My current car is wonderful, but about to lose its original warranty and since it is ridiculously over-engineered that means one thing… 132 miles after the warranty expires, it will turn into the bastard lemon car from hell and leave me stranded in the rain on a blind bend at 1am- without a cell phone signal forcing me to go knocking on the door of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre house. It will happen.I know.
I paid for an after market warranty but they require 3 weeks notice in triplicate by recorded albino elf delivery to get prior authorization for a replacement spark plug and will dodge out of paying any claim if you missed a service by 1 mile or failed to take the candy wrappers out of the ashtray. They are bastards. I know.
So the hunt begins for a replacement, and that means talking to car salespeople.
“May I take your number, in case we get disconnected? Area code first…..”
It seemed like an innocuous enough request. After all, getting cut off while on the phone does happen…. not often but on the odd occasion. So I doled out the requisite digits and the conversation continued. I was on the phone to Carmax at Pantops…but inquiring about a car at another location. He asked me if I wanted to initiate a transfer…. for the princely sum of $149 non refundable dollars.
Me: “$149? But I haven’t seen it .. what if I don’t like it or it has a big sploodge stain on the back seat?”
Him: ” You’ll love it… all I need is a credit card and it’s yours”
Me: “I no longer give my creddies out by phone” (NOTE:I had my Chase card number stolen recently. And they bought nicer things than I do and Chase were even kind enough to let them go $1500 over my limit)
Him: “If you initiate the transfer, then the vehicle is reserved. It’s a rare car….SOMEONE COULD BE BUYING IT AS WE SPEAK!!!” (Definite octave increase in voice)
Me: “Be that as it may… thank you. Goodbye”
I intended toresearch the car and mull it over but he has called me 7 times since this conversation…. 7 fecking times. When the number comes up on the phone screen my kids all chime “IT’S CARMAX AGAIN” . I want to block the number but my smartphone is for smart people and I haven’t paid my dues for that club in years so I just hold the phone at arms length like a stinking rancid diaper and make a strange pained/mangled face until it stops. I feel I am being stalked… I really do.
Does anyone have a nice story to tell about the car buying process in Charlottesville? Is there some local knowledge I can tap into? I hate walking into dealerships… I feel like a big fat roly-poly fly that has blundered into a spider web just as the dinner gong has sounded. I appreciate that everyone is trying to make a buck but I really feel like buying a car is battling for first place against pap smears and root canal work on my Most Hated List.
Oh and talking of cars, Danica Patrick ROCKS… at last a woman that can drive round and round in a circle faster than guys. You go girl. The suffragettes would be so proud.
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Tagged as: buying, car, Charlottesville, dealer, new, Question, used
Once you figure out exactly what car you want, do as much of the negotiating over the phone and internet as possible. I did this and got a price that was $2,000 cheaper from the girl on the phone than the guy I talked to at the dealership. My boss recently did the same thing and saved a few thousand dollars over than phone. Their typical tactics of “going to talk to their manager” doesn’t work when you are on the phone. It completely throws them off.
You’re supposed to negotiate? What? I’ve been driving the same car for 7 years, and it’s the first car and only car I test-drove at the first and only dealership I went to.
/sucker
Figure out what you want. Make judicious use of the Consumer Reports car reviews. Decide the exact items you want your new darling to contain. Down to the color of the interior and required level of new car smell. Research what that really ought to be costing you (just to familiarize yourself with what a decent offer would be). Armed with that information, contact every dealership within driving distance which sells that car. Let them know you’ll be purchasing from the dealership that offers the lowest purchase price. Period. No, thank you, my current car isn’t a trade-in to be used as a bargaining chip or “wildcard” to upset the clear comparison of offers. Bottom line, what’s your price?
Quick. Efficient. Makes the salesmen work against each other, rather than against you. Also helps if you go in at the end of a month, a quarter, a year or basically at any point when they close the books on sales and figure out who gets the bonuses. Purchasing last year’s models, just after the new ones are released, will also help your bottom line. Also, the extra time gives Consumer Reports and other auto reviewers a chance to chime in again on how that model is holding up, after a year of use.
I’ve done this to pit dealerships against each other and it works really well. There’s always someone who is desparate to make a sale and willing to go lower than you thought. Just keep going back to the dealerships with your latest offer. Eventually, you’ll hit a point when no one will go lower. There’s your winner.
go to Edgecomb’s and ask for Mer or Sherry - it’s unlike any car dealership you’ve ever been to (in a good way)
here’s a tip…http://www.grandcentral.com. set up a throwaway number to give to all the stalkers and car salesmen. it has voicemail so you can still check and see if there’s anything valid in there.
i used to be very wary of haggling. i always felt like i was making an ass of myself. then it dawned on me one day that it really doesn’t matter. the salesperson will, 99% of the time, eventually cave. case in point, mrs. nino and i were in a local discount furniture store the other day. we saw a piece we liked, but didn’t really need. we offered $100 less than the asking price (already reduced twice), but the saleswoman told us, “if i give you that price, i don’t make anything off this. i’ve had a lot of folks looking at this piece. it’s going to go quick.” so we said, “meh”, and headed for the door. we were halfway out when she came running up and offered it to us for the price we asked. sadly for her, by this point, we didn’t want it anymore and walked away.
the key is, never be afraid to walk away. if you waste an hour of a guy’s time then bolt at the last second, i can almost guarantee he’ll chase you down in the parking lot and give you the price you want. you just have to be secure enough to not care that he’ll probably hate you for the rest of his life and make fun of you to his silly salesman friends any chance he gets
1. Narrow down your choice of vehicle. Once you have your top three, check out sites like eBay motors and see what guys are selling similar cars for. (If you see one that has a low “Buy it now” price, print it and take it to the dealership and tell them, “I’m ready to buy this one online if you don’t make me a good deal.”)
2. Check edmunds.com and kbb.com for what the vehicles value is. Imagine you’re the dealer, and you bought the car at “trade in” value. This is a number you want to keep in mind when the negotiation process begins. A good dealer will have bumped the price up about $4000, leaving some negotiating room. This way, if you negotiate back and forth and say that you got a $3000 discount, the dealership still made a profit of $1000. (NOTE: Most dealerships use NADA pricing for their cars, so you might want to get a copy of the latest numbers of your particular car.)
3. Do not mention you want to trade until you have completed negotiating on the new car. Why? They can easily show you numbers’ that sound like a great deal, but in actuality, you’ve been suckered. First bring them down on the new car price and agree on it… then say, “How much would you give me for my trade?” They’ll be pissed, but you’ll get a much fairer deal this way, especially if you have a nice trade in. Old cars usually are lucky to get $1000. I remember once I offered a guy $50 for his ’92 Nissan Sentra and he took it because it is valueless to the dealership. If your car is old, find a student or local person and sell it fairly. NOTE: If you have a late model car, CARMAX is your best deal for a quick sale.
4. Internet Sales is tricky for the customer. The Salesperson’s job is to get you into the dealership and same goes for the floor sales. Therefore, the best deal is to do all your research, print stuff out and look for a particular model within local dealerships. Vehix.com may come in handy at this juncture, especially for new cars.
5. If you’re buying a brand new car that comes with a rebate, negotiate first and once they set the price, and then subtract the rebate. This is another way you can get tricked. If you just graduated college, some vehicles come with a $500 discount if you show your Diploma.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask more on cVillain.
Since you dudes are so helpful, what’s the best garage in town to get an inspection? I’ve been putting it off because they either make me wait all day like an inspection is just above them or they find things wrong with the car because I’m a girl and therefore don’t know anything about cars.
Andy’s Auto Repair on Rives St. They don’t do the actual inspection, but will take care of business… if you know what I mean. They’ll get the car inspected for you.
I have been robbed by every garage in town on inspections (your headlight is 11 degrees out of alignment, that’ll be $75). I have given up, and now drive to the BP station out on 151, a couple miles past the brewery. $15, and 15 minutes. Every time. Yeah its a drive, but you don’t have to leave your car all day, you don’t get reamed, and there are awesome country western videos on the tv in the waiting room. Oh and you can pick up a sixer of evil 8 on the way back.
you can pick up a sixer of evil 8 on the way back.
Or you can pick it up on the way out there, and drink it while you wait.
@28: Thanks!
@29: Ooh, sounds like a road trip! But seriously, why are service stations allowed to rip you off like that? I freaking hate that I’m at their mercy.
1. don’t wait till your old inspection is expired, go get a new one while you still have time left.
2. don’t let them scrape off your old (still good) sticker first, make them do the inspection first (they may not agree, so go elsewhere)
3. they’ll use the fact that you’re going to be driving around with a rejection sticker to get you to cave on repairs at a ridiculous price.
4. make sure as much of your shit is working as you can before you go in (light bulbs, wiper blades in good shape, etc.., as they’re easy to change yourself)
5. I’ve always found Mickey’s on 250 E in Keswick to be fair about stuff, particularly the things they have discretion over, like whether a crack in your windshield is within your field of vision, etc.
I concur with Tom D. At Edgecomb’s there is no haggling. The price on the car is the lowest price they’ll sell it for. When we went, all the cars had keys in them. Mer gave us a magnetic dealer plate and said “Drive all the cars you want.”
That was perfect for us. Zero pressure. Minimal dealing with sales people. Since they sell only 2 kinds of vehicles; comparison was easy since many differences in that occur in looking across brands were controlled for.
I like Bob’s Wheel Alignment for inspections and work. A few years ago, I took my car to the Ford dealership on Pantops for a recall repair. They found something else and made it sound critical…leaving there, I was afraid the whole car was going to disintegrate around me. When I took the car to Bob’s, he said the same thing was something to keep an eye on in SUVs, but that it wasn’t even close to being a repair at that point.
Let me add that I stay away from Brown dealerships after hearing multiple bad stories about them. One friend needed a simple repair on her Prius (apparently, something that is a known issue for them). The Brown Toyota wanted something like $200 for the work and needed her car for over a day. She called the guy who sold her the car in a nearby city and he said they did the same repair for $30 and could do it while she waited.
I’ve had the opposite happen at Bob’s Wheel Alignment. Many people I know have, too. Just sayin’. Maybe it varies based upon the mechanic. Dunno. I go to C&R. They’re downtown, so I can walk to work or home if I have to. Got the recommendation to go to them from a guy at work who is the cheapest miser I know; he also works on his own cars. He takes his to C&R. I always feel I’m being treated fairly. No inspection has ever led to extra work (been going to them for over 5 years). And my car is far from new. Like, over a decade old. I’m sure that other places do just as decent a job, but I trust those guys.
@13 Im one for two with you there. Bob’s was the first one in town to absolutely rape me on inspections. I even had a relatively new car at the time. Many hundreds of dollars on many little rinky dink bits of inconsequential bullshit. I will never go back and even still get pissed when I even drive past the place. Grrr.
Brown’s service is like getting your work done by the mafia. Bought my current car from them brand new, and was told it came with the first 3 “services” free. First service I went in there, they changed the oil and I was on my way. Second service I expected the same. They changed the oil and rotated the tires, and dinged me $20 for the rotation. What about free I asked. Thats just the oil change they said. Time came for my third service I called first. I asked if the service would actually be free. They said yes. I asked if they just meant the oil change. They said yes. Would they be doing anything else I asked. Yes. What? And they rattled off a list of things they were gonna “inspect”. The only material thing they would change would be the dashboard air filter. And how much would it run me to have you “look” at all these bits? $189!!! I am assuming if they found anything it would have been tacked on to fix. Fuck them. I went to jiffy lube and was out for 39 bucks. Oh and I asked the JLube guys to check the dash filter and lo and behold, Brown had forgot to put one in when the car was initially sold! Tards!
“Free tires for life” is a bunk deal. Tires aint THAT expensive. Sleazeballs.
Carmax sux, they offered me $900 for a car I sold for $3000
You gotta see this video on How to Buy a New Car Without Getting Screwed. Good tips.
Dang, I’ve always gotten first rate service and pricing at Bob’s Wheel Alignment…heck, they let me hang out in the shop with them while they work on my car.
I’ve also been using Airport Road Auto, but obviously, it’s up by the airport. Very honest and nice folks though.
As for car dealers - EVIL! you MUST treat them with contempt and disdain. There’s lots of good advice above, but I’d also add, go late on a Friday or Sunday and feel free to keep the salespeople there past closing. In addition, when you have a trade-in, do your deal after hours so they can’t scrutinize your trade-in as much as they would during daytime hours when they have techs around to evaluate trade-ins.
Last but not least - your feet are your most important tool - don’t be afraid to get up and walk! In fact, last car I bought, I ended up walking out of the dealership late on a Friday night and the sales manager called me about an hour later (10pm) and apologized profusely and begged me to come back the next morning. I did and I got a set of heavy duty floor mats on top of an amazing deal.
Well, the whole problem with getting people to bid against each other is that no one has the exact same cars.
I have the exact same car.
b’yo ..ur funny
@21 someone in my apartment complex has your exact same car, except the license plate reads GOD RKS.
Certain legal authorities and shopping cart attendants often misunderstand my license plate to be an expression of a love of certain cannbinoids, but it is actually a literary device that doubles as a commentary on my tendency to unexpectedly swerve.
@ 21 But does the GOD RKS (is that like pop rks?) kleenex box have a dashboard Emperor Palpatine? I thought not.
@20 To an extent, you’re correct. But if you allow them to order it, or transfer from another dealership, they all have access to getting you the exact same car. If you want to drive off the lot with it right then and there? No dice. Fewer options. I had the car ordered. In my case, they actually got it from another dealership and waived the transfer fee. Mind you, that method really works best when you have a LOT of dealerships within driving distance. I was in Richmond, at the time. DC, Richmond, C-ville, Norfolk…lots of options. And a surprising number of them pretty much did have darn near the same stuff on the lot.
@9: I followed this exact advice and paid about $16 for a quick and painless safety inspection. Do it! Just don’t bring a pocketful of cash with you and then go hiking in the Appalachians. That’s my only addendum.
oh, and for car buying, i recommend Click Auto Trader. good comparisions, potential to buy from an owner as opposed to a dealer, etc.
oh, and for car buying, i recommend Auto Trader. good comparisions, potential to buy from an owner as opposed to a dealer, etc.
The double comment preventer defeated again!!
Muah ha ha ha ha!
@19
Yeah.. as far as shops are concerned… Bob’s is the only place in town that I’ll take my car for any sort of service. So far that’s only been for an alignment, but the tech’s have always been great to work with and have invited me back into the bays to watch. They actually let me run some of their air tools on my car when it was up on the lift.
As far as inspection… every year I have the same issue of trying to find the most lenient shop to pass the countless violations on my car. Keep in mind that isn’t safety stuff. That’s ride height, non-spec lighting, suspension stuff, et cetera. Last year after being bounced around a few shops, I took it over to Preston Tire (near McGrady’s), and they were awesome with it. It was done in about an hour, and the guys were fully willing to work with me on some technicalities (factory options versus US DOT spec).
I’m about to run that gauntlet again and I expect that I’ll take it to Preston Tire first.
What the F? …. just keep your car …. and who needs a warranty to get a spark plug changed? If the car is “wonderful” — just keep driving it. Get the oil changed once a awhile, even get a car wash once and a while, keep your tires inflated, get an inspection once a year — simply take care of the damn thing.
Donk’s a ricer! I hear “Type R” stickers add 50 hp, is that true?
Seriously tho, if Preston fails you, time to head out to Afton. Trust me.
@31: I CANNOT wait to see Floozy’s response to you. Where’s the popcorn, y’all?
@33 Shove over and make room. This should be goood.
/ooooo…popcorn!
Wow… just got home to such a great set of info! ….. Thanks Guys!
@31… thanks for that “wonderful” advice Wallace. I am taking it all on board…. but a small point may be in order….
My car had 47,000 miles on it and the passenger-side suspension failed 2 weeks ago. It was a warranty repair, but had it not been, I would have been presented with a repair bill for $3,800. It then decided that the sunroof was open, and drained the battery trying to ‘close’ what was not ‘open’ so every morning my battery was mysteriously flat . This would have cost me $1,200 and it took 5 days in the shop to diagnose and obtain the new board. I did state it was over engineered… which makes for more hassle as more shit can go wrong. Shit that I would have to start paying for in less that 2000 miles.
Perhaps I should have washed it more often? Do you think that would have helped keep the suspension going for a few extra miles? Or would a regular oil change have corrected the short circuit in the main computer control box that talks to the sunroof? If only I had known.
Can you send me your details, especially your hourly rate and availability, so if I ever need a total fuckwit I can bring you on board as a consultant.
wallace is a celebrity!
/gimme a bite of that popcorn!
floozy damnit please marry me.
Can you send me your details, especially your hourly rate and availability, so if I ever need a total fuckwit I can bring you on board as a consultant.
I’m stealing that. I’ll give you credit, Flooz, but I’m stealing it.
@32
Nah.. my car is euro-spec, except for the suspension… which is dropped for track days.
I can’t be bothered with stickers and all that additional wind drag… but yes… I believe that the standard full windshield size Type R decal adds an instant 50whp. The big gains are to be had with the full-side decals. And if you incorporate any tribal designs, it adds a multiplier of 1337.
Yes!!!! Brilliant!!!!
/lmao
Donk….What is the current bhp gain from fluffy dice and rosary beads? I was going for a dashboard Buddha which I believe adds about 10, but wondered if the combo dice/bead option would be a better option. I want to be understated, but not so much that no one notices my upgrades KWIM.
@35 Well worth the wait. Two thumbs waaaay up. Hoping for a sequel!
Hey Flooz, I know some total fuckwits! They’re professional consultants. Come to think of it, ALL the consultants I know are fuckwits. I can set you up, just say the word…
Depends… are those fluffy dice pre-1997 or post? Some emissions regulations after ‘97 really robbed the hp gains from dice. That’s why you don’t see them as much anymore. I believe that the rosary beads are more of a safety enhancement than a power gain, so be sure to save that for after you’re done with all of the power mods.
Re: the Buddha. I’d recommend going for a bobblehead Chihuahua instead. The gains are about the same, and you don’t have to worry about any conflicts between the rosary and the buddha. Pine tree air fresheners are also a great boost, depending on where in the car you place them. Higher profile placement = higher power gains.
it adds a multiplier of 1337
Nicely played!
I got an extra 143 hp by adding two empty fire extinguishers, and oversized baseball hat, and a morbidly obese redneck girlfriend to my ride.
/ plus my quick release poly carbonite hood doubles as a picnic table for family days…
Flooze, I know from experience that your not one to grant leniency, and you don’t disappoint. Poor Wallace actually made a good point and fell victim to the onslaught. I feel somewhat sorry for him.
The truth is, that you really can’t escape buying an “overengineered” car, these days. I was terribly saddened the day I sat down in class and learned about “predictable failure”. Yes, they truly “don’t make ‘em like they used to”. My only suggestion is to do a lot of thorough research on the type of vehicle you intend to buy, and hope that you don’t get lemon, as lemonade is overrated.
Enough of the lecture from me. Good luck on your purchase.
ALL the consultants I know are fuckwits
damn their liberal edumacashun.
Shen, ThatGrrl and C….. and that was the nice version. Should have seen the first one that flew off the keyboard.
/Trying not to raise the ire of Thor.
@46: He didn’t make a good point, he jumped in cursing and made a bad assumption about the level of intelligence he was dealing with. It was magical.
@45
Really? I’ve heard about the dual empty fire extinguisher mod. I was going to do it, but there wasn’t enough room left in the hatch after all of the crazy 15″ SpeedWoofers were installed. I was thinking about trying the ‘dried up mountain dew in the change tray’ mod this weekend. I just can’t decide if I want to go with the Code Red or the regular stuff.
Thanks Gobbles… btw…. when is Baby Gobbler due? Soon if I remember rightly. I have been working on my baby gift for you… it’s a stuffed electrocuted squirrel. Sparks fly out its ass when you squeeze it. Every kid should have one
/ apologies to newer members who will not understand this private joke.
@ 50 Only 15’s? Damn I have one of my eighteens wired to the diaphragm of my power brake booster so every time the bass thumps, the brakes are applied slightly causing the car to pulse with the beat. Plus it makes fat girlfriend jiggle.
I was thinking about adding the Salvation Army Car Seat mod in the back, cause I need something to hold my empty cigarette packs, but I decided the money would be better spent on a giant aluminum fin. You know, to keep the back end of my 89 accord down when I hit 60 mph.
Friday Joke-
Cop pulls a guy over at 1am and says “Sir I have reason to believe you have been drinking”
Guy in car says “Why? Oh shit… is there a fat girl in the back seat?”
God damn I love Bob’s Wheel Alignment. Makes me giddy just thinking about it.
The key with any auto repair shop is to make sure that they know that you know how to take care of your shit. For example, I only go to Bob’s for tire mounting, alignments, and state inspections. They know that I do my own repairs. Timing belts, muffler bearings, and windshield wiper fluid level warning lights, all carefully maintained with my very own soft, sensitive, girlish hands… Bob’s knows that they’re dealing with a professional, and they roll out the respect.
Tuffy’s on Pantops is another story. They didn’t know that I know how to take care of my shit, and they failed my car and asked for $800 to repair the so-called defects. My soft yet vicious cursing still rings in their ears, and surely the shame of a con gone wrong has forced them to change their ways. Well, probably not. Fuck ‘em. 3 good tires out of 4 should be plenty to roll on anyway…
I’ve also been using Airport Road Auto, but obviously, it’s up by the airport. Very honest and nice folks though.
I submit my utter and unwavering concordance with this comment. Even if I didn’t work near there, the drive would be totally worth it. Those guys are great.
@45 and @53: HAR HAR HAR! Fat chicks! it’s so fun to laugh at them! They’re so unattractive! yeah, cvillains, join in!
As above - Stay away from any BROWN’s dealership. Taken them to court - twice. Won both times, and the judge warned the mechanics about shady practices. Hasn’t done any good, they seem to be adding stores as fast as the pay check lending services around here.
@57 Captain…. whoops… too late for me. But I will keep an eye on them for sure, so thank you.
On the subject of unethical garages, there was a big undercover investigation into unsavory service practices in UK years ago and a huge number of supposedly reputable places were screwing their customers for parts that they had not changed. This led to people marking the parts before the service, just a Sharpie dot or a small dab of wite-out in an unobtrusive place and it is easy to see if the garage is sticking it to you.
… if I ever need a total fuckwit I can bring you on board as a consultant. — I’m honored : )
I do feel sorry for you, failed suspension at $3,000, fixing a failing sunroof at $1,200 — that does suck — no one needs a sunroof with a mind of its own. However, though I thoroughly enjoyed the righteous bashing my comment received, my point was pretty basic. ThatGrrl @3 and JC @54 have it correct: Know what it is you want, and understand what it is you’ve got. Keep that in mind when you … or was it mom & dad? … buy your next car.
PS wallace, you forgot a “”
And I love the fact that you just insinuated that her mom and dad bought her car for her. This is gonna be awesome.
“tag”
/running away
Flooze! We’re waiting!
Wallace,
Kudos for sticking your head above the trench again. However the discussion is now academic (stay with us Wallace), since I have indeed changed my car for a nicer, shinier, faster, twinklier one with less things to go wrong apart from being a license loser.
So Wallace, if you see my princess ass driving past you, please wave. It so pleases us Patricians when the Proletariat salute us in passing.
Oh and Dad said if you could ask your Mom to pop back later… apparently she did a bad job getting the skid marks off the six downstairs toilets this morning.
re skid marks @ 64- Woo-ha, thanks Flooze! You’ve set me free of my shackles. Now I can speak my mind and won’t need be worryin’ about being the nastiest SOB on the bloggy…
won’t need be worryin’ about being the nastiest SOB on the bloggy
You’ve a lot of work to do to achieve that status.
yes! classism as well as size-ism. bring it!