Which vehicle for 50k

[TripletDaddy]

you guys were being serious about the Miata??

[old_gregg]

honestly i think the gays got it right on this one. try driving a miata without smiling the whole time.

[kccougar]

ahh yiss

Dude, what happened to the hood? Engine fire?

[old_gregg]

Dude, what happened to the hood? Engine fire?

it's a crappy aftermarket hood with a bad paint job. it's still got the stock 1.6l with 93k easy, completely heterosexual miles.

[Coach McGuirk]

and I don't know what to say anymore.

[Surfah]

you guys were being serious about the Miata??

Yeah.

[Art Vandelay]

Has anyone had much success negotiating a price via the internet? I know the exact car I want and have a half dozen dealerships within a reasonable driving distance. I'm hoping to find one willing to give a better deal than what the local one quoted me. I will either buy the car out of town (a hassle since I'm not trading one in) or see if the local guy will match the price.

[Babs]

you guys were being serious about the Miata??

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MIATAS.

[TripletDaddy]

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH MIATAS.

Aren't they Italian? I think it is "Miati"

[thesaint258]

Has anyone had much success negotiating a price via the internet? I know the exact car I want and have a half dozen dealerships within a reasonable driving distance. I'm hoping to find one willing to give a better deal than what the local one quoted me. I will either buy the car out of town (a hassle since I'm not trading one in) or see if the local guy will match the price.

That's how I bought my car. I had done enough research to know the dealer's cost after the holdback, so I had offers from two or three places, and I kept going to them saying that I have a lower quote. One guy asked me what it would take to stop the merry-go-round, and I told him what I thought a fair price was. I got the car for below the published invoice, so I was happy.

[Babs]

Aren't they Italian? I think it is "Miati"

I think if I were a guy, I would call it an MX-5. I'm not sure why it's mentioned in a thread dedicated to cars around 50 grand, though.

[TripletDaddy]

I think if I were a guy, I would call it an MX-5. I'm not sure why it's mentioned in a thread dedicated to cars around 50 grand, though.

Just to clarify: in your hypothetical, a guy owns a Miata, correct?

[Babs]

Just to clarify: in your hypothetical, a guy owns a Miata, correct?

The Miata I'm talking about isn't very hypothetical, and it's not owned by a guy.

[Surfah]

Has anyone had much success negotiating a price via the internet? I know the exact car I want and have a half dozen dealerships within a reasonable driving distance. I'm hoping to find one willing to give a better deal than what the local one quoted me. I will either buy the car out of town (a hassle since I'm not trading one in) or see if the local guy will match the price.

I'd say 60% of all internet quotes are just ploys to get you into the dealership. These are called screamers. They give you a quote and when you show up they tell you the vehicle is unavailable, etc. Then they try and sell you something else figuring you went out of your way to get there and don't want to go home empty handed. This is of course if you are negotiating the price directly with someone. If you're going through a service like Costco or some banks like USAA then the dealer already has pricing agreements worked out for you. For example, Costco typically has agreements to sell at a certain price, say $500 below MSRP, and the dealer is obligated to show you the MSRP.

Another tactic to cut through the BS is to do some research and pull up True Market Value numbers for the vehicle you want from Edmunds.com. This reflects the sales prices of the exact vehicle you're looking for based on zip code. If you can beat that price you're doing alright. Lots of people print out the TMV and take it in and say if you can beat that price you have a deal. And obviously it doesn't hurt to wait until the end of the month when the dealer may be willing to deal. They make money on the number of cars they sale. Each month the maker puts out goals with escalating bonuses for the dealerships. If you're after a car that is a few sales short of hitting one of those bonuses you may get a steep discount. This time of year is good too to pick up last year's model as the new year's begins to roll out.

[mtnbiker]

Has anyone had much success negotiating a price via the internet? I know the exact car I want and have a half dozen dealerships within a reasonable driving distance. I'm hoping to find one willing to give a better deal than what the local one quoted me. I will either buy the car out of town (a hassle since I'm not trading one in) or see if the local guy will match the price.

I did it back in 1997. The internet sales team (one guy? I think he was also the fleet sales guy) of Willey Ford in Bountiful had just been set up, and the guy told me I was the first one through. They didn't have exactly what I wanted in stock, so they ordered the vehicle from the factory. I had to wait a month or something like that, but that was ok. I got a better price than other dealerships would offer, including a sales guy in my own ward, who actually wanted a premium on top of the msrp. jerk. Like Surfah mentions, I'd also done my homework on Edmunds.