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Post by PaulR5 on Nov 20, 2016 3:00:22 GMT -5
This post started in February, and I thank all who gave me things to think about.
FINALLY, I get a new-to-us vehicle next week. A friend I have known personally for some time is selling a vehicle, and it fits our needs. By not rushing, the right vehicle is almost falling into our lap.
It is an older vehicle, but well-maintained, and drives like a dream. I look forward to getting it inspected, licensed, and in my name in the upcoming week. Thanks again, all who had suggestions.
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Post by Lugnutz on Nov 20, 2016 9:43:02 GMT -5
Is it cool?
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Post by glh on Dec 11, 2016 20:33:57 GMT -5
Yup, that's how I wound up with the Grand Cherokee Summit that I bought in October. I realized too late the reason I hadn't traded vehicles at that lot in 15 years.
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Post by Lugnutz on Dec 12, 2016 1:31:59 GMT -5
Still learning with a bum lot?
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Post by glh on Jul 5, 2018 22:51:57 GMT -5
Still learning with a bum lot? Eh, I'd forgotten how they conducted business. They've done the maintenance on all my Chryslers for the last 20 years and the owners grew up next door to my brother, so it's not like I don't know who they are and they don't know me. Except this time they sold me a "Certified Pre-Owned" Jeep that was a lemon buy back. Told me it was a one-owner, local trade and even showed me a clean CARFAX on it. After I'd owned it a couple of months I finally purchased my own CARFAX and was so shocked that I bought an AutoCheck report just to be sure the CARFAX was right. Turned out my "one owner, local trade" had three previous owners and had been a regular inhabitant of various dealer garages for computer repairs. So when it comes to "Certified Pre-Owned" I don't buy it. Too many have been scammed by that little ruse.
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Post by PaulR5 on Jul 7, 2018 11:55:27 GMT -5
One word of advice: If you're going to trade a vehicle in, make sure you bring a spare set of keys so you can walk out and leave at any time. One of a local dealer's favorite tactics is to take you hostage and wear you down to the point of buying a vehicle just to get the f$#$ away from them. Reminds me of a time when my mother went to look at cars. They took her keys to 'examine' the car for trade value, but were actually cleaning it out for their lot. She had to fight them to get them back. Another time a dealer asked fro a 100 deposit to hold a car. Mom gave them the check, but was assured it would not be cashed and she could get it back the next day if she changed her mind. You can guess...they didn't hold it, mom was pissed and they told her to just stop payment on it. Of course that costs money. I always carry multiple key sets to my vehicles, and make sure my son has a spare set of keys for my vehicle. If I buy a vehicle and it does not have what I consider "enough" keys/fobs/clickers, I have extras made. Also, I have dealt almost exclusively with the same two dealers for years, or bought from personal friends. At my favorite dealer, there are two long-term sales persons I trust, and I try to deal with them. One sales person I've known for more than twenty years. That helps a lot. Sometimes it helps to have personal friends on the local police departments and county sheriff's office, also. But I NEVER give any dealer's rep my keys, unless I am having service work done.
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Post by jonwalter on Nov 8, 2018 8:11:03 GMT -5
Criteria for buying a car varies with the needs, priorities, and preferences of the buyer. It also varies between buying a brand new car and buying a used car. Personally, I primarily buy or lease brand new cars and spend a lot of time researching, comparing, pricing, and test driving before making a decision. I look for a history of excellent reliability, attractive styling, the latest technology and safety features, navigation system, premium audio system, comfortable 8-way adjustable seating, heated seats (up the back), a V6 or V8 engine (no turbo 4-cylinders) with good fuel economy, 8-speed transmission, reasonable insurance cost, at least an acceptable highway safety rating, and a reasonable expectation of getting a good deal. If I were looking for a newer used car, I would look for most of the same characteristics but most importantly I would want to know the actual condition of the car, as determined by a professional mechanic who can tell me about hidden problems, cost of repairs, and near-future reliability. I would also check out its Carfax vehicle history report and check online with Kelley Blue Book or NADA Guides for current price guidelines. I would give it a much more extensive test drive than for a brand new car. _____________________ Selling my old model: jiji.ng/cars/toyota-matrix-2010
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Post by Dabeagle on Nov 8, 2018 9:02:05 GMT -5
I kind of forgot about this thread. I should have thought of it last year when my company gave me a huge pay cut in the form of limiting my company vehicle to business use only, and no one can ride in it besides company employees. This required me to purchase a car to carry the family around in, and all the costs that go with it.
My preferred vehicle is a VW. It had been years since I had shopped for one, and then it was with my mother. I was disappointed that the individuality of the older models I'd fallen in love with had been ironed out for plain interiors of blander colors. I did look at several cars. There is a local car dealership that now has a VW store as well, and I loathe them. If their ad comes on the radio, I turn it off or change the station so I don't have to listen to him. When we had cable, I'd do the same for his commercials there. But, he had VWs, so I went to look. We test drove a Passat. Now when I test drive, I don't like to have the salesperson with me. Some places will claim its an insurance reg, others will claim policy - some even say it's beneficial in case you have questions. So this pretty young girl is riding with my mother and I, and I ask her what the cost of the car is. She replied she'd have to look it up when we got back. I asked if there were any warranty on it and got the same response. So I asked why she got into car sales. She replied that 'It seemed really fun and exciting'. That prompted me to ask what her last job had been. "Milking cows," she replied. And how long ago was that? "Three weeks," she replied. I really liked a GTI they had, but they wouldn't budge on the price.
We went to a dealer where we had bought my husband's car, a Hyundai store. I took out a nice, but very bland car. I asked the young man, who seemed to be wearing his father's suit, what the cost of the car was? He'd have to check when we returned. Was there a balance on the warranty? He'd have to look. I asked if he'd ever milked cows before.
I went to a nationwide used car place whose name escapes me at the moment. Just because I felt I had to check out my options, I was going to test drive a Mazda 6. I had my mom and the kids with me because I wanted something they could all fit in. When I arrived the fellow said he'd get seats for everyone to wait while we drove the car. I said I brought them to test that very thing. He said 'Oh, that means I can't go with you." I told him I was fine with that. He told me I'd need to leave my license and proof of insurance. At the time I was nearing the end of being able to use my company vehicle for personal use and had it with me. Of course, the insurance wasn't mine and, frustrated, I stood and left.
In the end I bought a Passat that had just come off of lease. My mother loved the interior and ended up trading cars with me, so I got her '13 Passat for the price they'd have given her in trade.
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