Posted on 02/25/2023 7:26:39 AM PST by LouAvul
Article about new car purchases from a few days back:
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4131379/posts
All the domestic brands are passe now, each for their own reason. I'm driving my last Ford right now. How long will it last? We'll see.
Yes we would keep the ram except its a 6 spd with Cummins engine custom work behemoth that Mr.GG2 will no longer need after we finish rehabbing our house for sale. He’s been retired for a year now and just wants a runaround.
I ordered a new Maverick with an off road package back in September and it hasn’t come in yet. The salesman told me when it comes in and I don’t want it I would get my deposit back. They would put it on the lot and tack a $10,000 higher price on it and sell it!
Only makes sense if the vehicle holds its value well.
Wranglers and toyota tacomas are the only ones I know that fit that description off the top of my head
“Never tell them you’re paying cash.”
Correct, finance to the hilt and pay it off as soon as you close the deal. Finance and parts are the two largest profit centers at a new car dealership. Let them think they are hooking you up for 7 years of interest and negotiate price, not payment. If you need a loan, put a HELOC on your house.
Studies say: Best value when buying a car:
Buy new and keep 20 years.
Second best is buy new and keep 15 years.
Third best is buy used 2-3 years old and keep 12-15 years.
We have 3, a 3 year-old Honda Passport (16k miles), a 7 year-old F150 (67k) and a 14 year-old Nissan Frontier (140k).
Set for life unless we want to waste money for fun. And I love the big crew cabs, some stuff I haul needs to not be in a bed collecting dust. That’s what trailers are for.
search for a high mileage tundra or tacoma thats been well maintained.(and a semi decent price)
I don't know where you're at, here in HELLINOIS the price of a used truck is pretty damn' close to the price of a new one.
Anything 3-4 years old with under 50k miles is going for about $5-$6k less than new, assuming it's in mint condition.
I've just been through the process.
I kept my old vehicle going as long as I could. Wasn't buying someone elses "junk" used truck and rather than save a few bucks on someone's used truck I went with new.
Paid sticker (no choice) but did manage to get the extended warranty for 50% less than what they were asking. $2,500 for a 7 year/100K bumper to bumper warranty on my new 2023 V6 Toyota Tacoma TRD OffRoad double cab was an acceptable price as far as I was concerned.
Paid cash for it and done. No payments. Already know this is the best damn' vehicle I've ever owned and my first pickup truck. (Also my first NEW vehicle for me only, in almost 40 years.)
Dealers have used vehicles, including 'certified' used vehicles. When you get to the FINAL price, knock a few thousand off and make your offer.
A private party purchase can be risky but size the person up and go with your gut instincts. Good luck!
2 grand? Yeah maybe buying from salvage junk yards for parts but not new. If you triple the $2k cost you’re probably closer. Give examples of how you get to that $2k figure for new everything interior wise. Thanks.
Ha!
Yuppers.
The Cowboy Cadillac is a Joke !
I bought a F250 XL in 2019 new and this WORK truck is AND was Perfect!
Jump seats rear with 8 ft bed ...
I call it TITANIC.
I am struggling to find a solution for
Mounting my cb and 2 meter radios...
“What’s the FR braintrust think about how to approach new vehicle purchase these days?”
Haven’t bought a truck, but we’ve had good luck just going to Carmax for gently used cars — trading in almost-perfect, low-milage cars. When DH turned about 65, the “thrill of the hunt” with car buying sort of disappeared. He used to consider it great sport.
and yes - check with Scotty on You tube. Try to get an older truck in the 02 to 09 range with a lot less electronics to go bad and cost you a fortune.
Cash is king.
I told the guy at the lot that I’d give him $2000 cash for that 1999 GMC Suburban back in 2015.
Still driving it. Getting the transmission rebuilt next week, though.
Whatever you get, make sure you install security measures.
Loads of auto thefts these days.
I don't mind the rep getting a decent commission but the dealerships need to go to a fixed pricepoint and stop all the nonsense with VIN etching, dealer preparation fees, destination fees, and whatnot. They will knock down the base price of the car but get all their profit back in other sneaky ways.
Also, I've learned to never trade in your old car when you are looking for a new car. I end up selling my car separately at CarMax (where you get a fair price) and then I can use the cash to go towards my downpayment on the new one.
Last time I bought a new car, I drove my wife's fairly new car (not my older car) to the dealership. Sure enough, as I was inside, the dealership had people checking out the car I drove in with. They were already scoping it out for trade-in value!
I did not dissuade them from believing that was the car I might trade in. So I was able to negotiate a decent price as they were counting on getting a sweet deal on my trade in. At the end of the transaction, I told them, by the way, I changed my mind on the trade in as I decided to hang on to it. So sorry.
It's sad we even have to play those kind of games when buying a car.
Also, good advice is to avoid the "finance" guy at the end of the transaction. Even if you are financing or purchasing the car on your own, the sales rep will try to get you in there for the hard sell on things like extended warranties, gap insurance, bundled oil change packages, anti-theft devices, etc. All of these are high margin transactions for the dealership, which means that innocent seeming "finance" guy is the most well-paid person in the whole show, besides the owner.
At this point they are probably hoping you get impatient and change your mind. They want that extra $10k they won’t be getting if you drive it off the lot.
Camaros have been in production every year since they were introduced.
My wife just bought a new car. There was no negotiating.
Buy used. I would wait about 6-8 months and see how the auto market looks.
I currently drive a 2012 truck, that I bought used in 2020. Before that, I drove a 1997 truck that I bought new and drove until the engine went out.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.