WayneLigon
Adventurer
Anyone have experience with a Honda Insight? I'm hoping to have enough for one by the time New Car Time comes around again. Hopefully it will do until we get fuel cell cars on the road.
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[OT] I hate car dealerships...
- Thread starter Paradoxish
- Start date
Although they are not everywhere, I hear good things about CarMax, but I think they focus on used cars.
Their strategy is also non-pressure. I believe that a salesdude is paid a flat fee for each car he sells, not a percentage, so the incentive to get you the right car for your needs is dominant.
And, the entire inventory is online. Have you all heard anything about them?
Their strategy is also non-pressure. I believe that a salesdude is paid a flat fee for each car he sells, not a percentage, so the incentive to get you the right car for your needs is dominant.
And, the entire inventory is online. Have you all heard anything about them?
Paradoxish said:
Sorry, but 28 mpg simply isn't "sipping" gas. I wasn't kidding about the Saturn approaching 40mpg. We've yet to clock it at under 35 mpg, and it's an automatic. Sure, there are SUV's that do far worse than your car, but it really isn't good, mileabge-wise.
Especially when there are hybrids out there that are not getting 50 and 60 mpg. Your 28 no longer sounds very impressive
I didn't think you were. I was merely extolling what I think are some frequently overlooked virtues.
Besides, thanks to the fact that I drive so many people around my gas is almost 100% paid for by people other than myself.
The fact that someone else pays for it does not make the number of dead dinosaurs infinite.
And, just as a note - there's absolutely nothing wrong with public transportation. Note that I'm talking about my girlfriend's car, not my own. I don't have one, because most often, I don't even need one, thanks to Bostonian public transport.
Mortaneus
First Post
Recently, I went on a cross-country trip and rented a '03 Pontiac Grand Prix from Hertz (through AAA for a discount).
My lord, that car is a joy to drive. It hugs the road, has a lot of power, and largely ignores bad road conditions. I was up in ontario, with about 3 feet of snow on the ground, snow covered roads, and it only slid once, and even then only for a moment, before the traction control kicked in.
It's expensive at $23k, but a really good car.
My lord, that car is a joy to drive. It hugs the road, has a lot of power, and largely ignores bad road conditions. I was up in ontario, with about 3 feet of snow on the ground, snow covered roads, and it only slid once, and even then only for a moment, before the traction control kicked in.
It's expensive at $23k, but a really good car.
Paradoxish
First Post
My problem with Pontiacs is that they depecriate really fast. It's like those cars can't hold their value for more than a month. The Grand Prix GTP certainly is a nice car, though, one of the few cars that felt almost as fast as my Maxima. Better handling, but overall I like the Audi Quattro all-wheel drive more. When I finally convinced the salesman to let me go for a test drive he forces me to go right over a huge patch of ice. Damn car didn't slip an inch.
Anyway, I also can't seem to get past the Pontiac interiors, though. They feel all gadget-y and weird to me. And the evil red guages that are like BMW guages, but bad. And there's something up with the way Pontiac gears their cars too. It's like they feel torque-y, and they seem to have power, but when you actually look at the speedometer you're not accelerating nearly as fast as you thought you were. It's weird. Or maybe I'm just way too picky. Heh...
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Tangent:
Not I. At 1800 lbs I was always worried that some soccer mom in a Lincoln Navigator would drive right over me and never notice. I do know people who have the Toyota Hybrid and are pretty happy with it. I look at the Insight as being on the cutting edge of technology, maybe something that will be more practical in another few years. I see the hybrid as usable now. IMHO anyway.
A friend of mine tells a sad story about running his A4 down an icy road coming back from Tahoe. Some kids in an old Camero thought that their car was as cool as the A4, so they tried to hang with him instead of giving up and falling back. Two RWD wheels are not as good as four wheels. I suppose its a cheap lesson to plant the rear of your car in the guardrail and learn 1) you are not Michael Schumaker 2) all cars are not created equal.
Not I. At 1800 lbs I was always worried that some soccer mom in a Lincoln Navigator would drive right over me and never notice. I do know people who have the Toyota Hybrid and are pretty happy with it. I look at the Insight as being on the cutting edge of technology, maybe something that will be more practical in another few years. I see the hybrid as usable now. IMHO anyway.
A friend of mine tells a sad story about running his A4 down an icy road coming back from Tahoe. Some kids in an old Camero thought that their car was as cool as the A4, so they tried to hang with him instead of giving up and falling back. Two RWD wheels are not as good as four wheels. I suppose its a cheap lesson to plant the rear of your car in the guardrail and learn 1) you are not Michael Schumaker 2) all cars are not created equal.
jdavis
First Post
Yea it sounds like you are in a whole differnt car bracket than a Saturn, I personally don't like Saturn's but the dealerships are supposed to be real good (we don't have a dealership within 150 miles of where I live though).
I think I have almost bought over 100 cars in my lifetime, the big trick is to know when to just say thank you but no and leave. There is always another car somewhere it just takes a little looking. They also hate it when you know more about their cars than they do so study up on the details. They want to sell you a car they have to sell you a car, if you are smart you have them by the nose. Pick the price you want and don't budge till you get it. make sure you get them to work for it, I like getting them to let me test drive all sorts of cars I have no intention of buying just to get them hoping before I get down to it. Of course I just love looking at cars.
I learned the hard way, I got caught with a big lemon and trusted them to make it right (I hate Paducah Ford), which they did, for them, for me it ruined my credit for 8 years. Never trust them, never have sympathy for them, never be afraid to get in their face and tell them they are wrong. Heck bring a magazine (consumer reports will really get some of them sweating), get quotes online, heck you can actually buy the car straight from most companies and have it shipped to the dealership of your choice, totally cutting them out of the deal. They are real annoying so have fun getting them to hop, a friend of mine got the sales person to take us to Hooters for lunch ($60 ticket total) as part of the car deal.
I think I have almost bought over 100 cars in my lifetime, the big trick is to know when to just say thank you but no and leave. There is always another car somewhere it just takes a little looking. They also hate it when you know more about their cars than they do so study up on the details. They want to sell you a car they have to sell you a car, if you are smart you have them by the nose. Pick the price you want and don't budge till you get it. make sure you get them to work for it, I like getting them to let me test drive all sorts of cars I have no intention of buying just to get them hoping before I get down to it. Of course I just love looking at cars.
I learned the hard way, I got caught with a big lemon and trusted them to make it right (I hate Paducah Ford), which they did, for them, for me it ruined my credit for 8 years. Never trust them, never have sympathy for them, never be afraid to get in their face and tell them they are wrong. Heck bring a magazine (consumer reports will really get some of them sweating), get quotes online, heck you can actually buy the car straight from most companies and have it shipped to the dealership of your choice, totally cutting them out of the deal. They are real annoying so have fun getting them to hop, a friend of mine got the sales person to take us to Hooters for lunch ($60 ticket total) as part of the car deal.
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Dingleberry
First Post
Talvisota said:
They do focus on used, and the entire inventory is online. They'll also transfer vehicles from one location to another if you're interested.
I recommend CarMax wholeheartedly. I've bought two cars there - absolutely painless, no haggling. I would've paid more for that convenience, and expected to - but it didn't cost me any more than I could've haggled at a dealership.
Here is my advice. Search the internet for the absolute lowest price on the car that you want. Internet deals are almost always better than deals at dealerships. Once you find the deal you want, go to your bank and get pre-approved for the amount you need. When you walk into a dealership with "cash" in hand ready to plop down on a car the price will come down quick. Just tell them that your bank has already approved you and you are not going to pay anything over what the bank has approved, period. My wife did this with her Tahoe and they came down from 29k on the lot to 24.5k out the door. Make sure you tell them you are paying X amount out the door. Otherwise they will try to stick you with higher taxes and what not.
schporto
First Post
Trip, don't just call your lawyer, call the police. You have the title. That car is yours. They either give it to you when you asked or it is theft.
As for not getting the respect you should when buying something. I still think its kinda fun. When I was buying a engagement ring I'd make sure I looked pretty ratty when shopping. Ya know didn't shave, baseball hat, jeans, etc. They'd end up showing me rings at about 1/2 the price I was looking at. I'd smile and say no, I'm looking at spending X. The apoplectic look is always fun. But that's me.
If they weren't willing to show me a ring for $X, I'd say that's nice, I'll go to the next store to spend my money. And I would NOT change my mind. I left. Even if they were beggin me to stay.
The economy sucks right now. You want to spend money. Milk it.
-cpd
As for not getting the respect you should when buying something. I still think its kinda fun. When I was buying a engagement ring I'd make sure I looked pretty ratty when shopping. Ya know didn't shave, baseball hat, jeans, etc. They'd end up showing me rings at about 1/2 the price I was looking at. I'd smile and say no, I'm looking at spending X. The apoplectic look is always fun. But that's me.
If they weren't willing to show me a ring for $X, I'd say that's nice, I'll go to the next store to spend my money. And I would NOT change my mind. I left. Even if they were beggin me to stay.
The economy sucks right now. You want to spend money. Milk it.
-cpd
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