I hope you didn't go there alone, without someone else that has done that before. My advice is to find someone that has done the car buying thing before. Car salesmen don't have their horrible reputation for nothing dude! It's almost like a sport. You need to strategize and plan ahead of time. I also recommend NOT going to Car Max. I've had too many coworkers and family members screwed by their shitty cars. Although, their warrantee is pretty great (the sad thing is, you will really need the warrantee from them). Look at the newer Nissan Sentras out there. My sister just picked one up on the cheap and it only had 17,000 miles on it! Plus,, it gets amazing fuel economy and is a nice looking car. And remember, the rule of thumb is that you WILL be spending at least $1,000 more than you go in their expecting to pay! Don't be afraid to be an ass to them and say "no thanks" and start to walk out. They are ALL on heavy commission, so they need YOU a lot more than you need them. They'll do anything.
Actually I did go there alone. The parentals thought it would be good 'experience' for me to try it alone.
And yeah I have considered carmax but wow the one over at Dulles only had cars that had upwards of 30,000 miles or so and almost cost the same as a new car. I agree with you that they do sell some shitty cars, my dad got a jeep from them and has been having a ton of problems with it ever since he bought the thing.
Oh I emailed the Fairfax Hyundai dealer about their weird ad price that included the discounts and they told me again that it included everything already in the price. So I then asked them how can you advertise a price that includes discounts most americans cant/wont be eligible to get and apply to the car. I sent that email around 7:40pm or so last night and as of yet so far today no reply..hahaahaha. (Incidentally I am posting this at about 11am).
Hmm just saw the Sentra...not a bad looking car. Decisions decisions!
My advice is to decide on a make and model that you want while doing all the research online that you can. Also talk to other people who own the same car, whether it's on the street or people you know. The dealership should be the last stop; i.e. buying your car (if you decide to get it from a dealership). Blair is right; expect to pay more than what they advertise. What you don't see are the options packages and other fees like handler's fees, prep fees, miscellaneous fees, DMV registration and licensing fees, etc; they will add up. Expect to pay atleast $1,000 more than what the dealership advertises. Most of the time, the car comes with the bare minimum. If you want floormats, a radio/cd player, decent speaker system, etc. (other goodies that you'd expect to come with the purchase of a new car
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And yeah I have considered carmax but wow the one over at Dulles only had cars that had upwards of 30,000 miles or so and almost cost the same as a new car. I agree with you that they do sell some shitty cars, my dad got a jeep from them and has been having a ton of problems with it ever since he bought the thing.
Oh I emailed the Fairfax Hyundai dealer about their weird ad price that included the discounts and they told me again that it included everything already in the price. So I then asked them how can you advertise a price that includes discounts most americans cant/wont be eligible to get and apply to the car. I sent that email around 7:40pm or so last night and as of yet so far today no reply..hahaahaha. (Incidentally I am posting this at about 11am).
Hmm just saw the Sentra...not a bad looking car. Decisions decisions!
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http://www.kbb.com/
http://www.consumerreports.org/
My advice is to decide on a make and model that you want while doing all the research online that you can. Also talk to other people who own the same car, whether it's on the street or people you know. The dealership should be the last stop; i.e. buying your car (if you decide to get it from a dealership). Blair is right; expect to pay more than what they advertise. What you don't see are the options packages and other fees like handler's fees, prep fees, miscellaneous fees, DMV registration and licensing fees, etc; they will add up. Expect to pay atleast $1,000 more than what the dealership advertises. Most of the time, the car comes with the bare minimum. If you want floormats, a radio/cd player, decent speaker system, etc. (other goodies that you'd expect to come with the purchase of a new car ( ... )
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