Cars cars cars

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Famous Mortimer
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Cars cars cars

Post by Famous Mortimer »

So, looks like we're getting a decent-ish payout from the insurance company as our car was a write-off; time to get another.

Are there any local dealers who rip you off slightly less than the other ones? Last time, we went to Craigslist and took every decent looking car to a local mechanic, but that took a while and we're both working now.

Any local info would be much appreciated (or, if you've got a decent car you want to sell, let me know).

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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by Michael »

In my experience the key to finding a good deal is to negotiate with dealerships via email before you even set foot in to the building. It saves time to.

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Hoot45
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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by Hoot45 »

I follow the tips in the book "The Millionaire Next Door". When possible, always buy the model year where majority of depreciation has already occurred and email every dealer in the region with your exact wants including price. Collect the responses, shop them against each other, and once you have narrowed down to a few offers that feel right, then go in face to face.

It's still some work, but like Michael said, emailing can cut 80% of the effort.

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lukethedrifter
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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by lukethedrifter »

If i were gonna email car dealers i would set up a new and separate email account

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stlouie_lipp
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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by stlouie_lipp »

Try to find two cars you would buy on two different lots. Then play the two against each other.

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haltz
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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by haltz »

What sort of ballpark price range are you looking at? Are you passing cash or financing it?

AWvsCBsteeeerike3
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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

Hoot45 wrote:I follow the tips in the book "The Millionaire Next Door". When possible, always buy the model year where majority of depreciation has already occurred and email every dealer in the region with your exact wants including price. Collect the responses, shop them against each other, and once you have narrowed down to a few offers that feel right, then go in face to face.

It's still some work, but like Michael said, emailing can cut 80% of the effort.
Not that it’s not a good idea, but wasn’t that (emailing and shopping everyone) the strategy of the people that spent money and didn’t save? Conversely the ‘millionaires next door’ would spend way less time and build a more mutually beneficial relationship with a dealer? Of course the trend of that group was to buy cars infrequently and take care of them for a long time, iirc.

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Famous Mortimer
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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by Famous Mortimer »

I'm wavering between three choices.

1. Get a relatively cheap car now, and wait for the number of electric charging stations to increase, or for me to move into a house I can charge from. Then, get a fully electric car with financing.

2. Get a decent Prius (my brother in law has one)

3. Get something impractical but fun (a big pickup, or something from the 70s)

I'm saving up now, but funds are low, and because I've never had a credit card in the USA, I've got zero credit score. So, I'm thinking 1 until my credit score improves. Or maybe 3, if I find a pickup for a good price.

AWvsCBsteeeerike3
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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by AWvsCBsteeeerike3 »

https://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/d/19 ... 48938.html

I'm actually tempted to call about this one.

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Hoot45
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Re: Cars cars cars

Post by Hoot45 »

AWvsCBsteeeerike3 wrote:
Hoot45 wrote:I follow the tips in the book "The Millionaire Next Door". When possible, always buy the model year where majority of depreciation has already occurred and email every dealer in the region with your exact wants including price. Collect the responses, shop them against each other, and once you have narrowed down to a few offers that feel right, then go in face to face.

It's still some work, but like Michael said, emailing can cut 80% of the effort.
Not that it’s not a good idea, but wasn’t that (emailing and shopping everyone) the strategy of the people that spent money and didn’t save? Conversely the ‘millionaires next door’ would spend way less time and build a more mutually beneficial relationship with a dealer? Of course the trend of that group was to buy cars infrequently and take care of them for a long time, iirc.
No, I think the people that spent money and didn't save were the ones that browsed for cars and just shopped for fun.

Yes, the "millionaire next door" group typically invested in mutually beneficial relationships and trusted that connection to avoid the effort of shopping. But, the emailing thing was either the first way to establish the relationship or a way for someone to buy efficiently without having a mutual benefit to offer.

Yes, the "millionaire next door" group also bought cars infrequently and took excellent care of them.

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