New car shopping...argh...

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

We have the GM car and lease a new car every 2 or 3 years. We use the GM Mastercard to accumulate enough points that we never put money down. We always have a car payment, but the payments are about 1/3 the amount as if purchase, and all maintenance is complimentary for the duration of the lease.
One of our leases is up in August, but GM sent us a postcard saying to come down, get out of your lease early, here are several additional discounts and points.

Our salesman last evening reminded me of a timeshare salesman. He was trying to fast talk us. We were saying we have been leasing GM since 1998 and we know the drill. Give us your best price, we will sign the papers and close the deal.

He insisted to us that we have to pay sales tax on the residual value of the car plus the payments. I told him that unless the law had changed, we only have to pay on payments plus value of rebates. He walked off to a manager and 10 minutes later came back with a price that was $40 month higher than the same exact car we leased 12 months ago.

I told him he was way off, and he got insulted. He challenged me back on the tax issue, told me the prices were higher this year. I looked at the price and told him, no, that is just about the same we paid last year. He took $40/month off. We countered at a price $90/month less and he told us we were crazy.

Today I called back, asked for the sales manager and requested that he re-work the deal with the proper tax, and to give us some extra off for having to deal with the pompous salesman last night.

He came back with a price $75/month less than last night's offer. No brainer, thank you! Sold!

One thing - our current lease payment is due tomorrow so if we want to get out of that payment we have to take possession TODAY. I'm waiting for him to email the paperwork to get going and we will pick it up at 3 PM



Perseverance pays off!

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I heard the best way to buy is in the resale market, and where you want to go.

I'm guessing our last car payment was the Pathfinder we sold when we got our "first-of-the-run" PT Cruiser in 2000, the most disappointing car we've ever had. It was a 6-month wait to get one, so we didn't have any problem passing it on.

Our newest car now has 110,000 miles and our oldest one has 225,000. We both really like our somewhat unusual older cars, and if I could, I'd drive a classic. A guy I volunteered with at a Florida golf course five years ago drove a Vega.

But, then, my newest lawnmower was made in 1988. Gotta go crank that sucker up and make some hay while the sun shines.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I told him he was way off, and he got insulated.

The roll type or the blow-in kind?

http://www.storycitybuildingproducts...Insulation.jpg

http://www.affordableinsulationmn.co...ion-matter.jpg

[wackymother Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wackymother]

We have the GM car and lease a new car every 2 or 3 years. We use the GM Mastercard to accumulate enough points that we never put money down. We always have a car payment, but the payments are about 1/3 the amount as if purchase, and all maintenance is complimentary for the duration of the lease.
One of our leases is up in August, but GM sent us a postcard saying to come down, get out of your lease early, here are several additional discounts and points.

Our salesman last evening reminded me of a timeshare salesman. He was trying to fast talk us. We were saying we have been leasing GM since 1998 and we know the drill. Give us your best price, we will sign the papers and close the deal.

He insisted to us that we have to pay sales tax on the residual value of the car plus the payments. I told him that unless the law had changed, we only have to pay on payments plus value of rebates. He walked off to a manager and 10 minutes later came back with a price that was $40 month higher than the same exact car we leased 12 months ago.

I told him he was way off, and he got insulated. He challenged me back on the tax issue, told me the prices were higher this year. I looked at the price and told him, no, that is just about the same we paid last year. He took $40/month off. We countered at a price $90/month less and he told us we were crazy.

Today I called back, asked for the sales manager and requested that he re-work the deal with the proper tax, and to give us some extra off for having to deal with the pompous salesman last night.

He came back with a price $75/month less than last night's offer. No brainer, thank you! Sold!

One thing - our current lease payment is due tomorrow so if we want to get out of that payment we have to take possession TODAY. I'm waiting for him to email the paperwork to get going and we will pick it up at 3 PM



Perseverance pays off!

Wow, that is so aggravating! I always wondered about those credit cards...it seems like since they know you're a captive audience, you might not get the best deal. But you find it works out? Your loyalty should be worth a lot!

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Right now there are a lot of new cars on the lots and prices are very negotiable.

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

Congrats on the new lease and being smart enough to outwit the salesman. I haven't considered a car lease. I could probably write the lease off as a business expense.

I was considering a full size Cadillac DTS. There are a bunch of them with low miles for under $12,000. I think 2011 was the last year they made these. I found one in Florida with 37,000 miles on it but the wife said no to a road trip home for now. We usually find good deals on cars in other areas of the USA. For some reason these cars are priced thousands of dollars lower than what I can find in WA.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Congrats on the new lease and being smart enough to outwit the salesman. I haven't considered a car lease. I could probably write the lease off as a business expense.

I was considering a full size Cadillac DTS. There are a bunch of them with low miles for under $12,000. I think 2011 was the last year they made these. I found one in Florida with 37,000 miles on it but the wife said no to a road trip home for now. We usually find good deals on cars in other areas of the USA. For some reason these cars are priced thousands of dollars lower than what I can find in WA.

We bought our two Missouri cars in Florida, and we bought our Florida car in Iowa.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

Our newest car now has 110,000 miles and our oldest one has 225,000.

What kind of car do you have with 225K miles?
DH drives a RAV 4 for work and it has 300K miles on it. (it's not ours, it belongs to the hospital)

I edited the typo, thank you.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

So we picked up the car and all went smoothly except that when the contract came out, it said 10K miles a year. We had agreed on 12 K. She got the manager that we spoke with this morning and they corrected it.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

What kind of car do you have with 225K miles?
DH drives a RAV 4 for work and it has 300K miles on it. (it's not ours, it belongs to the hospital)

I edited the typo, thank you.

2000 GMC Yukon, bought as a recovered theft with 10,000 miles on it 225,000 miles
2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, & 2006 Scion Xa, both 100,000-plus

Bought the Eclipse from a college kid and bought the Scion from a Russian son of the Russian father who bought it new, to settle the father's estate.

[easyrider Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close easyrider]

2000 GMC Yukon, bought as a recovered theft with 10,000 miles on it 225,000 miles
2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, & 2006 Scion Xa, both 100,000-plus

Bought the Eclipse from a college kid and bought the Scion from a Russian son of the Russian father who bought it new, to settle the father's estate.

Aha ! I knew you had commercial dealings with Russia.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Lock him up !

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Please.

[mpumilia Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mpumilia]

What kind of car do you have with 225K miles?
DH drives a RAV 4 for work and it has 300K miles on it. (it's not ours, it belongs to the hospital)

I edited the typo, thank you.

My husband has a 2004 RAV 4 with well over 200,000 miles. It needs some work and we are putting like $2000 into it right now to try to keep it going- tires, suspension, check engine light needs to be fixed, etc). My husband uses it to commute to work (100 miles round trip) and we are hoping for it to last until he retires in 3 years. No sense of buying a new car only to beat it into the ground with commuting at this point in life. We also live in a rural area so anywhere we go takes a lot of driving. Hope it lasts.

Our son also has a 2004 RAV 4 - also with over 200,000 miles on it. He commutes to work about 60 miles round trip and also lives in a rural area- so again- everything involves a lot of driving. The past few years he has had some repairs as it broke down a few times on the highway. Most recently his muffler fell off where they welded it the last time, so he has made his way to a Suburu dealership this week and is ordering a 2017 Imprezza Sport with specific things he wants and in a color he wants.He is 29 and didn't want an SUV anymore- but needed all wheel drive as it snows a lot where he lives. Will take 8- 12 weeks, so he will still be driving the RAV until then.

Those RAVS are good cars!

[emperorthyme Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close emperorthyme]

I got myself a Toyota Tacoma that I mostly use for outdoor activity like camping and fishing. Instead of a car, I'm actually looking for RV or trailer to upgrade the experience but I just repair my truck's fender flares and got a new tonneau covers for it.



Edited to remove commercial link