Car Buying for this Dummy

[kybearfuzz]

I was getting an oil change the other morning when the grease jockey beneath the car noted that I have a small transmission leak, he thought, though it could be just water splashed up on it. Well, being the worrier I tend to be, it seems like now would be a good time to turn in old faithful for something new. I've pondered this for a long while. My car is a 1997 Honda Civic and it's had a good run, turning over 150,000 miles just this past weekend. However, I despise the haggling of buying a new car.

I need any advice you wish to give a guy in my situation. I am looking at either another Honda Civic or a Toyota Corolla, though a friend just showed me a Scion Xa, which looked kinda cool. I'm all about reliability and gas mileage. Any opinions? Do any of you own one and can share experiences? Any advice on handling salesmen and haggling?

HELP HELP HELP!

Comments

[benjiej.livejournal.com]

http://www.edmunds.com/new/index.html

This site can be your best friend. you can find out sticker price, the dealer's invoice price, and the True Market Value (TMV) of a particular car in your area with the options you want. I actually helped my Dad buy a Honda Element yesterday, and it was kind of painful. We were there almost 5 hours and that was after having gotten an internet price quote. Anytime there is a trade-in it makes it tougher, because even if they offer a good price on the new car, they will try to shortchange you on the trade. Better if you can sell the old one yourself, but it's always been a huge pain in the ass for me.

In the end we traded in my Dad's 2001 CRV with 205K, and the final price he financed, even with less for the trade than we wanted and with some stupid add-ons they wouldn't remove, was LESS than the True Market Value according to Edmunds. I turn into an insane man when dealing for cars...I don't take any shit and bring my Excel spreadsheet with numbers and anything else from Edmunds I need. I just decide I'm going to be a hard-ass and it's actually kind of fun, AND pays off. (I don't mean being rude of course, just very direct and make it clear you can just leave and go somewhere else).

Also, all of my Honda dealings have been at Gwinnett Place Honda here in Atlanta. I go there because they are a really big dealership and are most likely to have a car I want in stock, which always helps your position. If they have it on the lot, they WANT to get rid of it.

Good luck. The new Civics are cool. I had threee Civics, but I moved to an Accord and now I can't go back. I've gotten used to the roominess and the Civic seems small. The interior, especially the dash and readouts are pretty funky on the new Civics, but you've probably seen them by now. Let us know what happens.

I think this is the longers comment I've ever made.

[benjiej.livejournal.com]

longest comment :-)

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

You obviously have a lot of experience in this area! I did go test drive a 2007 Corolla yesterday and loved it. I plan on trying a new Civic today. I checked Consumer Reports and both are rated well, dimensions and horsepower are nearly identical.

I'll be walking in with the necessary information. I feel inspired after reading your last post! Thanks :)