New car buying strategies

Except they have limited participating dealers. Thru Nissans vehicle locator, you yourself can retrieve *factors-fold* more cars than CarsDirect! They seem to be able to sell the car right at about invoice, which may or may not be a *great* deal, but certainly a fair one. And, they don't quite dot/cross all their i's/t's, ito of how the car comes equipped, esp. w/ accessories, which seem to be everyone's bane. But, if they can in fact find "your" car, it is a pretty painless way of doing it.

Which is one reason you should not let them see your license if you are not going to test drive the car.

--------------- Alex

I never heard it was statistically safer, but I know it's not reflected in insurance rates in my area anyway. I had always heard that red was safest because it stands out, and that natural colors like some shades of brown, green, blue and gray were more likely to be involved in accidents because they blend in better with surrounding colors and people don't see them as well. That said, I also notice that yellow sticks out very well, but it strikes me as rather feminine color for some reason. And I noticed for some reason (?) the yellow paint option on new vehicles cost more (app. $150. extra). As far as white for municipal police (and some others), yes that's probably THE most popular color. But also some businesses that contract work out insist that you own a white van or truck or they won't hire you.

wow.... Why would that be??

Altho red may stand out, it doesn't so much at night, and its safety may be offset by the personality types who choose it--or so some of the lore goes. I *thought* I heard that you might pay more for red, insurance-wise. Coulda just been another hustle...

Besides the research you've already done, you might want to read _Don't Get Taken Every Time_ by Remar Sutton. The latest edition contains an interesting bit about the Internet.

Sutton focuses on dealerships both new and used and the tricks that they employ, though he discusses other topics related to car buying. In particular, he gets deeply into the reasons why you probably want to arrange your own financing rather than submitting to the arrangements offered by the dealer.

Best of luck,

--Joe

I found some great stuff by googling for Remar Sutton.

Thanks,

Andrew

Kind of off topic a bit but:

I would suggest renting a documentary movie called "Slasher" (2004) directed by John Landis of The Blues Brothers & Animal House fame. Despite its name, the film is not a horror flick but rather an in-depth look at a real life "hired-gun" car salesman who is brought in by big dealers to move stale inventory. It is truly fascinating. The added bonus is that you get a really intimate behind-the-scenes look at how the car sales industry works.

MM

I'm not completely certain why they insist on white, but I think it has something with telling customers what color van/truck to look for when doing residential work, and with putting their magnetic sign on the vehicle so it stands out (i.e. Comcast Cable Co., but I think there are others). True enough about red at night, but I think the heavist traffic is during the day. As far as personality types, I just happen to have this little ditty on my computer from years ago.

The British Royal Automobile Club's list of what a car's color say's about it's owner.

Black: You're ambitious and status seeking. Green: You're very traditional and an elitist. Blue: You're a team player and very sociable. White: You're aloof, dutiful and methodical. Gray: You're understated and cautious. Silver: You have a sense of style, but you can be pompous. Red: You're outgoing, impulsive and easily bored.

Brings an interesting question to mind. Which is correct? Gray, or Grey? If both are correct, when do you use one over the other? I have always been inclined to use an "e", myself.

-Erik

In my life, I have bought new cars of every color listed above, except Grey. All of my cars were bought off the dealers lot. Unless the vehicles were pre-ordered, the above, although entertaining, does not apply.

Have any of you ever considered being nice and upfront with the salesmen? I worked at Guitar Center for a while and it is kind of like car sales. I always gave great deals to people that were nice to me and treated me like a person. If a customer had a pricky, condesending attitude towards me I would use all the sales tricks I had been taught to try to get the best margin. If he got pissed off and walked I wouldn't get too angry unless it was a big commision sale. I only walked 3 or 4 customers in 3 years.

Print out Edmunds and KBB quotes for your truck/options and hi-lite the average price people are paying. I got that price with almost no bargining. If they don't do it then say you are going to go to other dealerships and see if they can.

If you want to pay less than that.. (like thousands under invoice) then you probably have to go the prick route.

How much are you looking to pay? What do you think a fair price is?

I had my own financing worked out before I came in the first time. I didn't bring the check till I found a truck I wanted at a lot.

Oh, and Sutton says a lot of interesting things about the internet. Bottom line is, you do proly better than OK on the net, w/ much less hassle, as some have pointed out here, but you don't get the *best* deal (if you are a good haggler), and can STILL get hustled on the bullshit--misty financing, "extra's", incorrect configurations, similar deposit bull (which can be a long time in getting returned), etc. Also, as I think I pointed out earlier, you get less of a selection, as the participating dealers are relatively few. Ultimately the web dealers have the same constraints as a dealer, and technically even more, as the profit pie is slightly more divided.

---------------------------- Mr. P.V.'d formerly Droll Troll "Proctologically Violated©®" wrote in message news:415582c0$0$4054$ snipped-for-privacy@news.rcn.com...

Reminds me of Alec Baldwin's character in Glengarry Glenross. I'm gonna look that one up.

Dave

If you are dead serious about purchasing a new 2004 Toyota (including Camry) at invoice or a 2005 Toyota (including Camry) at 3% above invoice, email me and I will give you the email of a quick and efficient no haggle salesman. The only stipulations are:

1. You must take a car that is presently the lot.
2. You must live outside of Missouri.
3. You must come to Mid-Missouri to collect the vehicle. You can drive or arrive by Greyhound or Amtrack and get picked up by them in your car!
4. Trade-ins aren't accepted. Its best for you to just sell it outright.
5. Tell others if you are happy, cheers!

Han snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com

Oh yes, and that pesky fee for paperwork is just $56. If you need financing and have good credit, the dealership deals with many banks and such. If you want your own bank to finance, is never a problem, they work with you to get bank all information they need. If you quick, you can be in an out in under an hour!

Not much of a deal here. Toyotas are available at below invoice pricing not including rebates. Don't be mislead by this offer.