Hard to argue with.
And so, with zero experience and every single family member available on that Saturday (Alex: “I’m not missing this. It’s going to be a riot”) – coincidentally my 27th birthday (just for a little added drama) – I took to the dealerships of Monmouth County New Jersey in an effort to secure my first automobile.
It went better than I expected (thanks in part to the bone dry humor of Bob at Volkswagon of Freehold), but much of that is thanks to my following the below how-to-buy-my-first-car steps – a customized set, but one I recommend to any prospective purchaser.
Step one: check your bank accounts
Sometimes it’s hard to remember exactly how much money you have (or don’t). You’re going to need at least $500-700 more than you think, so add that in to whatever numbers you’re working with (or aren’t). I recommend using a calculator because odd numbers can be difficult to add and subtract.
Step two: ask everyone you know what kind of car you should get
You should buy the car you want to buy, but it’s interesting to hear what kind of car other people think you should buy. In my case people did mention the car of my choice (a Jetta), but more often than not suggested cars insanely beyond my price range. “What makes you think I can afford that?!” I asked one colleague. “Well, you haven’t worn the same outfit twice since Christmas,” she said.
So in this case the lesson was sliiightly different, but no less significant.
Step three: reserve 3+ hours to spend on Edmunds.com
You know how TheKnot.com has every single feature you could possibly imagine and/or want for wedding prep? This is that but for car-shopping. Reviews, budget calculators, actual cars for purchase. I was slightly disappointed that they didn’t offer a feature where you can insert a picture of yourself into the drivers seat of any given car to see how you look in it, but I e-mailed them, so chances are that’ll be fixed.
Step four: make sure it isn’t Sunday.
Because car dealerships in New Jersey aren’t open on Sundays. That’s right. Not open for business one of the two days a week that people who work (so, people) are available to make a purchase.
Close on Mondays!! Hell, close on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays if you’re so concerned about your work/life balance, but Sundays?! Beyond logic.
Step five: select appropriate attire
The car-shopping outfit is a tricky one. You’re looking to say, I-can-be-responsible-for-monthly-payments but not I-have-plenty-of-money-to-spend. Also – and I know I’m going to get flack for this – most car salesmen are men. Just something to consider.
I went with a simple, thin-knit white T and yellow cropped jeans with my the highest cork wedges I have. My theory was that if I could comfortable drive the car in those shoes, it would work with any pair.
Step six: apply poker face
The key to buying a car is to not seem like you want or need to buy a car. You’re just looking, shopping, browsing. You don’t need to make a purchase today. You’re not moving clear across the country in 3 week. There’s no rush at all!
At the same time you have to be prepared with the exact price you’re willing to pay so that should you find something that may warrant you shifting from browse-mode to buy-mode you’re ready to start the negotiation dance. I haven’t negotiated goods since my semester abroad in Italy, and I’m not sure fresh tomatoes can be compared to an automobile, but apparently I did a good job. Dad: “I’ll never trust a thing you say again.”
Step seven: apply poker face to my mother…
Or, teach my mother the generally principals of the poker face. Within five minute of arriving at the first dealership she’d told Bob my entire story and pointed out the car she was pretty sure I’d buy.
After that it just takes patience, a couple test drives, remembering to test the radio, and seeing if you can fit your little sister in the trunk (critical). Piece of cake.
I’m one more shopping trip away from making the final purchase, but I can say with some degree of certainty that my first car shopping experience will have gone down with zero fights, zero tears, and zero crashes while test-driving.
Which is more than I can say for some of that tomato purchases in Florence…
17 comments
Comments are closed.
lol! I thought those places were only closed on Sunday in Bergen County, because ya know, everything is closed on Sunday there. I’ve never shopped for a car anywhere else, so I wouldn’t know.
If you’re buying out of state of Cali, be careful. I got dinged when I bought my car in NC and brought it into Cali – had to pay the difference in sales taxes. There’s a couple ways to get around this, but you’ll have to google them 😉
something to add to your list – if you have the flexibility, buy on the last day of the month. The salesmen are anxious to make sales that day and make deals they would otherwise not make.
I agree completely with you about step six! You always have to be willing to do the “walk out” (Seinfeld) and walk away from any deal and any car–no matter how cute you look in it or how well it compliments your ensemble.
And here are three really crucial additional considerations when getting ready to buy a car:
1.) Know your credit score! (Get your score from all three credit agencies. Be in the know.)
2.) Get loan pre-approval from your own bank! (Or better yet, check into a few local banks and see who will give you the best rate. Also, know that if you are planning on buying a used car, the interest rates and the length of the loan will likely vary depending on the year of the car.)
And 3.) –and this is a biggie–the actual price of the car isn’t whatever the dealership tells you they’re selling you the car for (including tax, title, doc fees, extended warranty, and whatever other add-on fees [many of which are nonsensical]); the actual price of the car is whatever the total cost of the loan is going to be. For example–a dealership may tell you that they’re “selling” you a car for $8000 out the door (meaning tax, title, doc fees, etc, are included), but when they come back to you with the paperwork for the loan, they will try to tell you that they were able to “go to work for you” with their banks and “earn your business” and get you these great payments of only $259 for 66 months on your $8000 car. Huh?! The car you thought you had negotiated down to $8000 dollars is now going out the door for over $17000 because the dealership is making you assume the position and they are going to try to make a boatload of money off of you through their financing department! $8000 financed at 6.00% for 5 years [60 months] comes out to $9300. So that’s total cost of your car–the total loan amount–not the $8000 you’ve negotiated through your considerable charms and persuasion and tough-dealing.
Basically a little forethought and preparation will go a long way in saving you some time and money.
I’ve actually been meaning to compile a good car shopping guide on my company’s blog for the non-car enthusiasts out there.
Good things to watch for.
1) New paint.
The only people who repaint their cars for the hell of it are motoring enthusiasts. Everyone else has a reason to have a car resprayed. Which would usually be to repair collision or rust damage.
Yes, this means clear coat wear is a good thing.
Note: This doesn’t apply to cars past a certain age. I’m painting my 280Z red because I’m still baffled as to how that thing could have left the factory painted white, with a red and black interior.
2. Know what you model you want before you hit the lots/classifieds. I mean know your stuff about it too.
For example, any late nineties – early 2000’s black Mitsubishi has more than likely been resprayed (see 1) if you can not see serious clear coat damage on the roof. This is normal for those cars.
Know what is offered with what, and how common it is. A 40th anniversary Ford Mustang is rather common, however a 10th anniversary RX-7 WILL sell for more than its other models.
3) Buy cash.
With the smaller lots and private sellers being able to purchase cash is ideal. When purchasing a sub-$5000 car, having a roll of hundreds in your pocket gives you the upper hand because if the seller wants to make money that day, they’ll have to come in under that amount. Keep the primary spending cash in one pocket, with a bit extra for TTL (Tax, Title, License) in another.
3. If you’ve got a friend who is a car guy with you bring him.
Not kidding here, car salesman hate us.
4. Get the car salesman emotionally invested in the sale.
This is taking their primary trick and turning it on them. Befriend them, be nice. Go on test drives, “love” the car. Really get him to spend his time on you thinking this will be an easy sale. Then mercilessly low-ball him when it comes time to sit down. Get him so invested he won’t let you walk away without the car.
My favorite line is: “Either the sale happens right now like this or it doesn’t happen at all.”
@Lissy:
Car dealerships are open here in Texas on Sundays.
I prefer the auctions though.
City auctions are great for seized cars which are generally in good shape, a tune up and AC recharge and you can flip them for a good profit.
Towing yard auctions are when the towing companies clear their yards which usually occurs every month. These are a mixed bag however. Just call the larger towing companies and ask when the auctions are.
Bank repo auctions are nice. Don’t expect to get in without a car dealers license though. If you’ve got a friend with one its generally worth hitting up because the cars are in great shape and you’ll still get something of a bargain.
Just FYI – a lot of states don’t have car dealerships open on Sundays because of old state laws that void contracts made on Sundays. For some reason these laws have never been removed from the books, so just to be on the safe side, most businesses don’t sign contracts on Sundays (i.e. car sales, real estate, etc.)
In light of your NYT rebuttal, “Dear Jessie, Car dealers are closed on Sundays and this is why. Love, a 20-something (not -nothing).”
A lot of car dealerships are closed on Sundays because of blue laws (as is the case in New Jersey.) But a lot of other car dealerships that are not held to blue laws are closed on Sundays because the people who work in car dealerships are… people. They are entitled to have one sacred day off where their manager can’t call and say “hey it’s going to be busy today can you switch your day off?” Moreover, after reading your piece, and the comments of others(read: “mercilessly low-ball the guy”) your advice is to essentially take away any prospect of your salesperson making any money. Most car salesmen make about $200 per week to supplement the $100 per sale on a new car due to “merciless low-balling” and with the economy the way it is, many don’t sell more than 20 per month and that’s a generous estimate. That comes out to a salary of about… $2800 per month before taxes and before you deduct health insurance, etc. Then, guess what, they have cars that they have to pay for, too, mortgages or rent, food for those who, you know, like to eat and other living expenses.
After all that is said and done, you expect those poor schumcks to work on Sundays????
On a personal note, my mother is a psychologist and I’ve worked in marketing for automotive retailers for a few years and I can tell you with certainty this fact: A prospective car buyer can go visit my mother in therapy for an hour, pouring out his/her darkest thoughts, sick desires, neurotic fears, etc and then later on go visit a car dealership to look at cars. That salesman will see THE worst side of that person than even the therapist did because people become so poisoned by reading advice such as yours.
But I also realize that just because your salesman isn’t going to make a whole lot of money on your purchase is not your problem. This is the best way to get you the best deal, straight from the horse’s mouth. You tell your salesman your situation, i.e. what you want to pay “out the door” which is a term that DOES include taxes, fees, doc fees, etc. Very important: if you were offered a price from another dealer, TELL YOUR SALESMAN. Don’t keep it a secret and play some stupid guessing game. If you want him to beat that price, he has to know what it is. If you simply say, “hey I want a VW Jetta with Navigation and black interior and I want to pay $X per month, can we do that?” your salesman will run it by his manager and as long as its reasonable, you’ll get the deal.
What I don’t understand is: what’s with all of this complete mind-game-nonsense?
In light of your NYT rebuttal, “Dear Jessie, Car dealers are closed on Sundays and this is why. Love, a 20-something (not -nothing).”
A lot of car dealerships are closed on Sundays because of blue laws (as is the case in New Jersey.) But a lot of other car dealerships that are not held to blue laws are closed on Sundays because the people who work in car dealerships are… people. They are entitled to have one sacred day off where their manager can’t call and say “hey it’s going to be busy today can you switch your day off?” Moreover, after reading your piece, and the comments of others(read: “mercilessly low-ball the guy”) your advice is to essentially take away any prospect of your salesperson making any money. Most car salesmen make about $200 per week to supplement the $100 per sale on a new car due to “merciless low-balling” and with the economy the way it is, many don’t sell more than 20 per month and that’s a generous estimate. That comes out to a salary of about… $2800 per month before taxes and before you deduct health insurance, etc. Then, guess what, they have cars that they have to pay for, too, mortgages or rent, food for those who, you know, like to eat and other living expenses.
After all that is said and done, you expect those poor schumcks to work on Sundays????
On a personal note, my mother is a psychologist and I’ve worked in marketing for automotive retailers for a few years and I can tell you with certainty this fact: A prospective car buyer can go visit my mother in therapy for an hour, pouring out his/her darkest thoughts, sick desires, neurotic fears, etc and then later on go visit a car dealership to look at cars. That salesman will see THE worst side of that person than even the therapist did because people become so poisoned by reading advice such as yours.
But I also realize that just because your salesman isn’t going to make a whole lot of money on your purchase is not your problem. This is the best way to get you the best deal, straight from the horse’s mouth. You tell your salesman your situation, i.e. what you want to pay “out the door” which is a term that DOES include taxes, fees, doc fees, etc. Very important: if you were offered a price from another dealer, TELL YOUR SALESMAN. Don’t keep it a secret and play some stupid guessing game. If you want him to beat that price, he has to know what it is. If you simply say, “hey I want a VW Jetta with Navigation and black interior and I want to pay $X per month, can we do that?” your salesman will run it by his manager and as long as its reasonable, you’ll get the deal.
What I don’t understand is: what’s with all of this complete mind-game-nonsense?
Great tips! It’s actually important to test drive a car before you buy it. Get a feel for it. A car will tell you if it is the one for you, and I’m not kidding about that. Didn’t you guys watch “Transformers”? LOL.
The post is written in very a good manner and it contains much useful information for me.
Buying a car is a serious undertaking. Regardless if it’s your first or tenth car, you always need to be careful before closing in on any deal. The first step is of course, having money. The budget you have will mostly determine what car you can purchase. If you’re slightly under the weather, then buying a used car is a good option for you. There are a lot of car dealers that offer vehicles with great mileage. Take your time to do research. Know the car’s specifications, if there were modifications done to it, and if possible, it’s previous owner. Don’t rush if you don’t want to find yourself stuck with a crappy car!
Another great tip that you shouldn’t forget is to ask for a mechanic’s help. He can make an honest estimate of what the car’s really worth and locate issues for you. In the end, the decision still lies within you so be sure that the car you’re buying really suits your taste and preferences.
It’s a good thing that you did your research and followed the right steps before deciding to finally buy a car. This helps you avoid any regrets in the end, especially step five. To me, it is the most applicable in almost everything, especially in buying a car or a house.
Thanks again for the great quality web blog posts that you provide. You’re writing skills are amazing and I’ll be coming back for updates.
PIC Bonus
This comment has been removed by the author.
Thanks for the nice blog. It was very useful for me. I’m happy I found this blog.
Auto classifieds