We'll be going to window shop for a car this weekend. our first to ever go near a car dealership. any tips?

Question

i was told never ever to go to a car lot if i am not yet sure what to buy. let alone talk to a salesman. we still have our old reliable buick car (bought pre-owned) so this will be our first "attempt" to buy a brand new one.

i still trust domestic cars so i am planning to visit 2 G/Ford dealership this weekend.

since this is our first time, shall we just go in their office right away or just breeze through the patking lot and window shop cars?

is there such thing as "Window Shopping Cars for Dummies 101 or something like that?

give us tips please?

we have 10 thou cash ready for down and may look for 20 thou price range.

we can wait til the early part of next year so we are really not in a hurry, but a salesman might make us buy it earlier.

Answer 1

CONGRATULATIONS!!....Making that move to buy a new car is a gutsy one...but it will undoubtedly benefit you and your family a great deal....My suggestions are to find one that suits your lifestyle....do you have 19 close friends that go with you everywhere?? Then don't buy the SMART car....You have your pet cat and yourself to "Lug" around?? Then don't buy a Cadillac Escalade XLT with that extra Horsepower....You know...just in case...LOL... Look at your needs....then you wants....

Check this article out for more advice...Good Luck! and Happy Shopping!...

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Coll...

Answer 2

if you have $10,000 dollars cash for down payment dont tell them that till after you agree on a final price you see a car is marked up probally $6000 for example if you pay 26,000 for the car  $6000 of your down payment goes to markup not to the car so get them down on the price as much as you can before you tell them about the down payment remember yoou will not get them to remove all the markup on the car the dealership has to make money too .. a good rule of thumb for buying a car is to find out the wholesale value and the MSRP value then offer them somewhere in the middle of those 2 numbers....

Answer 3

verify everything the salesmen says with another person. They tend to lie a lot. Good luck

Answer 4

First of all, buy a honda not a ford. Fords are not fuel efficient. Secondly, after a good bargain with the salesman, be willing to walk out of there if you do not like the price. the sales man will come chasing after you to buy the car. If he doesn't do that, he will call you the next morning for another deal.

Answer 5

First of all ignore anybody who doesn't know you but tries to tell you what car is right for you.  Especially someone prejudiced against Fords.  Fuel economy differences between similar Japanese and American are overwhelmed by the purchase price differences.

You're going to have to test drive some cars before you can decide anyway, so summon all your will power and go for it.

Don't go in the office, just hang in the parking lot looking at stickers.

In fact, don't go in the office at all.  They can't sell you a car if you don't walk through the door.  

If you do have to go in (for the bathroom or whatever), don't go inside one of those offices, and *don't* sit down in any of their chairs.

DON'T * DON'T * DON'T get into any discussions about monthly payments.

Tell them you're paying cash, or you'll finance through your credit union.

Tell them you're NOT trading in the old car.

All those discussions come later, when you've made a decision and done your homework.  You can find out how much a dealer paid for a car and offer 'em a couple hundred over that price.  You should end up substantially below the sticker price.

Answer 6

stand your ground -look the salesman directly in the eye and tell them firmly you are just looking  and will ask him if and when you need help .car salesmen are taught some really aggressive tactics so stay strong and don't let yourself be pressured into buying something on your 1st day out you'll regret it later on . remember that the end of the model year sales are just around the corner-usually starting in sept.when you'll get the best deals and the end of the month is the best time also(they have quotas to fill) good luck to you

Answer 7

On your first visit, do not take your checkbook. Your first visit should be for research and shopping only. Narrow down the make and models you think you might want. Let a salesperson help you with information about his cars, but don't let that be your only or primary source of information.

Then go home and spend a week researching online. Go to Edmunds.com and get prices, invoice prices, TMV prices. Learn everything you can about the cars you're interested in. Compare them online.

Go the car manufacturer's web site and compare models. Learn the models that have the featues you want.

Go to ConsumerReports.org and get reliability, safety,  and driving evaluation information. Which cars do they rate "Best Buy"?

Find web sites with owner forums (Google for "Honda forums" if you might buy a Honda). Current owners can tell you the good and bad about the car you think you might buy.

When you've narrowed down your choices, go back to the dealer and sit in the cars, test drive them on the street and on highway. Unless you've already narrowed down your choice to one or two cars, still don't take your check book.

Only take your check book when your know EXACTLY the car you want, know everything about the car, including prices, and know what you want to pay -- not monthly payments. Do not discuss monthly payments if you don't know the price of the car first.