I'm a car salesmen, Go ahead and ask me anything - Page 41 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

cyclone3483 · 09-24-2009, 11:51 AM

Does this make me look fat?

you said go ahead and ask you anything....

Table 5 · 09-24-2009, 12:13 PM

Out of the usual European cars (Bmw, Merc, Audi, VW, Saab, Volvo), which are the most reliable on a long-term basis? Im considering buying a used one (in the 5-10 year range) and they all seem to have horrible maintenance issues based on all the websites/reviews I read online. Is this really the case with all of them? Is there not one Euro car that combines a good driving experience, beautiful design AND reliability?

I'm almost starting to wonder if it's not a better idea to lease a new car since a lot of them now offer free maintenance on top of their warranties for 4 years.

For the love of good, please don't make me have to buy a Honda.

Cheese · 09-24-2009, 12:18 PM

I just bought the 2009 VW Passat...its a wow. Great car. I was a Toyota driver for many many years before this beauty...VW got it right.

Go for a test drive.

Table 5 · 09-24-2009, 12:18 PM

Speaking of leasing....how much more can one realistically expect to have to pay in comparison to the advertised price? I would assume what they advertise is not the full amount considering all the taxes, surcharges etc.

ie. if a car is being offered at 299/month....is there a percentage i can use to add on top of that, or is it too hard to generalize about?

yads · 09-24-2009, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

Out of the usual European cars (Bmw, Merc, Audi, VW, Saab, Volvo), which are the most reliable on a long-term basis? Im considering buying a used one (in the 5-10 year range) and they all seem to have horrible maintenance issues based on all the websites/reviews I read online. Is this really the case with all of them? Is there not one Euro car that combines a good driving experience, beautiful design AND reliability?

I'm almost starting to wonder if it's not a better idea to lease a new car since a lot of them now offer free maintenance on top of their warranties for 4 years.

For the love of good, please don't make me have to buy a Honda.

Stay away from VW. They are some of the worst made cars in North America. The main problem with buying a used European import is that they will all need maintenance and maintenance is ridiculously expensive for these cars.

Table 5 · 09-24-2009, 12:41 PM

Yeah, I'm beginning to realize how much maintenance can be on these cars. If only somehow we could combine the reliability of a Toyota with the soul and design of a European one....

Our family has owned a couple of VW's in the past. One of them, a brand new Golf spent more time at the dealers than at home....the thing had to have its air-bag replaced 4 times in two years. The other one, a New Beetle, has had virtually no issues since the start. That's what's rather frustrating....the complete lack of consistency.

Sample00 · 09-24-2009, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woob

Hey Tim,

Question for you. I've scoped out a 2003 Mazda Protege5 with 35,000KM on it - Auto, A/C, PW/PL, Alloys, etc. The vehicle is listed at $12,995. Am I crazy to try and haggle on price or am I right in guessing that's a pretty solid price and there's not going to be much movement. Vehicle is on a dealer lot.
Thanks!

Hi,
I'm not Tim but if you dont mind me wading in here...
I own a used car dealership.
The price of the vehicle according to Black Book is a bit high. Having said that, Black book is black book..take it with a grain of salt and move on.
Canada Trader has them priced anywhere from 7800 to about 10750.00
what makes this vehicle attractive is the low kms. is it enough to offset the difference in price? well only you can decide that.
Its a dealership, make an offer, be prepared to haggle and possibly walk away if the deal isnt right for you.

cSpooge · 10-26-2009, 10:16 PM

I'm thinking of getting a 2010 Mazda 3 sedan anyone got any thoughts? Kramer is having a deal with 0% for 60 months and that just might push me over getting the car.

Razor Ruddock · 10-26-2009, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cSpooge

I'm thinking of getting a 2010 Mazda 3 sedan anyone got any thoughts? Kramer is having a deal with 0% for 60 months and that just might push me over getting the car.

Sounds like a good deal on a decent car. What is the price they're asking for? What options, eg. manual or automatic transmission?

cSpooge · 10-26-2009, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor Ruddock

Sounds like a good deal on a decent car. What is the price they're asking for? What options, eg. manual or automatic transmission?

that is waht I'm taking care of tomorrow is to actually talk to them find out what the deal is it was just advertised as see dealer for details so depending on what I can get will see if I go through with it or not.

Razor Ruddock · 10-26-2009, 10:33 PM

If you're serious, let me know exactly what you want and I can give you a Car Cost Canada report, I have a bunch of reports left over that I'm not going to use. Research what it is online, I'm too tired to type it out, but it is quite helpful in negotiations.

Deegee · 10-27-2009, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cSpooge

I'm thinking of getting a 2010 Mazda 3 sedan anyone got any thoughts? Kramer is having a deal with 0% for 60 months and that just might push me over getting the car.

Check what your cash discount might be if you don't use dealership financing (Ford Credit in Mazda's case I believe).

It may be more worth your while to finance through your bank at a higher interest rate if your cash discount is big enough. 0% isn't always what it is cracked up to be.

cSpooge · 11-05-2009, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor Ruddock

If you're serious, let me know exactly what you want and I can give you a Car Cost Canada report, I have a bunch of reports left over that I'm not going to use. Research what it is online, I'm too tired to type it out, but it is quite helpful in negotiations.

Hey Razor,

Thanks for the offer on the car cost report the info I need is for a 2010 Mazda 3 GX with the Automatic tranny, with AC, Block Heater, Cruise control, front/rear mudflaps and all weather floor mats.

Thanks

STeeLy · 11-05-2009, 09:32 PM

I'm just wondering if anybody has let over Carproof reports that I may be able to snag?

Peanut · 11-13-2009, 03:57 PM

Will dealerships really help me get out of my lease (i.e. with the payout that's remaining?)? I heard an ad on the radio that might get me into the Mitsubishi dealership to look at the Outlander, but I'm wondering if most other dealerships are going to match anything they'd be able to offer.

Shazam · 11-13-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sliver

Well you're right...to each his own. But I think you'll be very hard pressed to ever win an argument that it is a wise financial move.

Admittedly, I can see how tempting it would be to lease a car when I look at what cool cars you can get for pretty cheap.

Old post, but even if you want to buy, it still might be better to lease. Just figure out the differential between the two payments and figure out if you can pay the residual with the difference. This often works because lease rates are often much lower than purchase rates.

arloiginla · 02-13-2010, 11:36 PM

Hey Tim,

Looking to get a new car and recently checked out a fully-loaded 2009 Pontiac G5. Dealers everywhere are blowing them out and and have it marked down to about $17K which is like 1/3rd off.

Is this a deal worth jumping on, or would you advise staying away from Pontiacs completely? I'd be using it both in the city and on the highway.

Thanks

no_joke · 02-15-2010, 05:37 PM

The Black Book is often quoted for pricing, but what about the Gold Book? It's readily available at the public library so it's very accessible but how "reliable" are its values?

FCAV · 02-25-2010, 10:25 PM

I've currently got an '08 Ram that I'm using for work but it is becoming less and less a necessity for the job so I'm thinking of jumping into a Wrangler Unlimited.

Last two vehicles I've had I have only kept for two years (both bought new) so I'm not wanting to eat another immediate depreciation so I was thinking of going for an '08 Wrangler as well with similar miles.

Now my truck is worth more than the Jeep would be all things equal. How much is a dealer going to not like me if I try to trade it in against the Jeep? At best will they give me equal value? Will they actually value my truck more?

I'm going to lay a wager and say I'm best off selling it private.

worth · 02-26-2010, 07:34 AM

Tim, is it possible to sell a modified car without changing everything back to stock? Modified meaning aftermarket parts, ie. intake, exhaust, PCM, supercharger pulley, downpipe etc?

I'm guessing if you can find the right private buyer it's not a problem, but dealers wouldn't touch a car like that with a 10 ft cattle prod.