So I bought a car...

[gwendolyngrace]

But I'm not sure if I did as well as I thought I did when I walked out of the dealership.

My major mistake was in allowing them to factor the trade-in price as if it were an allowance instead of a fixed and separate price, essentially.

Though etakyma says I did fine and should stop worrying.

It's a silver 2004 Subaru Impreza, 26,500ish miles, AWD/Auto transmission. They were asking $12,890 and I got them do make the deal so that the total cost, inclusive of taxes, fees, and my trade-in, was $12,174.

What I *should* have done was got them so that the total cost *of the car*, inclusive of (taxes and) fees, was $12,200, so that the *trade-in* came off of that total (making the cost to *me* $11,200), instead of being included in the total instead of in the overall cost.

A argues that I would never have got to that total.


Nonetheless I feel like I got fleeced a bit. ETA: It's a difference of about $450...in their pockets. Yup. I lost out a bit on that deal. Sigh.



Reassure me? Or tell me that I'm right and I should have pushed harder.

Oh - and name suggestions? Has to be someone who is Reliable, Long-Lived, and Selflessly Sacrificial. Remember that my current car's name is (Eric) Ashley-Pitt, Ashley for short, based on David McCallum's character in The Great Escape.



On another note - FA's servers are down, affecting the Park, and need a part that they won't be able to put in until tomorrow.

Comments

[chrystie69.livejournal.com]

OMG! the car is gone :( LOL that car got you through a lot and I hope the new one does as well. Sounds like you actually got a really good deal. Subaru's tend to run forever if you treat them right.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Well, it's not gone...yet. I need to fill out paperwork and get the insurance binder for the loan. But yeah...that much is a relief.

[visrose.livejournal.com]

I love my Impreza, so I think the price is great for a car that awesome!

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

I'm looking forward to AWD in winter. I agreed with the reviews that the low-end torque is a little lacking, but...it's got very low mileage and was treated well in its former life.

[hedwig-snowy.livejournal.com]

Well, usually it's preferable to work from the premise that you don't have a trade-in and get the best deal possible there and then work from a low blue book value for your trade-in and maybe bend a bit there but it sounds like they didn't give you much for your trade-in and, if it was running, it was probably worth at least $1,000. It looks, from your explanation that it was what? About $400 difference that pretty much just paid for the taxes and fees???

A slight fleece, IMO.

A.P.W.B.D...and paint it pink....or just call it Wulfric....

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

It's a total of $716 less than their asking price...but that's after the taxes. So... I think it's probably a wash.

They did go to $1000 for the trade-in, but the point is that it came off a slightly higher "price tag" than I thought I had been negotiating for.

[hedwig-snowy.livejournal.com]

Did you check Kelly before you went down there to know what your trade-in was worth?

http://www.kbb.com/KBB/Default.aspx

A little switch there at the end after you were working from a different set of numbers eh? Yeah, they like to do that as well by not giving you precise figures (or multiple ones) through the process.

The last car I bought was for my wife. We didn't HAVE to get it (if anyone ever really does) and we had the salesman go back to the manager 4-5 times. On the 4th time, I wanted them to toss in some floor mats (~$89). He came back and had added them but also increased the price $89. So, I had him go back and told L that this was enough and that if they balked at this we'd just walk. He was probably happy to see us get the car and even happier to have us leave... :)

However, there was no trade-in, but from my experience you get the deal and then introduce the trade-in.

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, I knew all the figures - this is the 4th car I've bought and ALL have been used, but this is the first I've purchased from a lot. All the others have been private sales (and no trade-in, obviously).

The guide that I've used for my last 3 buys says to negotiate the other way around - trade-in first and then car, but yes, the point is to negotiate each one as a separate transaction - the car prices do not mix.

My car isn't worth anything, really, and I knew from the last time I negotiated that $1,000 was fair. My car's only worth $890 on KBB--if that, given that the transmission is seriously about to drop.

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Pop in and speak to the manager and try to walk out with a slew of 50% off repair-and-mainenance coupons that would equal 400-ish or so?

[gwendolyngrace.livejournal.com]

Nice idea, but no. They are a very small lot (~50 cars?) and they are 17 miles away from house.

car name

[bosvyle.livejournal.com]

Suggestion: Bob Hope. Sturdy performer, looooong life, gave and gave and gave, and he could sing a little. :)
I've never bought used, but buying a car, pretty much any car, is a gamble. The odds always favor the dealer.

[briony530.livejournal.com]

Didn't get here first, but I join the chorus of Subaru owners. I LOVE my Subaru, and would gladly never buy anything else at this point. AWD = great in winter. Mine is 10 years old, 120,000 miles and still gets 30 mpg or more on the highway to Pennsic. Barely ever a problem with it. Damn thing drove with one cylinder busted for a week before we could get it looked at and I barely noticed.

[irinaauthor.livejournal.com]

Reliable, Long-Lived, and Selflessly Sacrificial

Um...Moses?

Congratulations on the car!