^ Actually, what Entaille is saying is a good way to do it. Dealers like to play shell games, so taking away as many pieces they can play with makes it less likely for them to rip you off.

So the first thing to do is to negotiate a firm price on a car, then talk about trade-ins and financing.

One more common misconception is that people think they can negotiate a better deal by offering cash for the vehicle, when in fact, dealers make more money when people finance their vehicles since they get a percentage of the interest rate from the bank.

Of course, in the current credit crunch, this may not be the case anymore, and dealers may be more interested in getting cash to help with their cash flow problems.

 

Ok so I looked at the '03 touring car today.

The good. It was nice, low miles (40k), and fairly clean from what I could tell.

Now the bad:
Drivers side power seat didn't work.
There were some cd's stuck in the player.
a little plastic piece on the side of the seat was broken.
some rock chips on the nose.


He wants 14000 for it. Said he couldn't go any lower.

 

Found an 06 base model for 16k. It has 52k miles. Also found an 05 touring with 30k miles for 15,900. It has an Eibach Prokit, Nismo cold air, Megan cats and HKS single tip exhaust. Lastly I found an 04 base model with 54k miles for 12,999.

 

Ok, looked at another today. It was white touring model with the light colored leather and in very good condition. Really clean. It has 75k miles, though, which is a little higher than I want. I could tell the owner took really good care of it though so I feel like I could overlook the miles. I'd rather have a car with average miles for its age, that's been taken care of, than one with really low mileage that's been ragged.

He's asking 12,800 for it. The price is non negotiable. Deal, average, or bad deal?

 

Idk if I agree with your statement, while a well taken care of car would give better piece of mind, 75k is a lot of miles, almost double the mileage of some of the other cars you are looking at, miles that would take years for you to accumulate. You buy a car with 40k you have a good 2-3 years before you reach the 75k mark (average driving). You buy a car with 75k pretty soon you are getting up there and in need of some major maintenance and preventative maintenance costs. Just something to think about, don't skimp out, a thousand dollars could get you a car that is "years" younger in terms of use, even if they are the same model year.

 

You are right knils. I told the guy I would pass on the 75k mile car.

When I started thinking about maintenance of a high mileage car I decided it would be better to keep looking at the 40k mile car. It is still for sale. In fact I talked to the owner yesterday.

He still says 14k is as low as he can go. He got the seat fixed and had the front left hub rebuilt (I forgot to mention in previous post it was making a noise when slowing down/stopping). The cd player still has cd's stuck in it. Apparently he has some sort of insurance that covers repairs b/c he mentioned insurance paying for it. Anyway, I just don't think 14k is a good deal for an 03 model touring. What do you think?

There is also another '03 touring model about 3 hours away from me that has 15k miles! However the owner wants 16,000 for it. What is a fair offer you think? I offered 14k and they said no.

 

Try 15? 15k miles is golden... Might actually be worth close to 16.. check the kbb/nada on it. Think about it hard, but then again 16 could get you an 06 with higher milage or something as well... You have to weigh your options and what is really important to you.

Put it this way, every car has a value that it is worth. Some cars you will find priced right, some overpriced, and some under-priced. Be patient and find the right car and get a deal! There are deals to be had, people need cash all of the time.

 

Just wanted to update this post. I picked up an 05 Enthusiast model with 54k miles for a great deal. Lets just say it was less than all the 03 models I was looking at.

Here it is. Lowered some (think on tein springs), not sure how much...? I believe it is all stock otherwise. Already have a set of 370z sport wheels waiting to be put on.

 

Red is hot!