Need to buy a new car and nothing i can do about it

[w1ngzer0]

Since i can't mod my car and never will be able to. I need to start looking for a new car. I was looking at some new vehicles and all the new rwd or 2000+ rwd are mucho $$$ insurance. Hell i even tried the MR-S and that was $230 a month for me..............

I was looking at the scion TC. I dunno i need some opinons on the matter and what vehicles i should be looking at. Only 2000+ vehicles. I don't want another fixer upper

Also will dealerships let me test drive a car? I meen i have been hassled and denied a test drive. So....
Modified by w1ngzer0 at 5:20 AM 11/3/2004

[Altiman94]

you are in the same situation i was in when i bought my cougar. good luck.

[w1ngzer0]

is the cougar rwd or fwd? no, i am not interested in buying one, just wondering.

[krazy skwerel]

Mazda 3 is quite nice, or a Miata. Not horribly expensive.

[Altiman94]

fwd.

[Zydeco]

Thats weird to be denided to test drive, I have never had a problem test driveing. Im only 24 so it not like Im real old or any thing.PS I have never tryed to test drive any that has cost over like 25k.

[MinisterofDOOM]

A lot of dealerships don't let people under 21 test drive. I've been denied a test drive of a simple midsize pickup for that reason.

[HashiriyaS14]

Why get a new new one, just get a decently new used one.

MR-S's do NOT hold their value well, because they're a tad overpriced. If you go for a used MRS, you still have the Toyota quality, the balance of a factory warranty, but it'll only be like $12-14k or something like that.

I'm paying $230/month for my S14 ($9800), but then again I also put zero money down on it.

[rousie13]

I'm 20 and I've been allowed easily to test drive an 05 Subaru Legacy GT ($31k) and an 05 Honda S2000($34k). They were actually asking me if I wanted to take them for a test drive.

[juxaguy]

Its not weird to be denied a test drive. Perhaps you should go when the dealership is really slow, they will do anything to get out of the building. Trust me I know. :]

As for the denied experience, I haven't experienced that yet. I have had the experience of a rude salesman with and attitude.

"Do you guys have any gsr's here?"

"NO!"

This was before I hooked up with my 240.

[gniknave]

If you're denied a test drive, make sure you ask why. If you are a licensed driver and they usually have the salesman go with their customers on a test drive yet are still denying you that right because of your age, it's discrimination. As long as you have a license (not suspended of course), you have the right to test drive at least with a salesman. Don't fall for that proof of insurance needed line either. Every dealership by law has to carry their own insurance for test drives, service, etc. And don't let them try to run your credit before letting you test drive to see if you're "qualified" to "drive the car home today".

Best thing you can do is go to a dealership that is known for being laid back with a no pressure approach. I know all of the tricks from experience so if you or anybody else needs help with negotiating a deal etc. feel free to email me. Just don't get tricked! P.S. Not every dealer is bad...

[silkk]

Some dealerships will run a credit check before they let you test drive it. Then again, I'm 20, rolled up in a beat up b13 and tried to test drive an STi.

[glitched]

my experience shows that it matters most what you pull up to the dealership in. i have pulled up in a friends nice new-ish Jimmy, and he let just us 2 teenage guys take out a 95 dodge avenger by ourselvs (this was in 99) granted it wasnt worth a whole lot, but the car was only 4 years old... pulled up in a 90 t-bird to drive a new-ish integra, he had to come with us.

[Altiman94]

I don't think its about the car you are driving when you come in. It has alot to do with your attitude and how you come across to them. A good dealer should be able to read people.

[gniknave]

So basically they shave some points from your credit score for shaving a mile off their test car. It's just not right. It's poor business practice. Do you go into a clothing store and let them check your wallet to see if you can buy anything before you try anything on? I think you'd be a little insulted. You should be even more insulted if they check your credit before driving at a dealership because you actually lose credit points as a result of it and most likely walk away with nothing.

Check this out. My first day selling with Infiniti this guy walked up to me and wanted to test drive a fully loaded G35 Coupe. He didn't look a day over 18 and 50% of me thought this was a waste of time, but the other half knows that every customer is a potential buyer. I let him drive. We had a damn good time because I'd always let my customers drive as if I wasn't there so they could get emotionally attatched to the car (trick ). We got back and he said he wanted to see some numbers. So assuming he wanted to see financing numbers I started writing them down. All of a sudden he stopped me. He said "Look man, I'm not financing, I'm paying cash. I heard there's a markup on these things and I want to make sure I can get one without the markup." Well it was a good thing because we were the only dealer in the area at the time selling these at MSRP with no markup.

Turns out the kid was involved in an accident with a drunk driver and had just received this HUGE settlement and wanted his dream car. Unit sold $41,555 out the door. What would have happened if I asked to run his credit first and THEN found out he was paying cash? He probably would have walked out and spread the word to his friends. Anyone else should do the same.

[240marcuSX]

im sure it depends on what youre trying to test drive, and if you look like $$$$$$

[BadMojo]

As for what vehicles to look at...I'm looking to buy a car this Spring. I may, depending on what my 240SX does, even try to wait until next fall to pick up some leftover 2005 models.

Here's my thread. I'm gonna test drive at least one car today.

http://www.nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=88632

I've been considering the following:

Mazda 3 5 DoorSubaru 2.5 RSScion tCHyundai Tiburon GTSaturn Ion Redline

[w1ngzer0]

well i hate dealerships and yes all dealerships are shady every last one of them.

But what car guys? It's good your giving me all this info on test driving but what vehicle should i be looking toward.

TC is nice but factory rice and really heavy for a fwd (mitsubishi comes to mind). Then i was looking at the corolla XRS with the 2zz motor. I am not a big fan of that motor but the corolla was nice but horrible in the snow.

then there is mazda.... well i am not much of a fan of mazda other then their RX series. What else..... well give some idea's guys

[glitched]

if you dont get something with nissan written on it, at least get a mazda...

what about european models?miata to small for you?maybe a prelude, not as new as you want, but there are some nice late model ones...

[w1ngzer0]

i dunno, i am not really a euro fan. Most ok speed euro cars are heavy. Miata isn't to small it's a convertable.

Why get a mazda? out of all bloody brands...

[gniknave]

What type of car are you looking for? How much do you want to spend? Is used an option?

[w1ngzer0]

yah used is ok i just want something newer then 20 years old that i have to restore. So, i am looking to spend 20k-23k. I am looking in that price range becuase new cars or anything descent seems to cost that much now of days

The insurance rate is my main concern. I don't want to have to be paying 300-500 a month in insurance. So with that figure it gives you a good idea what kind of cars i want.

[MainEvent212]

gniknavehow old do you have to be to become a dealer? i've always wanted to be a car dealer, but obviously i'm too young for that. My dream job would be to work at either Nissan or Infiniti...maybe BMW

i'm only 18 now, going to college currently

[[Zero-S]]

SRT-4. SE-R. Mazda 3. Used SVTF?

[gniknave]

gniknavehow old do you have to be to become a dealer? i've always wanted to be a car dealer, but obviously i'm too young for that. My dream job would be to work at either Nissan or Infiniti...maybe BMW

i'm only 18 now, going to college currently

I started at 22 but I think the age is 18 or older. Infiniti is your best bet even though it's more difficult to get in with them when you're young. A good idea would be to start in another area of the dealership and prove yourself into sales like I did. I can't speak for BMW but their service compared to Infiniti's sucks! Infiniti has a great training program. They flew me to Nissan North America in Gardena, Ca. and had us train there. We got to test drive cars (though I had already had my fun with that in the past), got a sneak peek at the chassis of the Armada/QX56, and had a nice lunch. It was a 3 day event and they even paid for our hotel.

However my first sales experience was with Honda 5 loooonnnggg days of classroom training, pizza, falling asleep, and couldn't even test drive an S2000 Bottom line, best thing you can do is get in with Infiniti or Lexus as much as I hate to mention the L word. They both have great training, believe in working you reasonable hours- I only worked 5 hours max per day 5 days a week and had 2 weekends to myself per month and still came between 6-10k per month every month. If you go with Nissan you'll have great product, you'll also be spending your entire day with them too. No way to live.

P.S. Infiniti doesn't let you pressure customers into buying a car.
Modified by gniknave at 3:06 PM 11/4/2004

[gniknave]

yah used is ok i just want something newer then 20 years old that i have to restore. So, i am looking to spend 20k-23k. I am looking in that price range becuase new cars or anything descent seems to cost that much now of days

The insurance rate is my main concern. I don't want to have to be paying 300-500 a month in insurance. So with that figure it gives you a good idea what kind of cars i want.

Just did a search for used cars between 20-23k. I got these results:

'00 BMW 323i Sedan, '99 Mercedes CLK320, 98 Corvette...ok now since insurance is your concern, then lets get realistic...

If you're 20 years old and are looking to finance with lower insurance but want to buy a 20-23k car, then you're lookin at a high end Hyundai. Financing will raise your insurance costs by itself. I'm going to cut my explaination a little short and make 2 suggestions. 1) used (2003 or 2002) Nissan Altima 2.5s or 3.5se (2.5 is better on insurance) or 2) a Honda Accord (2003). You could easily get one of those car 2-3k under $20,000 and save yourself some insurance money.

I'm going to provide a more detailed list in a little bit.

[BadMojo]

]SRT-4. SE-R. Mazda 3. Used SVTF?

If you want something really sport, I'd go with a new SRT-4 or WRX at your price range. Keep in mind that insurance on those two vehicles will absolutely *crush* you. The SRT-4 and WRX are on the list of the top10 vehicles under $40K MSRP that are most expensive to insure.

I just test drove a Saturn Ion Redline, which, at a rebated price of about $17K was a performance bargain was lacking in many other aspects, including warranty.

If you want something practical but not necessarily super fast (ie cheap to insure) the Mazda 3 and the Scion tC look great.

I honestly don't know why you don't like the Mazda 3 or tC. The Mazda universally is getting good reviews, and I think it not only looks cool on the outside but has a very nice interior. The tC, at ~$17K, looks like a screaming bargain. It's tastefully styled and loaded to the gills with features you'll hardly ever see standard on other cars at that price.

I'd be wary of the Hyundais, at least the Tiburon, which is VERY expensive to insure.

I'm going to test drive a Mazda 3 5 door this weekend if the weather is decent.

BTW, one of my thoughts was to buy a 2003 or 2004 Focus ZX3 with the fewest options possible and the 2.3L Duratec engine. Liberally add some Focus SVT parts and Cosworth engine bits and you end up with the equivalent of an SVTF, but with more torque! Only downside is those nasty rear drum brakes on the non-SVT Focus.

[Thrwnsprkz]

gniknave, did you go to school for buisness? or just sorta land in car sales.Im an MET major up in PA, dunno what I really wanna do yet but was thinking about that.Sounds close to a dream job if you ask me. but not everyones that luckyAlot of people I know have parents and friends in the buisness... seems a very good way to live

[MetaOrbit]

gnikdave - your description of Infiniti sales and whatnot definitely explains my good experience.

The salesman that worked with me when I bought mine took me seriously - at 18 years old - when I bought my I35 new. Treated me respectfully, and volunteered to let me test drive the cars. Result? A sale. Much better than any other dealerships I visited (Pontiac, Acura, Lexus-to an extent).

[gniknave]

Thrwnsprkz- I didn't go to school for business, well not totally. The way I got into sales was I started at Infiniti working as a lot porter (parking cars etc.) and worked my way into setting Service Appointments. Then after a year I asked the sales manager about going into sales. His response was that while I seemed mature beyond my years, the customers wouldn't take me seriously because of my age. So I decided to go elsewhere and sell where a younger crowd buys. Honda.

Stayed with Honda a month, went back to visit old friends at Infiniti and brag about my success (sold 10 cars my first month- not bad for a...newbie), and I got offered a job by guess who? Mr. Sales Manager. I was the youngest on the staff of 9 sales people by 12 years. So that's how I got in. It is a good and extremely fun career if you're an enthusiast but finish school first. Car sales relies heavily on the economy, and your commission. Nobody buys and you might as well be working on minimum wage. Nice to have the education to fall back on. That's the only reason I'm not still selling Infiniti's right now. I'm a full time student instead.

MetaOrbit- I don't see enough of those I35 Sports on the road. I wish they had made them ALL like that. Anyway, beautiful I35 and hope you enjoy it for years to come!