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

[fjdbear.livejournal.com]

Watch the prep fee which is usually a couple hundred bucks. Tell them you dont want to pay it, it's not necessary. Or offer them 50 bucks or you walk. Whenever you get up during the final deal and threaten to walk they lower the price. We did when we bought the new car (Camry XLE). Make sure you get a good trade in for the used one. Sometimes they will promise you one trade in price, then turn around and say it's now less for whatever reason.

The best thing is to go back a few times and gather info. They will call you usually and offer a better deal. Make sure when they offer to let you take the car home for the weekend or day you do it. We did twice. I like the Civic more than the Corolla and I bet it has a better resale value. I could be wrong. I dont think I could drive something called "Fit".