The last car I purchased was the sticker price.. several years ago. But now with the internet and all, I plan on bringing my dealer tons of papers that will reduce the car $$. Anybody know where I can go to get information like this? Thanks alot. ~~Nine7Max

 

For starters, http://www.kbb.com Kelly Blue Book Site.

 

Try the following:

http://autos.yahoo.com
http://www.edmunds.com
http://www.autosite.com

There are a bunch of others, but these will give you a lot of information. Look up the invoice price, price for options, and any dealer markup. This information will give you a good idea of what a good deal would be. Good luck!

 

http://WWW.CARSDIRECT.COM/
Two people in my neighborhood bought their car this way.
They were very happy with the service.

 

Never buy new. Just throwing money away. Narrow your search down to the car you want and buy it pre owned.
Use autotrader.com to get a feel for supply and demand in your geographic area so you know what is a good deal and what is not.

I picked up my 97 se for 12000 a year ago with 60000 miles. It is loaded except for leather and wood trim. I was originally looking at a 99 se loaded and saved at least 8 grand buying pre owned. I am a cheap bastard to though.

Just my thoughts good luck

 

In addition to determining the real invoice price, look for discounts, rebates, etc., as well as the dealer hold-back. The hold-back is a sum of money that the manufacturer gives to the dealer after selling the car. This is where the profit comes from, even when they sell the car at "$1 over invoice". So you can actually negotiate to below the price of the car. And don't buy any undercoating crap or maintanence contracts that they'll try to push for extra profit.

 

The Maxima's a great car, but they do depreciate considerably after about 3 years. There are also a lot of used ones out there, so it makes sense to be patient and get a good low mileage one.

 

I do notice that fact--that Nissan's don't hold their value as well after a few years as its competitors--especially hondas and Toyotas.

That is actually good because in two years or so I would be looking for a 99SE limited...those suckers are the best I think of the 97-99 crowd...but right now they still are quite expensive.
I would assume that in 2002 or 2003, the price of the 99 would be about what the 96 or 97's are now.

 

Used is definitely the way to go; that depreciation premium of 30% for the first two or three years is a hefty one to pay. Besides, the money you save makes for a nice stereo (or mods) budget.

 

then start off at http://www.edmunds.com
Make sure to take note of their "Fair Market Value" and scour their incentive/rebate pages

If you want to try to negotiate on your own, try http://www.fightingchance.com . This is probably the most info you can get in 1 shot.

If you want to avoid all the hassles _and_ get the lowest price, try http://www.carbargains.com
I'm amazed at how many people look into them and decide not to use them. Everyone I know who has tried them will never buy a new car without them again.

All that being said, you are _MUCH_ better off _NOT_ buying a new car. For example, 2001 20th anniversaries are going for near sticker, while 2000 SEs go for significantly less.
I can only imagine what 2000 GXEs go for.
For that price difference, get a custom exhaust, and improved suspension for a fraction of the cost and smoke the 20th anniversary. For GXEs, add a custom stereo and go all out for a custom interior.

The only time I can see buying new are leasing if you can write it off, or any car with large incentives/rebates (Mazda Millenia S, as an example)

 

It's funny I totally disagree. I always buy new (now) since I've got burned so many times with used cars. The deal with used cars is you never know ... did they change the oil, did they maintain their car with the cheapest crap they could get (ie. 79 cent oil), did they drive the car like an animal and then "pretty up the car" for resale. You just never know. I do know that my max has always seen synthetic oil changes, quality parts going into it, and has never been abused. No reliability questions there. The peace of mind to me is worth the extra dough (I don't want to be stuck somewhere for something I never caused). Just my 2 cents ... everyone is different.

 

re: carbargains.com
This sounds very similar to the approach fool.com recommends. Pretty much you fax a bunch of dealers your requirements, tell them you're taking bids from area dealers, then pick the lowest one and try to talk them down some more. If you don't mind doing the legwork, you can save yourself the additional $165 the service costs.

re: compu_squid
I'll concede there are some unknowns and a certain "sketchy previous owner" factor, but you can mitigate a lot of that risk (ugh, that sounded way too much like something I'd hear at work). With all these pre-owned certification progams, you get a car that's been checked over and often comes with an extended warranty. Mine had low enough mileage that I'm still covered by the factory warranty until March. And with all the internet car sites, you can hunt around until you find something that meets whatever criterea you want.

 

Tha "fax-machine" method is well advocated, except that carbargains will _still_ get you a lower price (at least that's what I've been told from users, and carbargains tells why on their site). Basically, dealers take carbargains more seriously than an individual.

 

I would also suggest that you bring copies of the webpages you get from Kelly Blue Book(KBB) or Edmunds.

I've seen dealers pull these tricks before, putting a supposedly "authentic" KBB sticker on their sticker price. So when they act "all suprised" when you tell them how much the car is Really worth, you pull out your copies and ask them how old is the Kelly Blue Book they are using? hehe.

 

yeah, so I lose 3K, but to me its piece of mind. I buy cars to keep them awhile, so it makes sense to me. Especially all those leased cars at the drags... or the Drive it Like You Rented it mentality. For people who get a good deal on used, more power to you. For me, I just sleep alittle better at night knowing that anything dumb crap that happened to my vehicles, I did myself

BTW, I think all the internet has done is push prices closer to invoice. The dealer will have to survive on the holdback. I dont usually argue with the holdback, they have to keep the lights on. (again, more power to you if you're into haggling like that).

 

when my dad went to buy his new (used '99 RX300) form Lexus Pre-owned, we brought in kelly's blue book, and edmunds.com printouts of the SUV with its options, and simply highlighted the price. He gave them $700 over that because of the Lexus pre-owned warantee, know your price and don't settle for anything over, you'll probably win if you leave theyll call you back in a couple days. Well he saved $2500 by doing this so I suggest it to anyone else.

PJ