation.
Skip 'em both and get an Odyssey. :-) Seriously, as roomy as the T&C and as safe and reliable (nearly) as the Sienna. Plus, that fold flat rear seat is unbeatable for versatility. Between the two, though, I'd go the Toyota, for the aforementioned Toyota reliability and far superior safety scores over the T&C. Both the Sienna and Ody (the Ody especially) hold their resale value in ways the Chrysler could only dream about.
Yes, the Odyssey is nice..particularly the fold down seats. But, they're hard to come by. Our local Honda dealer doesn't have any on the lot. And, that dealer is impossible to work with.
I agree about the Sienna reliability....I'm just worried it'll be too cramped on road trips. It felt small compared to the T&C.
How so? Odys are the easiest cars in the world to buy...write a check for MSRP and drive away. :-) It's like that everywhere. They're a heckuva deal even at full pop, IMHO.
One of the main reason that we see so many Chrysler minvans is due to the following reasons. Rebates, incentives, low to zero percent interest financing, hugh discount off listed price giving false sense of great value, more rebates, more incentives. Chrysler might sell more minivans, but I am pretty sure that per vehicles revenue is way below what Honda and Toyota are getting in terms of per vehicle sale.
I forgot where I read this, but "If you price something/anything cheap enough, people will buy it regardless."
In areas like mine (Mid-MO) we have only 2 Honda dealers and 2 Toyota dealers within about 150 miles. Compare that to over a dozen DC dealers and I think that it becomes clear that the dealership network has a bit to say about the popularity of the T&C.
I also think that there are a couple of other factors involved. For one, I think that the anti-import sentiment often out-weighs the import-superiority sentiment (at least around here). Second, I think that many people often associate minivan with Voyager / Caravan / etc. because they were the first ones in the market.
I think another factor could be volume. Chrysler is able to produce far more vehicles than either Honda and Toyota are interested. As mentioned above they don't have to make as many when they can make more off of fewer vehicles.
Porknbeans
Grand High Poobah The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
This isnt really a gripe, more of a concern on what to do, and realistically what I can expect. I own(purchased in Jan.) a 2002 Yukon SLE 2wd. Overall Im quite pleased...except one item that so far has not been taken care of. The steering shaft clunks when cornering. I know all about the bulletin regarding shaft lube, etc. Two repair attempts have been made, on the third visit the shop foreman drove it and couldnt "find" anything. He drives a 1 ton pickup(shaft lube was performed on his truck) and was kind enough to let me drive it. I told him I thought his steering was quieter/tighter than mine. I have had my truck back a week now....and no question it clunks just as bad as it did prior to the shaft lube service. I contacted gm customer service...they said to take it to another dealer...
The question is(assuming problem is not resolved) is what to do next. Go back to my selling dealer/service dept? Call customer support again? Try a third dealer? Either way something needs to happen...for $35 k this is something I just can't ignore.
Can any one give me some advice on a used car purchase. I'm a college student with not a lot of duckets (cash) and I'm looking to buy a good used car. I'm looking in the area of $6000-$8000. Any year or model suggestions would be well appreciated. Thanks.
are definitely a big factor as to why DC sells so many MiniVans. Mr. & Mrs. Joe Average MiniVan Buyer walk into a Honda Dealership and start talking to the sales consultant about the wonderful Oddysey they're read so much about in Consumer Reports. He goes over the Van with them, takes them on a test drive, then they talk price. The sales consultant politely says that these vehicles are selling for MSRP (maybe a $500 discount). Mr. & Mrs. Joe Average MiniVan Buyer storm out of the dealership disgusted shouting phrases such as "well I never," "There's no way I'll ever pay sticker price, especially a MiniVan," & "Those Honda Dealers sure are arrogant SOBs"
They go down the street to the DC dealer and are greeted, go over the MiniVan, take a test drive and say "Hmmmm...it doesn't drive as nicely as the Honda. There's no flat folding 3rd row seat, no optional in dash DVD player with fold down screen, but I can open and close the liftgate with the remote." OK Mr. DC salesman...lets talk price. Well, with Incentives, rebates, and the fact that we've got so many that you can just pick your color, how does $2XXXX sound? "Great, according to my calculations that's $2500 below invoice. How do you guys make money on this anyway?
I'll admit the DC MiniVans have improved greatly in terms of reliability, but they're still not Hondas or Toyotas. 3 years later when they go to trade up for a newer van, they'll get offered $12,000 by a dealer for a MiniVan that stickered for almost $30,000. Whereas if they would have bought the Honda, they could probably sell it privately for well over $20,000.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Hmm, 6-8K in spending money? Don't know what your tastes, needs are. But let's just pretend I am the one doing the shopping for a gofer car that I need to get from point A to point B with no muss and no fuss.
It will probably be a 95-99 chevy prizm or Toyota Corolla. Both are basically the same car, with the prizm at a lower price due to it being badged as a chevy. Or if you want to be slightly different, how about a 94-97 Suburu Impreza sedan? Another choice could be a 96-98 Madza protege? Maybe other has more suggestions.
tell that to the (4) 2001 oddy owners who are waiting trannys next door.... Their service department leaves the R.O.'s on the dash and their service parking lot is right next to mine...so I go over and look everyday.
I know the oddy is a good vehicle, one of the better ones for sure... but not the measure of perfection some people think.
Hi, Warning: this story is abbreviated due to months involved. On 10-19-01 I asked Wilson Motors of Bellingham, WA to special order a Toyota Echo for me. They were very candid about how long it took and that it might not happen but we all thought April 2002 was realistic. When that did not happen, Mr. Rick Wilson, without prompting by me, offered to drop my price to his invoice AND to give me a loaner (which I did not need, but he did not know that) and he thought the Echo would be here no later than early June. With no word from the Portland, OR distribution center by June 1, I gave up hope and wrote him a note saying so but that I'd be very interested in a base Matrix. He promptly issued a refund of my deposit of $1,000 and wrote, by hand, the following note on the check: "Sorry we weren't able to get Japan to make the car the way you wanted. We were told they could & they would, but they didn't. You have been most patient. s/ Rick Wilson" 6-5-02. Backgound: I moved to WA in 1997 with a Toyota T-100 and Wilson serviced it and I was always impressed with their service department. Also, this sales transaction failed but I was warned and I thought Mr. Wilson was more than generous & very professional. Query: why no follow-up whatsoever on a Matrix? Would you dealers have dismissed me as a customer given what I have told you? Thanks, Ken
he knew that a Matrix would be harder to get than an Echo? Maybe he just missed that part of your note? It doesn't really sound like you were "dismissed." He sounds like a decent guy to do business with.
Comments
Last July 4th, I went on a fishing boat up to the East River to see the fireworks in and around NYC. Of course everyone wants to go in my car. So when we get back, I go to my car and someone had decided he wanted to modify my paint job. Keyed all the way across the lip of the trunk, as well as all the way across the hood up front. If I had seen who did it, I would have either been kickin [non-permissible content removed], or gettin' my [non-permissible content removed] kicked!! LOL GRRR
At any rate, I think you made a good point. Why buy an almost 2 year old car when you can have a much newer one for roughly the same price? I mean, the depreciation alone with the '01 will curl your hair. The Aurora ain't know to hold its value well.
The dealer has probably owned the '01 for quite some time now. Let them take it on the chin. If ya gotta have an Aurora, get the nicest freshest one you can find with all the equipment you want. No sense in compromising here. It ain't a Mini Cooper or new T-Bird.
10k miles $19,999 ! Syracuse ny area
Could be a missprint tho. But it has
been advertised for about a week !
Auroras are nice cars, but they drop in value as badly as Kias. They are among the worst, resale-wise. They depreciate more in dollar amounts than anything else in their class.
Bill
Right now, there is $2 grand "trunk money" on the 01 3.5's and V8's new.
The dealer that has an V8 in the paper for $19,900 sounds like a heck of a deal .. maybe too good, this one I would have checked out --- closely!
Terry.
They also have 02 Devilles for 29K
with 12-17 k miles too ! If I was
buying I would do a car fax etc.....
Rentals? GM lemon buybacks ?
Oh! the unknown.......geo
BTW: I talk to the Caddy salesman
weekly waiting for a new CTS !
Thanks,
Peeter
Its probably not going to help you get any $$ off of the price, tho.
Ed
It was probably leased to, something like "Schwartz and Schwartz PA" Instead of like "Joe Schwartz"..etc..
It was a lease done in the name of a company. Pretty normal stuff.
Bill
some things i dont understand
1) how many cars do they usually try to have on the lot (because i see allot of them at some dealerships
2) what % of people buy used over new??
3) why do some people buy a used car thats close to new price?
4) how long do cars sit on the lot and what if they dont sell?
thanks allot
I am just a humble buyer, not a salesman, but IMHO the term is too long. Rule of thumb for most people is a payment you can afford for no longer than 4 years. The longer the loan term the worse the negative equity for the first years. If you cannot afford the 48 month payment, then you are buying too much car. Of course people do this all the time and I have even seen loans up to 84 months for people with bad credit. Just remember that if your new truck is totaled after a year or you want to trade it, you will lose ALOT of money due to negative equity.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Hey checking out my paperwork on
my 97 and 01 Chevy trucks. I was
only charged 20 bucks doc. fees.
Even using GM employee discount !
Same as your dealer ! COOL !
I thought it was 50. Haven't heard
from my cousins about how much they
paid. Thanks for the heads up....Geo
Almost every weekend the local Chevy Screamer or Ford Screamer dealer moves his entire inventory to some parking lot somewhere. Mall, fairgrounds, etc... Seems to me that just putting on miles for the sake of changing scenery is kinda a losing proposition. I could understand a "Credit Union" Sale or something like that but moving it for the sake of moving it seems strange.
It does allow the lot maintenance guy to do a good job of sweeping the lots while everybody is gone though.
You get the picture.
Why?
many consumers drive thru dealers lots looking for a specific cars...often if we move things around alot it always looks like we have new fresh inventory....
I have a few spots on the lot that seem to attract the buyers. No matter what I put there....I can't explain it but it works.
Take a financial calculator with you (< $20 at a discount store, spend an hour learning it if necessary). Mine says that 36795 - 1500 rebate - 5500 rebate = 29795 X 1.1 (assuming 10% t&l, adjust as required) - 1800 trade equity??? - 4000 cash = 26975 at 72 months at 5.9%/yr = 445.77.
It looks to me like there is ~$15 leg in the quoted payment. 15 X 72 = $1080. We can put a great warranty on your truck and your payment will only go up $3 a month. Lojack? Paint and fabric protection?
Any thoughts????
Between the two, though, I'd go the Toyota, for the aforementioned Toyota reliability and far superior safety scores over the T&C.
Both the Sienna and Ody (the Ody especially) hold their resale value in ways the Chrysler could only dream about.
I agree about the Sienna reliability....I'm just worried it'll be too cramped on road trips. It felt small compared to the T&C.
?????
How so? Odys are the easiest cars in the world to buy...write a check for MSRP and drive away. :-) It's like that everywhere. They're a heckuva deal even at full pop, IMHO.
Thanks
I forgot where I read this, but "If you price something/anything cheap enough, people will buy it regardless."
I also think that there are a couple of other factors involved. For one, I think that the anti-import sentiment often out-weighs the import-superiority sentiment (at least around here). Second, I think that many people often associate minivan with Voyager / Caravan / etc. because they were the first ones in the market.
Grand High Poobah
The Fraternal Order of Procrastinators
I own(purchased in Jan.) a 2002 Yukon SLE 2wd. Overall Im quite pleased...except one item that so far has not been taken care of. The steering shaft clunks when cornering. I know all about the bulletin regarding shaft lube, etc. Two repair attempts have been made, on the third visit the shop foreman drove it and couldnt "find" anything. He drives a 1 ton pickup(shaft lube was performed on his truck) and was kind enough to let me drive it. I told him I thought his steering was quieter/tighter than mine. I have had my truck back a week now....and no question it clunks just as bad as it did prior to the shaft lube service. I contacted gm customer service...they said to take it to another dealer...
The question is(assuming problem is not resolved) is what to do next. Go back to my selling dealer/service dept? Call customer support again? Try a third dealer? Either way something needs to happen...for $35 k this is something I just can't ignore.
They go down the street to the DC dealer and are greeted, go over the MiniVan, take a test drive and say "Hmmmm...it doesn't drive as nicely as the Honda. There's no flat folding 3rd row seat, no optional in dash DVD player with fold down screen, but I can open and close the liftgate with the remote." OK Mr. DC salesman...lets talk price. Well, with Incentives, rebates, and the fact that we've got so many that you can just pick your color, how does $2XXXX sound? "Great, according to my calculations that's $2500 below invoice. How do you guys make money on this anyway?
I'll admit the DC MiniVans have improved greatly in terms of reliability, but they're still not Hondas or Toyotas. 3 years later when they go to trade up for a newer van, they'll get offered $12,000 by a dealer for a MiniVan that stickered for almost $30,000. Whereas if they would have bought the Honda, they could probably sell it privately for well over $20,000.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Yeah...between those two choices, the Sienna is a total no brainer!
Still...I like Odysseys a WHOLE lot more!
It will probably be a 95-99 chevy prizm or Toyota Corolla. Both are basically the same car, with the prizm at a lower price due to it being badged as a chevy. Or if you want to be slightly different, how about a 94-97 Suburu Impreza sedan? Another choice could be a 96-98 Madza protege? Maybe other has more suggestions.
The honda dealer next door to us has a slew of them getting tranny work...aldo looks like honda can't make a power door that works properly either.
The transmission problems were limited to a few 99-early 2000 models and have long been fixed.
And...sorry but the power doors work fine too. Some early Odysseys did have an update on these.
tell that to the (4) 2001 oddy owners who are waiting trannys next door.... Their service department leaves the R.O.'s on the dash and their service parking lot is right next to mine...so I go over and look everyday.
I know the oddy is a good vehicle, one of the better ones for sure... but not the measure of perfection some people think.
Warning: this story is abbreviated due to months involved. On 10-19-01 I asked Wilson Motors of Bellingham, WA to special order a Toyota Echo for me. They were very candid about how long it took and that it might not happen but we all thought April 2002 was realistic. When that did not happen, Mr. Rick Wilson, without prompting by me, offered to drop my price to his invoice AND to give me a loaner (which I did not need, but he did not know that) and he thought the Echo would be here no later than early June. With no word from the Portland, OR distribution center by June 1, I gave up hope and wrote him a note saying so but that I'd be very interested in a base Matrix. He promptly issued a refund of my deposit of $1,000 and wrote, by hand, the following note on the check: "Sorry we weren't able to get Japan to make the car the way you wanted. We were told they could & they would, but they didn't. You have been most patient. s/ Rick Wilson" 6-5-02. Backgound: I moved to WA in 1997 with a Toyota T-100 and Wilson serviced it and I was always impressed with their service department. Also, this sales transaction failed but I was warned and I thought Mr. Wilson was more than generous & very professional. Query: why no follow-up whatsoever on a Matrix? Would you dealers have dismissed me as a customer given what I have told you?
Thanks, Ken