Anybody know about buying cars or just recently bought one?

[marroncream]

The price on the scion site says the tC is around 17,000 but my dad went today to look in person and the price they had on the window was 22,000-23,000. that is so much more than the manufacturer's price...I was wondering how much the dealers usually take off and how much taxes and license fees would cost..if you've recently bought a car from a dealer how much more was it listed than from their website??
is it possible to buy the car directly from the website? thanks guys i'm really bumming right now cause the car i want is too expensive..and i might not get it... http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

[marroncream]

The price on the scion site says the tC is around 17,000 but my dad went today to look in person and the price they had on the window was 22,000-23,000. that is so much more than the manufacturer's price...I was wondering how much the dealers usually take off and how much taxes and license fees would cost..if you've recently bought a car from a dealer how much more was it listed than from their website??
is it possible to buy the car directly from the website? thanks guys i'm really bumming right now cause the car i want is too expensive..and i might not get it... http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_frown.gif

[Lexie]

I recently purchased a 2005 Honda Accord and paid $400 below invoice. Do a lot of research before you go so you do not get rip off. The sales people are notorious. I will emphasis again: DO THE RESEARCH. Go to www.carsdirect.com (http://www.carsdirect.com) to find out what they are charging for the same car in your area. Carsdirect work with dealerships in your area so if they find a car that meets your need, you go and pick it up there but if you prefer to go to the dealerships on your own to buy one, at least you know the price range. Carsdirect is the lowest price around but sometimes there are incentives that we do not know about so sometimes the dealerships offer it slightly lower. Carsdirect quoted me $19870 for the automatic 4 dr sedan LX. But a local dealership was selling them at invoice of $19035 so carsdirect is not always the lowest. Also be aware of the fees. Ask what the out door price is, not just the price of the car. If you have a trade, sell it yourself. If you pay MSRP price, you paid too much. Good luck.

[Carly]

I think the price sometimes depends on the area it's being sold in. Maybe the $17,000 is the starting price on a base model tC, and the ones your dad saw had more options to them. Car dealerships are tricky and before buying any car it pays to do your homework. I've learned a lot in the past year after having some interesting experiences with car dealers. On a brand new car, most dealerships will not move on the price of the vehicle. Because they have no room to work with the price like they would with a used car that was traded in for a few thousand less than what they'd sell it for. So be prepared to be paying close to sticker price, plus tax & title (not sure how much), and probably Gap insurance since it's a new car. I have two cars that were purchased recently. One is a 04 Civic Ex two door, and the other is an 02 VW Jetta. I got a good deal on both cars but since they are loans, once interest adds up you usually end up paying a decent amount more than what the car is worth. But that is one of the things you get with borrowing money like that. I'm not sure if you'll be taking a loan out or if you're just going to buy it outright, but that makes a significant difference in price. My civic books at around $17,000 and I owe $19,700 on it. And my Jetta books at around $10,000 and I owe $12, 755 on it. Bad, but not TOO bad. Well I hope that helps you some. Good luck with getting your car! http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Carly]

I think the price sometimes depends on the area it's being sold in. Maybe the $17,000 is the starting price on a base model tC, and the ones your dad saw had more options to them. Car dealerships are tricky and before buying any car it pays to do your homework. I've learned a lot in the past year after having so

[marroncream]

hey Lexie and Carly thanks soo much for your help.
Lexie: i went to carsdirect to try to see different prices that are being offered in my area but don't know how...do i go into the research tab?? i went to new cars and it just sent my info a dealer...also how do I purchase a car online from there?? I just went to the dealer's website http://www.melodyscion.com/New-Scion-Pricing.aspx and it says the 17,315 MSRP i'm not sure if that's the price that they are offering but i went to another dealer's website near me and it says the same price and i'm a bit confused since doesn't different dealers prices vary?? i'm basically not thinking of getting any options so does that mean i'm only looking for the base price?? thanks!!!

Carly: I guess it is possible that the car my dad saw probably included alot of options, and we're not planning to get any.

thanks so much for your help you guys. Would you mind if i asked you guys more questions later on? i think i'll have some more.. http://community.icompact.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
Also do you guys know the time of year when they start to lower the prices more because of new inventory for 2006? sept? aug?

thanks again

[Lexie]

Here is the website:

http://www.carsdirect.com/home

Select the Make:
Select the Model:
GO:
Enter your zip

I did a search for my zip and only the 2 dr coup came up and the price is $16515 w/ no option and there are no incentives. My guess it is either a very popular car or it is not. Usually Carsdirect is several hundred less than MSRP for most cars (due to the large volume that they sell & manufacturer incentives) but for this car, carsdirect's target price is the same as the MSRP. This price includes the destination charge of $515.

[marroncream]

Hey lexie, I did what you told me and for my area code it came up with also 16,515. So does this mean that dealers should be charging this avg price give or take several hundred?? if the dealer charges any more for this car they're trying to rip me off?? If I want to buy this car online would i have to go to a dealer to do a credit check?? How would that work? would i pick it up at the nearest dealer?? Thank for helping me on this, i have no experience whatsoever buying a car so i need to do really ask around....thanks LEXIE!!!

[Lexie]

Sorry, I have not been checking in lately.

If you have not purchased the car already, you can print this quote and take it to your dealers and use this to negotiate. The $16515 does not include the option but you can also print the sheet from Carsdirect for the different options. I know that most dealers will charge 30% to 40% more on the same options. If you order it through Carsdirect. They will find the car in your area, provide you with the cost of the car and you go to the dearship to test drive it and if you like it, you buy it. You may or may not get this price depends on the demand for this car. Shop around locally to see what the other dealers are charging for the same car. This is the best way to find out if you got a good deal or not. Good luck and enjoy your new car.

Make sure that you do not get rip off in fees. The only fees you should be paying for are handling and processing fee of no more than $300 (most dealers charge it - to process your paperwork, etc), state and local tax and a lien/title fee (mine was $30) to when applying for a loan. Make sure you research the extended warranty (do not buy 3rd party) on line and find out the prices before you go if you decide to buy EW. The dealers will lie and rip you off. This is my experience at the Honda dealer. I ended up cancelling my EW. They charged me $400 more than what I could get on line and they repeatedly told me that after I cancel it, I could not get another warranty for the same car. Not so said American Honda. I can buy another one any time within 3 years. I hate dealerships and do not envy anyone in the market for a car. My advice is research the car, the market and understand as much as you can about EW so that you can go in and ready to negotiate otherwise, you walk out feeling like you feel cheated - financially & intellectually.

[marroncream]

thanks lexie...i actually went into the dealership to take a peek....scion has this pure pricing concept where all dealership has to offer the set price that is non negotiable and hassle free...so that's good for me...even though i'll still take a look at a few dealership before buying mainly to look at the colors displayed on the car to help me pick one out...thanks for all your help lexie...you were a big help and i will definitely do my research b4 buying...thanks i'll let you know when i do finally get it..probably in a couple of months...thanks