Current Events > Have any of you ever bought a car? Like dealing with car salesmen, or used

(+) Yeah! (+)

...car salesmen?

yes, many times

I have purchases two cars with pre-approved loans, why do you ask lol. Actually I will be trading in my car for a SUV soon.

Yeah my current car, also my first time financing.

Yes

Yes. Leased a Kia Optima, then financed a Honda Civic and Honda Accord.

Nows a terrible time to buy a car.

There's no haggling. No tricks. You're gonna pay their price or they'll sell it to the next bucko walking through the door.

Used car market is even worse. 2021 models, of the 2022 car I wound up buying, were listed for as much or even more than what I paid. It's pure lunacy

Yes I bought a brand new car in 2018 from a dealership

wackyteen posted...

Nows a terrible time to buy a car.

There's no haggling. No tricks. You're gonna pay their price or they'll sell it to the next bucko walking through the door.

Used car market is even worse. 2021 models, of the 2022 car I wound up buying, were listed for as much or even more than what I paid. It's pure lunacy

What the reasoning? Is there a low supply of cars?

FLAMING_EVIL_HOMER posted...

What the reasoning? Is there a low supply of cars?

Low supply of chips that run all the computers in the cars, as well as chips for added features.

Covid really threw a wrench in everything. But consumer demand never evaporated so it's a struggle catching up to being ahead like things were before Covid.

FLAMING_EVIL_HOMER posted...

What the reasoning? Is there a low supply of cars?

Covid, chip shortage, government stimulus, supply chain issues creating this huge bubble that's probably going to burst anyday.

No new car on lot meant people had money to throw at used cars which messed up the used car market.

Now Interest is high and getting higher, good loans for people with good credit was below 3% maybe a year ago, now it's above 5% and rising. That is how you fight inflation, you make people buy less stuff.

I bought my first car used, and my second car new.

Well that's sad. Because just like how me and my family need a house right now, we were also looking to upgrade to a bigger vehicle.

FLAMING_EVIL_HOMER posted...

Well that's sad. Because just like how me and my family need a house right now, we were also looking to upgrade to a bigger vehicle.

Just don't buy used. For now at least. Buying new you might just wind up with a less than ideal color (like I wound up with another red car when red would have been far from my first color choice)

I work in the used car industry (sort of?) And indeed the market is insane.
Things going for much, much higher than they're worth.

I bought my compass new off the lot in January. Had 40km on it when I test drove it.

I bought a car last month, not by choice, as my last one got totaled, I told them this is what I want, make it happen or I walk, and they did

I leased a car. I feel happy because I found the fine print online that allowed me to get a better deal

bknight posted...

Covid, chip shortage, government stimulus, supply chain issues creating this huge bubble that's probably going to burst anyday.

No new car on lot meant people had money to throw at used cars which messed up the used car market.

Now Interest is high and getting higher, good loans for people with good credit was below 3% maybe a year ago, now it's above 5% and rising. That is how you fight inflation, you make people buy less stuff.

Not trying to be a tool but we need to stop using stimulus checks as a reason things are the way they are now. Stimulus isnt the reason. Its greed.

Buying one now, first time financing.

Yes, six times.

Time number 7 well on the way.

Yes recently too.

My car guy is an awesome dude

MrDrMan posted...

Not trying to be a tool but we need to stop using stimulus checks as a reason things are the way they are now. Stimulus isnt the reason. Its greed.

Not so much stimulus checks, more like months of boosted unemployment payouts. Some people where making way more than their usual income for almost a year.

Couldn't go out, did not need a car, so they either saved that money or spent it on sneakers and gpus. Now that wfh is over and car demand is back. the car industry trying to catch up because they cut way back on things like chips for heated seats and stuff. But yea, dealers are being super greedy, they were feasting for awhile there, selling cars at a markup before they even arrived at the lot.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

Same. My car was a total loss when I got into an accident in June. One dealer told me "Hey if you're not going to pay that much for the car, trust me someone else will. Sorry bud but I don't need your business." Brand new Toyota Corolla $9,000 above MSRP. I swear to God if I told my mom about that experience any other year she'd say I was joking, and a terrible one at that. Interest rates were fucking awful too, one guy told me the best they'd do with Excellent Credit is 2.9% over a 24-month lease. You want to know my interest rate over the 5 year agreement? 6.9%. One of the very last things my salesperson said is I should come back and refinance a year from now.

Feels terrible knowing I literally had to buy a car at the absolute worst time.

The important thing in a tight market is to look for a vehicle that hasn't been selling well. That's were you can negotiate.

Something like an Alfa Romeo Giulia or a Ford Escape.

Yeah. Probably didn't do as much due diligence as I should have but I've had my car for about 7 years with no issues.

Flockaveli posted...

Same. My car was a total loss when I got into an accident in June. One dealer told me "Hey if you're not going to pay that much for the car, trust me someone else will. Sorry bud but I don't need your business." Brand new Toyota Corolla $9,000 above MSRP. I swear to God if I told my mom about that experience any other year she'd say I was joking, and a terrible one at that. Interest rates were fucking awful too, one guy told me the best they'd do with Excellent Credit is 2.9% over a 24-month lease. You want to know my interest rate over the 5 year agreement? 6.9%. One of the very last things my salesperson said is I should come back and refinance a year from now.

Feels terrible knowing I literally had to buy a car at the absolute worst time.

I wouldve walked out anyway just because of what they said, no matter how badly I had my heart set on the car and I wouldve blasted them all over social media. You just cant represent yourself, your brand and dealership like that.

There are some dealers selling at MSRP. Probably not the common thing but they exist.

Tom_Joad posted...

The important thing in a tight market is to look for a vehicle that hasn't been selling well. That's were you can negotiate.

Something like an Alfa Romeo Giulia or a Ford Escape.

Mercedes A-Class too. There's still dozens of them on the lot, especially if you live in Canada since we got the hatchback.

I've bought a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and a 2021 Subaru WRX (both new) and was fairly easy both times, but I did my research and knew what I wanted, so I just had to hammer out a price with the sales rep after giving it a test drive.

Pitlord_Special posted...

I've bought a 2016 Chevrolet Colorado and a 2021 Subaru WRX (both new) and was fairly easy both times, but I did my research and knew what I wanted, so I just had to hammer out a price with the sales rep after giving it a test drive.

Did you buy a WRX because you saw what the new gen looked like?

Waddlez posted...

Did you buy a WRX because you saw what the new gen looked like?

Nah, my Colorado got totaled by a red light runner in April 2021 so was in the market for a new ride. I knew the new models were coming but there weren't any details about it at that time. New trucks were already getting blasted with markups then and I didn't necessarily need one anymore. The WRX was my 'attainable dream car' (from using it in video games) and I still wanted to drive a manual so I decided to look into seriously getting one. Thought about going for the STI but between the 10k higher price and significantly worse MPG, it was just going to be too much of a financial hit.

Went on one test drive, loved it and almost decided to buy that one but the dealer wouldn't budge on their rip off add-on package so I walked and tried another dealer. That one had a 2020 pre-owned to test drive so I took it for a spin and was still feeling it. They had incoming 2021 cars and agreed to a decent price (1200 off MSRP and no dealer adds) so I put a deposit on one and took it home about a week later.

So, I've had it over a year now with 16k miles and still think it's rad and fun to drive. I know folks rag on the 2022 for the exterior styling but the interior changes are more of a turn off to me (not a fan of the giant tablet trend in cars these days)

People are willing to pay 30% markup for a car with no rebates and high interest rates, so the car dealerships can do whatever they want. I was barely able to get my 2022 F150 at 1.9

I bought a 2009 Hyundai Accent maybe five years ago or so. My pre-transition memory is baaaaad.

Basically, I didn't have much luck haggling (managed to shave off a few hundred by pointing out I was making the down payment in cash) but the list price was already pretty good based upon my research, so I made out okay. Been driving the car ever since, with few issues. The worst one was the starter motor kicking the bucket a few months ago.

I bought a 2019 Chevy Trax today. I got $3000 off

I bought my ILX brand new 4 years ago.
Once it's paid of in Jan of 2024, I'm deciding between getting either an RDX or an Audi E-Tron Q4

Pitlord_Special posted...

Nah, my Colorado got totaled by a red light runner in April 2021 so was in the market for a new ride. I knew the new models were coming but there weren't any details about it at that time. New trucks were already getting blasted with markups then and I didn't necessarily need one anymore. The WRX was my 'attainable dream car' (from using it in video games) and I still wanted to drive a manual so I decided to look into seriously getting one. Thought about going for the STI but between the 10k higher price and significantly worse MPG, it was just going to be too much of a financial hit.

Went on one test drive, loved it and almost decided to buy that one but the dealer wouldn't budge on their rip off add-on package so I walked and tried another dealer. That one had a 2020 pre-owned to test drive so I took it for a spin and was still feeling it. They had incoming 2021 cars and agreed to a decent price (1200 off MSRP and no dealer adds) so I put a deposit on one and took it home about a week later.

So, I've had it over a year now with 16k miles and still think it's rad and fun to drive. I know folks rag on the 2022 for the exterior styling but the interior changes are more of a turn off to me (not a fan of the giant tablet trend in cars these days)

Glad you like it. It sure is a blast. What color did you get? I don't like the big ass screens either.