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Buying new car! Internet Dept!
1ddqd
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm going to a dealership tomorrow to check out a new car. I know the basics (don't sign anything until you read it - a 'must do' in my case) but is there anything besides a good test drive and Q&A that I should do?
Info:
2008 VW R32
315 Miles
DSG Tiptronic Auto
Leather/Gray Interior
Fully Loaded with Nav
$29,995
Like I said, it's the internet dept. I've heard they get commission on volume, not necessarily purchase price, but since this is already so far below retail ($34k) I feel like there's little room for negotiation. Ad was put up today - this will go fast, so I'm in at 8:30am. Thoughts?
Info:
2008 VW R32
315 Miles
DSG Tiptronic Auto
Leather/Gray Interior
Fully Loaded with Nav
$29,995
Like I said, it's the internet dept. I've heard they get commission on volume, not necessarily purchase price, but since this is already so far below retail ($34k) I feel like there's little room for negotiation. Ad was put up today - this will go fast, so I'm in at 8:30am. Thoughts?
1ddqd on
0
Posts
However, I've been told that if something goes wrong with the DSG, expect the repair bill to be hefty.
This is an Australian website, but may be some help: http://www.vwwatercooled.org.au/newforum/upload/forumdisplay.php?f=15
Do not let them keep your drivers license when you on a test drive. Bring a photocopy of it that says in clear print that they are not allowed to use the copy to run a credit check. If they run it anyways they are looking at legal troubles and fines.
Do not say you like the car while you are test driving it (assuming the guy is there with you, when I test drove my jeep the guy didn't come along). Be indifferent or all over the place.
Come with a folder that has as much information about everything as you can find, maybe even some irrelevant papers to make it look bigger. Have your credit score from the three major places there in the folder. Have research in the folder. Have a quote (if possible) from a finance/loan place.
Don't negotiate how much you're going to pay based on a target monthly payment, and don't tell the dealer how much you're willing to pay a month.
If you feel uncomfortable, walk out. And most importantly, bring a friend with you! When I bought my car I went with a friend's father who is a retired car salesman so he knows all the tricks. 75% of the dealers you meet are good people, but there are some scumbags who will try and rip you off. It's good to have someone else there to play devils advocate on everything.
I also recommend carbuyingtips.com, I went there prior to buying my car and it was a huge help, and I ended up getting a great deal on mine.
A carfax report on a car with 315 miles on it is going to be pretty useless. It's very unlikely it's been a salvage or been registered to more than one owner.
I used the Fleet Sales department (which sounds similar to what you're doing) when I bought my Honda Civic. I got a quote over the phone then went in person, test drove, etc. and went from there. I got a few thousand off, even when given a pretty nice quote in the first place. Keep in mind these quotes usually don't include the bullshit dealership extras that they will try to charge you for "because they're already on the car" - doorguards, mudflaps, etc. Refuse to pay for these, and if they try to charge for them then drop the sale completely. I ended up getting these "extras" for free. The best part was trying to sell me a car alarm when the car comes with one from the factory!
If you're trading in a vehicle, do NOT tell them you are until you've settled on a price for the new car. This will get them to the lowest price on the new one, after which you haggle them up to a fair value on your old car to take another chunk off of the price.
When you've settled on a price and decide to buy a car, they'll have you talk to another guy - the finance salesperson. He will work up the loan docs (assuming you're not paying cash). There is haggle room even when working on your interest rate, but it's better to come in pre-approved for a loan to show you're a serious buyer. I went in with a pre-approval up to the quoted price, but told them I wasn't going to pay it. If they know you're a serious buyer with money lined up, they will feel more motivated to make you a deal, and they may have a financing offer better than your lender (I got in at Honda's special 2.9 rate, for example).
Oh, and don't even think about buying the extended warranty there. If you really want one, buy it afterward directly for about half the price. The stupidest thing these salesmen will do is tell you how much it will cost to the repair the car - when he tried that, I said that if the car is that unreliable, maybe we should call off the sale completely. It's fun to see how they respond to that :P Another fun one is asking to see the extended warranty contract in full before you'll consider paying for it - both times I've asked that, they had nothing to show me!
When I was car shopping (couple years ago) this was my experience as well; the internet specials were extremely excellent, but they weren't willing to budge much (though they were so far below the opening to normal negotiations that it's not even really an issue)
I wouldn't assume that it's used or something like that; I think it's more that with internet specials, the dealership's costs are so much lower that they'd love to have you buy the car with 15 minutes of actual dealership time instead of repeated negotiations / haggling / etc etc
Best advice there is.
also have financing worked out ahead of time, that way you already know what you are paying, and worst case scenario is the dealer will beat the rate. (Rare, but it does happen).
Also, if you get some of the way through the deal and get hungry, act like you are going to leave, and sometimes they will buy your lunch while you "think it over".
I love dealerships.
Edited to say: Basically, take Ganluan with you. Great advice.
You'd be better served with the attitude: I'm looking to see what they can do for me as this looks like not such a great deal.
I've never walked away from a deal where I wasn't stopped on the way out or called the next day.
@ Walk Away/Cancel Deal: I have no qualms walking away. My thoughts about this vehicle, from the start, was that they were having trouble moving it off the lot. With Tax Day, I'm doubting we'll see anyone come in for another month intent on picking up THAT particular car.
I did mention, in my short-sightedness, how I loved the R32, but at that point, we'd already mutually discovered how low the price was going to be (he wasn't budging and my points were fruitless in their probing).
Thanks for the advice there guys. Going back with a parental unit one last time (just want my Dad's opinion on the car. Most likely "Ack, don't pay $30k for a V-dub")
I'll loan you my ZERO-Haliburton aluminum briefcase to carry in with you.
It sounds like you got it down. One "trick" I fell for was the guy happen to have an option to pre-buy maintenance; oil changes up to 60k miles, etc. I don't think it was a rip-off, but just be aware they'll try to upsell you all the way until you get home.
Yeah and the unsure thing I have worrying me is that my friend owns a GTI and claims his oil changes are near $100, since he *has* to use the dealership to change the oil. Maintenance warranties like BMW has look really tempting when I hear things like that.
Friend has a Jetta, and we were just talking about it.
Not to help you decide, but this is correct. AFAIK, there is a special wrench (which is made of a special gold/unobtanium alloy).
It turns out that dealers are the cheapest place to get it done. And that marks the only time in history that sentence will be written down.
No vehicle warranty requires you to get dealer maintenance. As long as you follow the schedule in the manual and use the right oil, you're fine.
Maybe not in terms of maintaining the vehicle warranty, but in order to get warranty work done on some brands you need a mechanic certified by that company, which is usually only found in their dealerships. (The companies want to ensure that they're getting their moneys worth out of a mechanic rather than either spending too much to get a job done or not having it done properly and having to do it again.)
At least in the US, I'm pretty sure that's illegal. As long as the required maintenance is being done the manufacturer can't tell you who has to do it. If you want to change your oil in your driveway, the manufacturer can't void the warranty because of that.
If you're talking about getting things fixed that break and are covered by a warranty, that's not what meant when I said maintenance and that's not what the person I replied to meant. They were asking about oil changes.
You should always keep your receipts from oil changes/services, including for filters and oil if you change it yourself. Doesn't VW at least cover the first few oil changes? I thought they did.
Im pretty sure that there are no special tools required besides a filter wrench, which isn't exactly "special" in the sense that it's either expensive or hard to come by. It's a specialized tool I guess, but they can't run more than $10-$20 at a parts store.
Oh, and a Torx wrench to remove the skid guard on the bottom of the car. If you don't have a set of those you don't have any business working on a car in the first place.
Don't worry about oil changes. They're every 5k miles (synthetic oil) and run around $60 including other incidental services. It'd suck if the DSG broke but that's why you have a warranty.
The finance manager will push a maintenance package (pay for all your maintenance up front). Don't do it. He'll also push LoJack. Depending on where you live, that might be worth it. I live in LA so I get a pretty hefty price break on insurance.
Don't worry about "striking while the iron's hot." There are thousands of R32s sitting in cargo containers at shipyards. I got mine for $1k less than what you're paying a year ago (no satnav, though). This probably hasn't reached you in time but don't be fooled into thinking this is some phenomenal deal. It's an ok price. Good, not great.
Work out insurance ahead of time. This car is pricey to insure, even for a 30 year old male with a clean driving history.
Good luck!
I meant the second comment. And I realize its not what you meant, but at the same time I figured it was worth clarifying.