Tips for Best Deal on New Car?

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Pipeoff

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 22, 2021
924
1,552
Western New York
My wife wants a new Mazda, and we'll be trading in her Mini Cooper. Any tips on how to get the best deal these days? Thanks!
You may do better to market the Mini your self but many Banks will not loan to the buyer if high milage. Check value of your car before trade. MRSP of new is way over the dealer sales price so shop around for best price and check reviews on the model. Repair on electronics is mega expensive so you should buy added maint. coverage policy that may seem expensive at first but will pay in the long run.
 
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Well, deal can be had in many ways.

I recently bought a car about 6 weeks ago. Since it is an “Esoterica” car, I could not negotiate anything

However

1. I paid about 8.5% over MSRP. That sounds as if it is a bad deal, but my 6 week old car is now worth more than what I paid new (In the used market)
2. I got 44% of MSRP on my 7 year old car which I traded in

So overall not bad considering I did not have a relationship with this dealer, and probably won’t build one as they are 60 miles away from my house
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,211
60,638
I'm a sort of fan of electric vehicles so long as I don't have to get one for some years down the road. Right now, I think the prices are inflated, both because of inflation, and because the manufacturers haven't gotten to the economy of scaling up yet.

Charging stations are still sparse, and some don't charge all vehicles. Home charging without a locked garage is problematical.

I'm glad to see American (U.S.) auto manufacturers have committed to the market. Eventually, I think this will produce cars that are both high quality and competitively priced. Right now they are rich peoples' vehicles.

Someone will be the Henry Ford of electric cars and bring them home to working families. I don't think it will be Elon Musk.

As a historical note, my great aunts, sisters, owned a Studebaker Electric back in the late nineteen-teens and twenties. These were town cars, since there weren't charging stations in the countryside. And they were pitched to women who didn't want to risk cranking a gasoline engine which did tend to break peoples' wrists and forearms.

Because of the customer base, mostly women in prosperous homes, the electric cars had interiors reminiscent of a pleasant home parlor, with little tasseled pull shades and plump upholstered seats. Some of the EV's were steered with a tiller rather than a wheel. Everything old is new again.
 
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Well, deal can be had in many ways.

I recently bought a car about 6 weeks ago. Since it is an “Esoterica” car, I could not negotiate anything

However

1. I paid about 8.5% over MSRP. That sounds as if it is a bad deal, but my 6 week old car is now worth more than what I paid new (In the used market)
2. I got 44% of MSRP on my 7 year old car which I traded in

So overall not bad considering I did not have a relationship with this dealer, and probably won’t build one as they are 60 miles away from my house
The dealer also overcharged me on finance. While BofA was advertising 5.4 percent at their website the dealer sold me the loan at 6.45 from BofA. I refinanced it out of spite today at 4 percent with a local credit union. The finance department of the dealer will now get penalized on the commission they made in selling the BofA loan to me

I financed because I will generate more than 4% return by investing the money instead
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
16,835
31,579
46
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
find a rich person stage a fake saving their life scenario and then complain about how your car got destroyed saving their life. And then when they don't do anything for you other then asking you to be silent, steal their wallet. Should ease the financial burden a bit.
 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
12,350
18,537
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
Always use other people's moneys when reasonable. I usually finance my vehicles through my insurance company as they often have attractive interest rates. If I can't find money cheaper than my own . . . I use my own moneys. I ask, up front, for the lowest price the dealer is willing to accept. If it's not lower than MSRP, I go elsewhere. When the market is hot deals can found. Unfortunately, it's a dealer's market these days.

I was generally careful with my moneys when a youth and now I reap the benefits. Sometimes we live only a short period of time. But, I planned for a normal lifespan anyway, wanting my retirement years to be worry free.
 
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instymp

Lifer
Jul 30, 2012
2,451
1,132
Now there is no such thing as a good "Deal".
Can be a deal if you like the car enough to pay what they offer.
Cars are going for sticker plus because of shortages.
I sold them for years and a good friend of mine just bought a new one & he was a auto sales manager & F&I manager for many moons & he paid sticker plus and was happy.
 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,960
14,356
Humansville Missouri
I'm a sort of fan of electric vehicles so long as I don't have to get one for some years down the road. Right now, I think the prices are inflated, both because of inflation, and because the manufacturers haven't gotten to the economy of scaling up yet.

Charging stations are still sparse, and some don't charge all vehicles. Home charging without a locked garage is problematical.

I'm glad to see American (U.S.) auto manufacturers have committed to the market. Eventually, I think this will produce cars that are both high quality and competitively priced. Right now they are rich peoples' vehicles.

Someone will be the Henry Ford of electric cars and bring them home to working families. I don't think it will be Elon Musk.

As a historical note, my great aunts, sisters, owned a Studebaker Electric back in the late nineteen-teens and twenties. These were town cars, since there weren't charging stations in the countryside. And they were pitched to women who didn't want to risk cranking a gasoline engine which did tend to break peoples' wrists and forearms.

Because of the customer base, mostly women in prosperous homes, the electric cars had interiors reminiscent of a pleasant home parlor, with little tasseled pull shades and plump upholstered seats. Some of the EV's were steered with a tiller rather than a wheel. Everything old is new again.

Why are gasoline cars going to die?

It takes XX amount of energy to move a 3,000 pound car a mile down the road.

Until very recently gasoline has enjoyed the advantage that a 6 pound gallon of gasoline will send my 4.200 pound Hemi Chrysler over 25 miles down the freeway.

It will propel a little car much further.

As much as I just worship my Chrysler 300S, as excellent as it is, the sticker price in 2012 was $40,000, a new replacement is $50,000 (if you can find one) and after about 10,000 hours of operation, no matter how careful I drive, it’s scrap metal.

In the ten years I’ve owned my Chrysler the wholesale price of lithium ion battery packs has dropped about 90%.

Electric companies can now build a wind turbine to produce electricity at a profit that sells for 10 cents a kilowatt hour.

The electricity cost today to run a nice, big, comfortable electric car is three or four cents a mile.

Two things have held back electric cars (other than us old men afraid of progress, as old men have always been afraid of progress) which have been the cost of the car, and limited range.

My fathers big block 1965 Galaxie had to stop to drink at a gas station about every 160 miles or two hours at 80 mph. Modern electrics all go 200 miles at least before a 30 minute fast recharge will put them back on the road for another 200 miles.

$30,000 medium size electric cars will be on the market next year.

And as for power, there’s no comparison.

Your next electric car will outrun a Hellcat.

 

Flatfish

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 20, 2022
811
2,028
West Wales
In our house, we have considered the cars we've owned (and also the 17 year old mower and strimmer), and we have come to the conclusion that anything we buy from now on must be Japanese, and red in colour.

My wife says the colour is irrelevant, but I'm not so sure.

Renault blue. Rubbish

Nissan red. Brilliant. Once went 5 years (I think) without changing oil and spark plugs due to a misunderstanding). Didn't notice any difference when I did ultimately change them.

2x Volkswagens blue and silver. Both really bad.

Toyota red. Excellent.

Mitsubishi red. So far, excellent.

Honda strimmer red. Pretty good despite its age.

Honda mower red. Starts first pull.

Honourable mentions.
Mazda grey. Still going. Sold to father in law.

Nissan white. Also good.
 

scloyd

Lifer
May 23, 2018
5,972
12,225
My wife wants a new Mazda
Which Mazda? I owned a 2020 Mazda CX30 for two years. Great little car...never had a problem. I recently traded it in for a 2022 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4WD 4Dr.

BTW, I paid $600 under MSRP for the Taco. I'm happy with the deal.
 

romaso

Lifer
Dec 29, 2010
2,036
7,884
Pacific NW
Which Mazda? I owned a 2020 Mazda CX30 for two years. Great little car...never had a problem. I recently traded it in for a 2022 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4WD 4Dr.

BTW, I paid $600 under MSRP for the Taco. I'm happy with the deal.
She wants a CX-5. I've got a CX-3 and had a Miata before that (fun but tiny!)
 
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crusader

Can't Leave
Aug 18, 2014
399
362
Nebraska
I've been in the dealership biz for 16 yrs this July. While mom and pop shops may still be the "used car salesman type", major dealers are interested in "pumping iron".

Yes they are more flexible at end of month as floor plan rates are due.

My honest recommendation is to know exactly what you want, don't be a dousche, but also be firm and willing to walk. Use online tools like Cargurus.com.

The main thing I tell people is buy a car at the rate you are truly comfortable with, but, also buy the dealership.

What do I mean by that? If buying new, you will need the service dept. Ask sales what the service dept will do for you down the road. I am in the service department and we spend the lifetime with the customer while sales spends the day. A bad service department will make ur life horrible if they can't fix the problem you WILL HAVE.

Learn the fair market value of the model you want. Also be open to recommendation by the sales for any deals you may have on another. Then, if it is interesting, GO HOME and do you research to come to conclusion if it fits your wants and needs.

I once went to look at a used Lincoln but end of yr new Fusions had a ton of rebates and was actually cheaper when all said and done. Not a Lincoln, but a damn fine car that fit the bill in what we needed, w/ factory warranty.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,211
60,638
Briar Lee, you make electric vehicles sound great, if you need a side hustle. The auto industry needs you.

I tell myself I've done pretty well by the environment with my small commuter cars, four cylinders, and only lately a Subaru station wagon and now a Mazda hatchback. I think they get about 300 miles on a fill-up topping about 30 mpg.

I know it's more fun to drive a pickup or a SUV, but not so fun at the gas pump. But when you need a bigger vehicle for real, there's no substitute. Just like I came to need some room for my wife's wheelchair and for bigger items from Lowes or Home Depot. But I do miss the high riding view from a SUV or full-size pickup. It makes you feel like king of the road.
 
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Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
4,960
14,356
Humansville Missouri
I learn something new every day. So, at close to 80, I'm to be afraid of progress. Damn! I'm willing to change but, you'll need to elucidate the "why" of such a requirement.
Briar Lee, you make electric vehicles sound great, if you need a side hustle. The auto industry needs you.

I tell myself I've done pretty well by the environment with my small commuter cars, four cylinders, and only lately a Subaru station wagon and now a Mazda hatchback. I think they get about 300 miles on a fill-up topping about 30 mpg.

I know it's more fun to drive a pickup or a SUV, but not so fun at the gas pump. But when you need a bigger vehicle for real, there's no substitute. Just like I came to need some room for my wife's wheelchair and for bigger items from Lowes or Home Depot. But I do miss the high riding view from a SUV or full-size pickup. It makes you feel like king of the road.

In my lifetime of 65 years, there hasn’t been one utterly revolutionary change in the 1955 Ford my Daddy drove me home from the hospital. All improvements have been evolutionary until about the 1994 introduction of OBT II. After 1994 we’ve enjoyed magic carpet like, efficient, and relatively easily maintained vehicles. A brand new old 1994 car would be as usable today as three decades ago, and comparatively in the same league in comfort, speed, and drivability.

The chassis of our cars is nearly perfected. All electrics will do is remove the gas engine and transmission, which together cost as much to replace as an EV battery. And people junk them, instead of rebuilding them. Nothing will change about that with an EV.

95% of an EV battery is reclaimable at a salvage yard. In thirty years nearly all new EV batteries will be made from old ones.

My wife claims I should be opened minded about climate change, but I’m a Madeline Murray O’Hare grade climate change atheist. The earth is billions upon billions of years older than us and we couldn’t change that climate billions of years in the making one degree up or down if we intentionally tried.

The world is vast and we are small.

But humans are intelligent critters and we chase money. The change over to much cheaper electricity from expensive gasoline will be a boon and benefit to all humanity, and will make trillions of dollars in profits for those responsible.

And after few people want them, gasoline cars will be collected and driven in parades by the same sort of folks that collect old farm machinery today.

Then someday man will perfect cheap nuclear fusion and we’ll use that to power our cars.

The next twenty years will be interesting to see, what happens to our cars.
 

captpat

Lifer
Dec 16, 2014
2,388
12,411
North Carolina
Research is key. For example, the last time we purchased a car we obtained a purchase offer from CARMAX for our used car. We went with them as they offered more than the dealer was willing to offer on trade. Since you're talking about a new Mazda I'd be less concerned about the service department at the dealer, there should be options for service down the road.

If you are going to finance the purchase I recommend getting pre-authorized at a lending institution before you go shopping. That way you have a guaranteed rate that can be used to bargain down the rate at the dealer, Finally don't purchase any of the add-ons, like extended warranties, upholstery treatment, window treatment, etc.