New Car Buying Service....

[jcountry]

OK.

I am a cheapskate.

The last new car I bought was nearly 15 years ago. I like driving beaters.

My wife, however-is of a different mind. As her car slowly decays into a decrepit old beater, I find myself in the unenviable position of needing to sort through the available options to locate a new red (go dawgs) Chevy Cruze 4 door for her. (Yeah, I know.... She loves UGA-and must drive a red car. It's a thing.)

I want to see what tricks y'all have found for finding the best deal. I know there are a million internet options these days, but I haven't used any.

Anyone tried the USAA car buying service? What about Sam's or Costco? Is there a way to find out the price the wholesale clubs can come up with short of actually buying a membership?

Above all, I HATE dealerships. No offense to anyone who works in the business, but I hate the places with a passion. Some people hate dentists or flying, or the thought of getting on a ship. I hate car dealerships. I'd like to find a deal online and avoid ever setting foot on a dealership beforehand.

Also-is there a way to look up dealer invoice? Is that even a real number anymore? (I remember being able to find it ages ago, but I hear the dealers have all figured out how to work that system. I am not interested in paying junk fees like destination charges or any protection package nonsense. I want a car at the best price, and no jibba-jabba.)

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[Edog537]

ODT classifieds?

 

[MILSURP Collector]

I used Carvana recently and it beat the dealers with a stick! I'll be using it when my son graduates college this summer too. Search ODT for the Carvana threads!

I have a $500 discount code that you can use if you decide to try them.

PM me if interested.

 

[Tazz]

You're definitely not alone in your hatred of car dealerships. Dealing with car salesmen/women just piss me off to no end. Smh....

 

[Hayata]

When I first saw how many cars were sold through Costco I was like:

http://fortune.com/2016/10/06/costco-cars-membership-program/

Never used them or USAA but will give them serious consideration in a couple of years.

Keep us posted on which service you choose and what you thought.

 

[albatros43]

Play the email game with several dealers. Don't visit the dealership until you have it all in writing. Also consider yourself fortunate that the car she's looking for is relatively inexpensive.

 

[MILSURP Collector]

Unless you plan to keep it 10 years or more you may want to consider buying used: The moment you drive your new car off the lot, it will depreciate by as much as 11 percent of its value.

On average, a new car will lose as much as 19 percent of its value in its first year of ownership. That means that your $20,000 new car will be worth about $16,200 after just one year. With each successive year, the rate of depreciation decreases significantly.

https://www.trustedchoice.com/insurance-articles/wheels-wings-motors/car-depreciation/

 

[biker_bill]

Play the email game with several dealers. Don't visit the dealership until you have it all in writing.

Great advice, I did that on the last one and got the best deal by far.

 

[albatros43]

Great advice, I did that on the last one and got the best deal by far.

I did that with the last two. It was pretty painless and prices varied pretty significantly. There is also zero pressure when you're exchanging emails.

 

[TapcoFan]

As a former salesman, I actually love throwing on a tie and turning the car purchase into an all day affair. That being said, if I had to buy a car for someone other than myself that wasn't a Land Rover, I would go to Costco. I imagine that it's similar to Carvana, at least price-wise. You get a good price already negotiated for you and it's very hassle-free.