Got a new Honda CRV a couple of months ago. First go to True Car to get an idea of what your new car should cost at local dealers. You actually get a certificate guaranteeing the price at participating dealers. If you go to a non participating dealer you can use it as a bargaining tool. Go to Kelly Blue Book online to get an idea of what your car is worth. Lastly, stick to your guns. The dealer offered 1/3 less than KBB said my car was worth. I just kept telling them that the trade was too low and the price was too high. I finally got to a price I was happy with. I asked for an out the door price including tax, tags and fees if any. When/if you make the deal and go with the financing agent don't fall for all the extras they offer, they can add thousands to the bottom line.

We find we do better if we do not trade in, and instead sell the car ourselves on Craig's List or Auto Trader or the local paper. Spiff it up before you list it. Whoever comes first with cash in hand gets it. Do not hold it for anyone without a healthy down payment in cash in hand, and then for 24 hours. Too many people say they are coming to see it and then never show.

Sheilajoyce, it is risky for a single woman to try to sell a car on her own. Alisande is single, as am I. I would not want to go for a test ride with a stranger driving my car and I would not want to let them take it without me.

It is easier to buy a new car w/o a trade, if you have a place to park the old car until it's sold, I didn't. Then there's the problem of tags and insurance. It's usually cheaper to transfer the old tags than to get new ones for the new car, to be able to keep tags on the old car until it's sold. Insurance speaks for itself, I wouldn't want to have a car I owned test driven w/o insurance. If you choose to sell your trade-in yourself, you could always meet the prospective buyer in a very public place, let them test drive it w/o you as long as you have the keys to their car, also their license and registration.

Ask around for some good sales people/dealership amongst the community.
Or next one over..

My husband goes with a not more than price in his head..he also shops around the car ads, auto trader, internet...for a specific vehicle..and a must list, and a wish side too..

It can take him 6mo-year to find just the right car once he's set his mind to the one he wants.

Terri, that sounds like me. :-) Unfortunately, I don't have unlimited time to find a vehicle as I don't want to drive my rear-wheel-drive Chevy over the winter. I've been procrastinating about car shopping because a) I don't want to spend the money and b) the process sounds exhausting. I'll spread it out, but I can spread it only so far.

I just kept telling them that the trade was too low and the price was too high.

Okay, I can do that. My years of bargaining for antiques will come in handy.

I took a look at True Car. Neat site, but it seems to be strictly for new cars. I'll probably have to go for a 2010 or 2011.

Thank you for the responses! All these things are good to know.

First off, the sticker price is a suggestion. With used cars, you should start your negotiations 30% below that number. Find a specific model/make you like, find current prices on Kelly Blue Book and use that as a guide. Secure your own financing and speak ONLY in total price. They will try to speak in monthly payments, which is the wrong approach. Check with your bank to see if they have any discount programs.

Don't be afraid to walk away from the sale if you're not comfortable. Your time with antiques should help but know the markup on used cars is really high. Bargain!!!!

When you find a car you like, ask to take it to you mechanic for an inspection. You should have someone mechanical you trust. Do NOT rely on the dealer's assessment of the car....chances are they didn't look at it.

I've been involved in cars for 40+ years; my brother sold cars for 35+ years. When I buy a car, I tell the salesperson that I am their worst nightmare. By the time we're done, they understand why.

Sorry Susan. I sort of just skimmed right over the word used in your post. There must be sites out there for used cars too. The dealers usually have their used cars on their sites. Down here in W-B there is Motorworld, with thousands of new and used cars on their lot, if you don't mind going this far. Check out their site. I bought my car there, it's like a one stop shop for cars. I think they have 14 different dealerships for new cars. The place is huge. The salesman told me that they have 4000 cars at any one time. Good luck with the hunt.

What are you looking for?

I still recommend asking a few folks who they delt with..

Our last car was purchased from a dealership..2 hours south of us..
The car before that..from a small broker 1 hr north..

My husband gets all the financing pre done with Navy Fed..

His next car purchase will be from whomever has the Passat TDI in 1 of 3 color choices....see he already knows what he's going to buy..he's just waiting for my approval of the purchase. Lol..

"I tell the salesperson that I am their worst nightmare. By the time we're done, they understand why"

That's not something I'd be proud of.

You should read up on Win/Win negotiations. You'd probably wind up with a better price if you didn't see the process as a gladiator contest where one side lives and the other person dies.

My one hard and fast rule is that I never sign anything until I have left the dealership and walked around a bit to think things through. I always come back to the same salesperson, but I simply will not sign until I have had time to think about the deal in private. Although this is a personal rule and has nothing to do with negotiating, dealers always think that I am trying to negotiate, and continue talking to me until I walk out the door, often offering better terms.

Another thing I know is to talk about total amount, rather than monthly payments. The reason for that is that it is easy to change the monthly payments by changing the interest rate or loan term, and you can easily agree to spend more than you're comfortable with.

As others have said, I do my research and have a good idea of what I'm willing to pay before I go. I usually arrange for financing with my own bank ahead of time, though I see what the dealer will offer, too.

Edmunds.com is another good site to check the value of your car as well as what you should pay for a car you are purchasing (new or used).

"I tell the salesperson that I am their worst nightmare. By the time we're done, they understand why"

That's not something I'd be proud of.

Actually, that sounds pretty good to me.

I bought my last used car from a good used car dealer--and I'm still driving it, 17 years later.(It's not the vehicle I'm trading in.) But this time, for several reasons, I want to work with a new/used car dealer and do a trade. I'm looking for a crossover type with AWD and 6 cylinders. Possibilities include (but not limited to) the Subaru Outback, Mazda CX-9, Toyota Highlander, etc. I have a particular interest in Subarus, but have never driven them. Nor the others I mentioned, actually. Although I think a minivan is probably overkill for a single person, I'm also curious to test-drive a Honda Odyssey.

I've been poring over dealership websites for weeks. Lots of nice looking cars, but I haven't seen a 6-cyl. Outback yet. Even the Subaru dealers seem to offer nothing but 4-cyl. I've looked at Scranton, W-B, Stroudsburg, and even Vestal and Liberty, NY. I'm assuming most of these websites aren't all that precisely maintained, so I'll call some of the dealers to see what else they might have.

Thanks, all!

The reason I'm a car salesperson's worst nightmare (and danged proud of it)? I know pricing, product and negotiations better than they do, including kick-backs they get for pushing their financing deals. I understand the game of car sales like a pro. None of their sales "scare" tactics work on me. I tell them this up front; if they work with me, they may get a sale. I won't use their financing, won't buy "add-ons" like warranties, know how to diagnose mechanical issues, know how to look for body work and I know the right time of the month/year to buy a car. I'm not rude, nasty, or demeaning; I just understand the business.

My track record with new cars (5) and motorcycles (2) is paying 30% below MSRP; no that's not a typo. I haven't purchased a used car in a long time. My husband doesn't fare so well and while he does a fine job, he leaves the negotiating to me.

Alisande, Subaru's are nice (I've had 2); the only downside is finding qualified repair people, since they are a smaller market. You may have more luck where you're at. Finding a 6 cyl Outback is a tall order; people tend to hold onto those. If you form a relationship with a sales person at a Subaru dealer, they may extend a search for you. They can do that if they have reason to believe they'll get a sale!

Well since you have a type..go drive a few..some are the same vehicle..but options will vary..as will the price based on the "brand".

This is for 2013's but maybe you can manipulate the settings to give you a better picture of specifics.

Oh and if it's a few years older make them include the extended warranty in the "deal" don't back down on that.

Here is a link that might be useful: Crossover comparison

I have gone online and done a nationwide search for a specific car. We once bought a year-old, untitled car from a dealer in Michigan and paid someone $100 plus bus fare to go fetch it. It came with an extended warranty from the maker. We traded in that car ten years later for our current car.

Our current car was a last year's model dealer demo with 2K miles on it when we bought it from the brand's dealer. It came with a six-year warranty. We got a fair value for our 'cream puff' with complete service records -- and had no FSBO hassles..

I don't know enough about mechanicals to buy a used car. There are too many variables. However, I can price-compare new or nearly new 'apples' online. I can find values for my existing car. I know that a dealer needs to move his inventory, and almost any sale is better than none.

I never buy anything expensive without thinking about it overnight, and 'financing' is not part of the bargaining. I'm looking at the cost of the car, not 'monthly payments'.

You could compare costs of insurance for the cars you are considering.

Alisande, I remember you posted a photo of the "cop car" once. I thought it was so funny to think of you driving a cop car. Is that the one you are trading in? If so, I won't be able to think of you tooling around in a black and white any more!

Socks, not to worry.....I'm still driving my cop car, and still loving it after 17 years. I'm trading in my 4Runner. Both of these vehicles have 8 cylinders, which is why I was thinking I should get a 6. I couldn't imagine adjusting to a 4. But I believe I'll have to adjust my thinking instead.

Dees is right....nobody has a 6-cyl. Subaru for sale. I drove two 4-cyl. Subarus on Wednesday--a 2011 Outback and a 2011 Forester-- and liked them both pretty well. Then today I drove a 2011 Outback Limited, and loved it. I like to think I'm a smooth driver, and this car felt like we were in synch. The price was higher, of course, and I'm getting nervous about how much I should spend. I wish I had a firm dollar amount that knew I could work with. This is the first time I've gone car shopping without a job.

I also drove a 6-cyl. 2010 Toyota Rav4, and didn't like it at all. Hard to explain, but I didn't feel like I was driving it; I was sort of there to steer. And when I had to back into a parking space--something I'm usually good at--the visibility was so bad I was practically paralyzed.

I'm beginning to wish I'd started this process during the summer, because I have a lot to think about. I LOVE driving my big Chevy "cop car," for the comfort, for the amazing steering radius that enables me to make U-turns in tight places, and for the big engine that can handle anything I throw at it. My 4Runner, too, can get me up to speed on a highway in the blink of an eye, which keeps me out of the way of trucks bearing down at ridiculous speeds. But everything's a trade-off, and I can't buy vehicles like those anymore.

The Certified Pre-Owned cars (like the ones I've been looking at) come with nice warranties, of course, and they look terrific. The Subaru I drove today has only $28,000 miles. I've seen them as low as 8,000 miles. I find it hard to understand why someone would trade in a car with such low mileage, but that's just me.

Mare, I was in W-B this week. Could have gone to MotorWorld, but I get so tired if I do too much in one day. I'll definitely be back.

I may have to think about getting an older car with higher miles.....and then I start worrying about getting one that was flooded in Hurricane Sandy. I was right about one thing: Car shopping is exhausting!

Susan, I did get my car at Motorworld, but the reason I mentioned it to you is because of its selection of cars in one place. I can't think if another dealer in NEPA with more cars on one lot. Thought it might help to cut down on the exhaustion factor. You have to take on the car buying process in your own way in your own time frame. As for me, I bought my current car in less than a week. I had sort of an emergency situation, where I needed a reliable car for a trip I was locked into. It seems to have turned out well. I really like my CRV. I don't think that you should be nervous about 4 cylinders. The car I traded in was a 4cyl 4X4, it had plenty of get up and go on the road and was like a snowplow in snow. My CRV seems to have plenty of power, it's an AWD, but haven't driven it in bad weather yet, so that remains to be seen. Good luck on your hunt. Hope you have an easy time of it.

The way cars are made now, I wouldn't at all discount a 4 cyl ...they have punch, better gas milage too.