First time buying a car from a Dealer

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tek

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#220113 26-Jul-2017 18:20

Evening all.

So I'm in the market for a new vehicle so I wandered down to the Mazda Dealer today after seeing something online. The previous car I purchased was done privately.

So I would like to know if there is anything I can watch out for when talking to the salemen about pricing and finance or any tricks I can pull to make it benifitial for me :)
I've always been told to never pay sticker price, but after looking around at other dealers/privately for the same vehicle, it's actually not a bad price.

Any feedback and advice is welcome! :)

Cheers

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#1831786 26-Jul-2017 18:45

If they wont negotiate on price try for some extras, car mats, tow bar, tinted windows, full tank of gas, free service, warranty, things like that. Doesn't cost them a whole lot but may be of value to you. Other than that I can't think of anything to be aware of. If you have found the car you like at a price you are happy with then there is little more to it. Confirm it is fully serviced and fueled up before you drive it out the door. Only other thought is you can get an independant inspection if you are concerned about condition.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Batman

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#1831806 26-Jul-2017 19:17

There are reasons why it's a good price - they want to get rid of it. If it's a reputable dealer, eg Mazda franchise, you should be able to trust them, anything wrong just bring it back. They have a reputation to protect, unlike, say 2cheapcars.

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#1831816 26-Jul-2017 19:37

scuwp:

If they wont negotiate on price try for some extras, car mats, tow bar, tinted windows, full tank of gas, free service, warranty, things like that. Doesn't cost them a whole lot but may be of value to you. Other than that I can't think of anything to be aware of. If you have found the car you like at a price you are happy with then there is little more to it. Confirm it is fully serviced and fueled up before you drive it out the door. Only other thought is you can get an independant inspection if you are concerned about condition.

my 6.7c

- when a car yard sells a car "fully serviced" - they do an oil change + oil filter. and consumables that you can see eg windscreen wipers. that is nowhere near serviced. an old car will have bits that need replacing that you cannot see.

* OP if you want your car serviced request that they perform the nearest "major" service on the service schedule. (there are "minor" and "major" service schedules)

- independent inspection - no need for a proper dealer. yes for caryard. trouble is, i don't trust these independent garages and the AA. they cannot pick up things that they can't see, and when i sold my car, the buyer asked me to take to the AA for a check - they did little other than take a good look, yet their report contains things that they obviously made up - like engine compression test. which made me believe the other "pass" were probably also all lies.

* OP if you want an independent inspection take it to the dealer of the make. So if Subaru take to Subaru dealer. they know what to look for. not some random mechanic who deals with all kinds of cars whereas a Subaru dealer deals with Subaru and nothing else. I won't worry if you're buying a Mazda from a Mazda dealer unless they appear to try to tell you you're buying as is where is. in which case report back here.

xpd

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#1831820 26-Jul-2017 19:43

Find the same sort of car at another dealer - and start playing them off against each other.... "but hes $2k cheaper AND throwing in a new stereo".... they'll eventually both come to a stop but at least youve got some perks and/or money saved :)

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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tek

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#1831823 26-Jul-2017 19:54

Awesome, thanks for the quick replies guys :) Will take all these points on when I go back over the weekend.

I am looking at a Mazda 3 (2014) in the $30,000 range I should add. I have found a 2nd dealer with the same model cheaper, but which has done more km's. I will be taking up the offer from the 1st dealer to test the one I saw today over the weekend to see if it's what I like with no salesman pressure and possibly take it to the 2nd dealer to compare ware and tare.
One has very low, almost new km's and the other has near 100,000km but is $5k cheaper. Identical features and specs. I might play them off each other for better % on the part I'm financing.

I have heard great things about buying from a dealer compared to a yard, so it's almost worth eating the extra cost for the minimal frustration in the future.

scuwp

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#1831826 26-Jul-2017 20:04

Finance or cash means little these days as far as bargaining power IME.

If you can afford it I would be without question going for the model with low km vs the one with 100 k's. Particularly if you are going to keep for a while. $5K difference for the extra mileage sounds about right.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Bung

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#1831827 26-Jul-2017 20:04

Batman:

- independent inspection - no need for a proper dealer. yes for caryard. trouble is, i don't trust these independent garages and the AA. they cannot pick up things that they can't see, and when i sold my car, the buyer asked me to take to the AA for a check - they did little other than take a good look, yet their report contains things that they obviously made up - like engine compression test. which made me believe the other "pass" were probably also all lies.

Some quick compression "tests" are just comparisons of current as the starter cranks over. The absolute values could be rubbish but it shows whether each cylinder has similar compression.

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frankv

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#1831830 26-Jul-2017 20:07

Don't believe a word they say.

Try to haggle the price down a K or 2K.... you should be able to get something, especially if they haven't been able to sell it for a while. They have haggling skills too (e.g. go and ask the manager if your offer is good enough), probably better than yours.

Figure out what you'd be happy to pay and be ready to walk away if they won't come down to that.

Don't agree to anything happening *after* you buy the car. You want to *see* any fixes/add-ons before you buy.

They'll probably try to sell you a whole lot of stuff you probably don't need or want (finance, mechanical insurance, breakdown insurance, insurance). Usually this is much more expensive than from other sources.

If someone trades in a low-value (say $5K or less) they'll try to move it on quickly with minimal/no tidy up or grooming. You could get a bargain.

Ask what warranty is included.

Ask lots of questions; they have to tell you the truth if you ask about something, but they don't have to volunteer anything.

mattwnz

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#1831852 26-Jul-2017 21:08

Car dealer's are pros at what they do. So you will want to skill up on how to bargain if you want to maximise your discounts. I would try to keep it as simple as possible and not ask for add-ons, as a method to get s better deal. You can buy add-on stuff later. There are videos YouTube on how to deal with car dealer's during the negotiation stage

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#1831858 26-Jul-2017 21:19

mattwnz: Car dealer's are pros at what they do. So you will want to skill up on how to bargain if you want to maximise your discounts. I would try to keep it as simple as possible and not ask for add-ons, as a method to get s better deal. You can buy add-on stuff later. There are videos YouTube on how to deal with car dealer's during the negotiation stage

It helps if no one wants to buy it. So depends on the climate. If everyone wants to buy the near new Mazda why would he budge?

If I were the OP I'd buy a near new Ks car vs 100,000ks. Think about something you use everyday that takes abuse - your walking shoe (add: toothbrush, mattress, pillowcase, tyres, jeans). If you can buy a demo shoe vs a shoe that's been worn 16 hrs a day in the farm for a whole year for 15% difference in price ....

plod

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#1831889 26-Jul-2017 22:11

tek:
Awesome, thanks for the quick replies guys :) Will take all these points on when I go back over the weekend.

I am looking at a Mazda 3 (2014) in the $30,000 range I should add. I have found a 2nd dealer with the same model cheaper, but which has done more km's. I will be taking up the offer from the 1st dealer to test the one I saw today over the weekend to see if it's what I like with no salesman pressure and possibly take it to the 2nd dealer to compare ware and tare.
One has very low, almost new km's and the other has near 100,000km but is $5k cheaper. Identical features and specs. I might play them off each other for better % on the part I'm financing.

I have heard great things about buying from a dealer compared to a yard, so it's almost worth eating the extra cost for the minimal frustration in the future.

a brand new one starts at $29,999.

ajobbins

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#1831914 27-Jul-2017 00:48

@Nate may have some useful insight

Twitter: ajobbins

lxsw20

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#1831916 27-Jul-2017 00:52

plod:
tek:

Awesome, thanks for the quick replies guys :) Will take all these points on when I go back over the weekend.

I am looking at a Mazda 3 (2014) in the $30,000 range I should add. I have found a 2nd dealer with the same model cheaper, but which has done more km's. I will be taking up the offer from the 1st dealer to test the one I saw today over the weekend to see if it's what I like with no salesman pressure and possibly take it to the 2nd dealer to compare ware and tare.
One has very low, almost new km's and the other has near 100,000km but is $5k cheaper. Identical features and specs. I might play them off each other for better % on the part I'm financing.

I have heard great things about buying from a dealer compared to a yard, so it's almost worth eating the extra cost for the minimal frustration in the future.

a brand new one starts at $29,999.

Yeah if you want the poverty spec version.

Geese

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#1831919 27-Jul-2017 03:37

My tip would be, on road costs can only be actual costs to get it on road, so registration, warrant of fitness, and petrol. Several dealers tried to charge $700-$1000 for orc, charging for extra things like mats, well comcom told me that's very naughty practice. The car I ultimately bought, on their price list had $300 orc but I got it free anyway.

kiwirock

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#1831921 27-Jul-2017 04:53

I wouldn't spend $25,000 on 100,000K's in a petrol engine unless you're ready for cambelt/tensioner/waterpump/cv's/battery etc... It maybe quite new in terms of years, but the engine's already seen similar k's to a 10 year old $12K Nissan in terms of miles.

You could ask if it's had it's full 100,000K service according to Mazda, or just a fluid change service to get it sold and for that price, be fussy with a full service history. That's a lot of K's in 3 years if you only did a few oil changes during the bulk of it.

Ask if they imported it or if someone traded it in to their yard. Also ask if they bought it from another dealer within NZ. If the last dealer wouldn't sell it, it's probably not worth buying.

Get a good warranty that covers even gaskets, and if a manual, synchros etc... They will usual bargain on the warranties.

A compression check will tell you a little bit about the condition of the cylinder and valve seal. It won't tell you anything about the bearing wear throughout the engine or transmission if you look at the 100K car. A quick lube change makes that near impossible until a year down the track.

Make sure you have a good warranty and don't void it by being a k or two passed it's service schedule. It's saved me $6K in less than 9 months of ownership of an otherwise well running and performing car.

Also, if you're going for manual, ask or get a mechanic to check the clutch and price up how much to replace. Someone that's not great with a clutch could have it due sometime soon. For some cars, this is also an expensive job if it has a dual-mass flywheel etc... If you're paying a mortgage on a $25K car, a few grand for the clutch and a few grand for cambelt job etc... can add up unless you've got money to spend.

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