As much as I hate the prospect of having to do so, we’re in the market for a new car. Well, not “new” new but new to us. Some unlicensed and uninsured turd decided to drive recklessly and now my wife’s car is totaled. So , now we get to look for a replacement vehicle.
Not buying new, just don’t want to drop that kind of cash for what she wants. Looking for a used, late model SUV. I’ve seen a bunch of ads for car buying services but, I don’t know anyone that has used one. Has anyone used Carvana, Vroom or any other online sites to buy a car? If so, would you mind sharing who you used and what your experience was like?
I dread having to look for a car so anything I can do to ease the pain would be good. Thanks
Sure wish I could help, sorry for your troubles. Hope the wife didn’t get hurt. From listening to a few recently, it doesn’t take a lot to total a vehicle now a days. Wife is looking to swap her car for a truck, so keep us posted what you find please.
Never bought a car from CarMax, but I enjoyed looking there. All the vehicles on the lot are unlocked. No pressure; you just walk around alone and find something you like, then go back inside and talk to someone about a test drive. I liked this approach because there were several trucks that I really liked there, but when I opened the door, you got hit in the face with cleaners masking smoke. I knew immediately those weren’t for me. It saved me time. All the similar vehicles were in the same spot too. You didn’t have to search all over. Trucks were here, SUVs were there, and sedans over there. Easy peasy.
You can also search their computers inside and they will deliver anything you find to that location. Depending on the type of car, there could/could not be a delivery fee, but I think if you purchase it that fee gets waved.
The only thing I don’t like about these new “dealers” nowadays is that its very difficult to haggle. People are just paying what these places say to pay. I don’t know how that started, but I blame the millennials.
KBB doesn’t help much these days, but there is some good information on Truecar.
And in the past, SCFCU has always had the best rates. Get approved for the loan before you go. Some of these places do financing, but you know how it is. Do your homework first so at least you know when you’re getting screwed.
Yeah, unfortunately MY insurance is going to have to cover our losses. I have good insurance and great company so I’m not worried about dealing with them. I just know what we get for her car won’t near cover the difference on a replacement.
It makes me so mad to think about how many people are driving with no insurance and all they get is a slap on the wrist. The state minimum is a joke but, it is the lawyers/legislators that refuse to increase and protect the people of SC.
Fortunately my wife was not seriously hurt so we’re thankful for that.
That and inventory. You are right 23, buying a vehicle is not the same as it once was. You used to be able to walk away from a deal and later that day or the next the salesman would call you and say… “I talked with my manager and we can go just a little lower…” The only leverage I had in my last purchase was the dealer wanted my old truck.
Yeah, I go into a dealership pretty much with a chip on my shoulder and tell them, “I am not buying today, I am getting prices.” I tell them I want their best price now and will go to other dealers to get their best prices. “If yours is the best, I’ll buy from you, if not, no hard feelings”. I don’t really like haggling but, not being able to do so puts you in a position of weakness. The current state of car sales certainly doesn’t help matters. Went to look at Subaru just because we never have and were told they would not even be able to get us a car until late October or November. It is hard to negotiate when they have nothing.
Subaru makes a dang good car. They aren’t sexy, but they are good cars. For the money, I don’t think you can go wrong with an Accord, but then again, those aren’t very fancy either. I know several people that have put 200k+ on Subarus and Hondas.
She loved her Highlander and wants another one but, we’re trying to expand our field of consideration in case we can’t find a Highlander we like and that is in our price range. Saw a few nice cars Saturday and eliminated a few as well. The Subaru Forester is nice but is a bit smaller that her Highlander. I just want her to be happy with whatever we get.
The problem starts with the legislature that won’t increase the penalties for driving without insurance and won’t increase the mandatory minimum. WHY? Because they are all lawyers.
Dang, too late. We already found a replacement. Funny though.
Found a 2021 Honda Pilot Special Edition with 16,000 miles in immaculate shape and, they actually were willing to do a little negotiating. Still has a lot of the factory warranty on it and came certified so it has a 7 yr/100,000 powertrain warranty. It has a lot of bills, buzzers and whistles we’ll have to figure out but, she really likes it.
The pain part is the back room crap. All the charges for worthless crap. Dealer prep. Going off a cliff insurance. Nitrogen gas in tires. Undercoating. Stain protection on fabric seats. UV protection.
When I worked at the Saturn dealership, no matter what, I was the one who checked in the car’s coming off the truck.
When I was done verification of vin#,I would spray the entire interior with scotch guard, interior protection. After the techs were done with the car’s inspection ,filling fluids etc.I had to install paint protection “wax”.
That package costs customers 299.00. If they didn’t want it, the charge was "dropped ".
That’s how the dealership makes money. Along with the service department. Not sales.
We bought this one from a local Honda dealership that we had dealt with a couple of cars before. It was actually pretty painless, they came down on their list price and since we didn’t finance anything it was pretty quick. The sales guy has emailed me twice and texted me once since just to see how we were liking the car. Good customer service.
