[drunkbus]

I was lucky enough to receive a nice bonus this year, and am 90% certain that the bonus (along with some of my savings) will become a down payment for a 2015 Jeep Renegade.

I've only ever owned two vehicles and they were both purchased from family. I've been lurking on the jeep website and this forum ever since I learned of the Renegade back in September, and I have a feeling I will know as much (if not more) about the various options and packages as the dealer. Where the dealer will have an edge on me is my huge lack of experience in dealing with dealers.

My hope is that the esteemed members of this forum constitute a powerful knowledge-base concerning not only Jeep Renegades, but also in dealing with sales people. Any little tidbit you feel might help would be greatly appreciated by me (and maybe some other folks on this forum).

I don't really want to discuss whether or not I should be buying a Renegade, so please keep that to discussion to other threads on this glorious site. I realize it's probably pretty silly to make a brand spanking new model your first ever brand spanking new car, but how am I going to learn from my mistakes if I never make them?

Thanks in advance for your shared wisdom!

 

[Zuwxiv]

Using something like TrueCar might be a good way to get a starting price. But did you know dealerships make more money off service than from used and new cars combined? Don't expect miracles for the sale price.

Watch for fees and debate them firmly but politely. Destination charge is legitimate, so there's no way out of that $995. But if they want to charge you a $400 "document filing fee" tell them to stuff it.

Be aware that other banks may offer competitive APRs. If you're buying, the dealership could be your best option - or it could not be.

Double check paperwork to make sure it reflects the agreed-upon price. Then triple check it. Then quadruple check it.

Tell the salesman that the second you think something funny is going on, you're going to ask for a different sales representative to handle your purchase. The second time, you go to a competing dealership.

If anything makes you uncomfortable, ask for the general sales manager. Explain to them that you're here to purchase a car, today, but for reasons X Y Z you're having reservations. Ask what they're going to do to make this right.

Others may have good input too! But dealers live and die by their reputations. There are shady ones, and there are gotcha fees, but plenty of dealerships try to make car purchases fair. The higher up the chain you go (really, the second you get past commission sales people) the faster this gets true.

 

[drunkbus]

These all seem like great tips.
Thanks!

 

[drunkbus]

I'm expecting sales tax to be around 10% and am saving up a bit extra to deal with that. I've heard from some people that sales tax is collected at the dealer, I've heard from others that it is collected when you register with the state. Does anybody know the case for Washing (state)?

 

[CalTom]

Using something like TrueCar might be a good way to get a starting price.

Great advice from Zuwxiv, if you are a newbie don't even attempt to negotiate with a dealer, they have more tricks than you have a clue on at this point. I second that you should go with a buying service like TrueCar. Even then you have to double, triple, and quadruple check it. The best way is to have the final out the door price known before you set foot into the stealership and if it is not as agreed, WALK OUT.

Here is another thread where first time buying tips were discussed:

http://www.jeeprenegadeforum.com/fo...218-how-much-can-i-expect-pay-dealership.html

 

[Indiana Jones]

Pit dealer against dealer. Get internet quotes over the phone, or even better, have several dealers in your area Email you quotes. Nothing a dealer hates more then hearing "Well Joe Schmuckatelle Jeep in Wonder Land said they can sell me this same Jeep for $1000 less." and show them the quote. Then ask them what they are willing to do to have you drive one off their lot that day- not tomorrow or next week, but that day.

Pick your Jeep up during the day and go to a craft store and pick up some colored sticker dots. Go over the car inch by inch. If there is a scratch, damage to the plastic or rubber molding or anything like that, mark it with a sticker and take a picture with your cell phone. If it is minor and can be fixed and you are good with it, get it in writing to have it fixed. Then use that as a bargaining chip.

Finally be as educated as you can be about options, models, packages and performance. They HATE having an educated buyer. I remember when I was looking to buy an Abarth they weren't released yet and kept getting delayed ( sound familiar?) a salesman said I could buy a Sport, put a turbo in it and it would be just as good..... I walked. If they start feeding you lines of bull let them know that you know better then walk.

A salesman's whole shtick is to put pressure and heat on you so you will think with emotion and panic rather than keeping calm and cool and rational. This way they can throw a ton of stuff at you at once so you will pay more for stuff you don't want and/ or need and ignore the small print. You have to flip that around and put the heat on them. You do that with the above mentioned advice plus have a approval letter from your bank/ credit union and a wad of cash- not a check, in your pocket for a down payment. Have an attitude and walk in as if you were Yul Brynner from The 10 Commandments. Let him/ her you are here to buy TODAY, this is what you want and have your Emails ready with your bank letter and cash for a down payment. Depending on the dealer, I will even give them a time limit. The reason being sometimes they will play games of switching salesman or have you wait so you will build anxiety which can affect your judgement for the worst.

A funny parody on how to buy a car but it goes along of what I am saying;

https://myspace.com/clayfire0084/video/bob-and-tom-el-conquistador/27933273

Some Yul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bQnxlHZsjY

 

[DogsRule]

I've bought alot of cars. Best experience was buying a Scion when it was no-haggle. I decided what I wanted, confirmed the price was low and same for everyone, confirmed it was a good value compared to other cars, printed out my deal at home and asked the dealer to sweeten the deal. Added mats and oil changes for a year and I was out the door in 30 minutes. Literally 30 minutes. All the saleman did was confirm everything I asked for.

The car was delivered on a carrier the next day and after work I picked it up. Did bring stickers for a walk-around but used none of them.

I got a great car in a very fair deal that was the same for all.

Before that, I got tired of seeing if anyone else got a better deal. Its like being back in gradeschool and seeing what someone else got on their test and feeling bad about yourself. I graduated out of gradeschool. And I quit going back to that playground.

 

[xxINFIDELxx]

I'm expecting sales tax to be around 10% and am saving up a bit extra to deal with that. I've heard from some people that sales tax is collected at the dealer, I've heard from others that it is collected when you register with the state. Does anybody know the case for Washing (state)?

What is the motor vehicle sales/use tax?
Effective July 1, 2003, all retail sales, leases and transfers of motor vehicles are subject to the additional sales tax (or use tax) of three-tenths of one percent (0.3%).

How do I pay the tax?
The tax is collected by the vendor at the time of purchase and submitted by the vendor on the excise tax return.

If sales tax was not paid at the time of purchase, use tax applies at the time the vehicle is registered with the Department of Licensing. This would occur if a vehicle was purchased from a private party or if it was purchased outside of Washington.

What rate do I pay?
The rate is .003 of the net price paid by the purchaser. This tax is in addition to other applicable taxes.

What are the funds used for?
The funds are used to finance transportation improvements.

via http://dor.wa.gov/content/FindTaxesAndRates/OtherTaxes/tax_motorvehicle.aspx

 

[arild]

After reading this thread I'm so happy I'm not buying a Renegade in the USA...

 

[Renegade519]

I had a buddy who would know exactly what he as willing to pay for a car. He took the exact cash amount and put it in a brown paper bag, walked into the dealership and plunked it down on the head salesman's desk. Next to that he put an egg timer for 30mins and said if he wasn't out the door with a new car before the buzzer goes off then he takes the money and leaves. He always got his car!

 

[CalTom]

After reading this thread I'm so happy I'm not buying a Renegade in the USA...

But isn't your VAT tax a tad bit higher than the U.S.?

In Norway, VAT is split into three levels: 25% general rate, 15% on foodstuffs and 8% on the supply of passenger transport services and the procurement of such services, on the letting of hotel rooms and holiday homes, and on transport services regarding the ferrying of vehicles as part of the domestic road network. The same rate applies to cinema tickets and to the television licence.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value-added_tax

 

[drunkbus]

Thanks for all the great advice guys!

Sorry for the double post. I don't know how I missed that earlier thread about buying cars.

 

[SubVet]

My number one piece of advice would be to walk away if anything about the price, financing, etc. makes you feel uncomfortable. Often times they will change their tune before you start your car to leave.

Remember that you are in control and your patience will be well rewarded.

 

[arild]

But isn't your VAT tax a tad bit higher than the U.S.?

Yes, and the car taxes are insanely high (a fully loaded diesel Renegade Limited is over $60,000!!), but when we enter a salesman's office we at least don't have to assume that we are going to be cheated. The government does all the "cheating" with the high taxes


Ps: Sorry for the off topic.

 

[fmunk]

I'm late to the party... but here are my thoughts and strategies I've always used in the past:

1. Do your homework ahead of time.

• Know what the average selling prices are.
• Know what financing rates you can get on your own (have pre-approval from your credit union or bank in hand before you go to the dealer, CUs tend to have better rates.)
• Know your credit score. Less honest dealers can say you have a lower credit score than you have to get you into a higher interest rate loan.
• Know your trade-in value. If in the USA, look it up via KBB.com, NADA and Edmunds. Average the three values.
• Know exactly how much you are willing to spend and stand firm.
​

2. Be prepared to walk away. The Renegade you find isn't the only one in the world. The dealer you visit isn't the only one on the planet.

3. Be aware that the Renegade is so now that you may not have much bargaining power, but try anyway. If you can wait longer, wait. There will always be newer and better. Every car model produced receive improvements steadily over their product cycle.

 

[Christys gone Commando!]

Indiana Jones and fmfunk are right on...in my experience anyway. Im a first time buyer and its easy if you stand firm. And yes EDUCATE yourself!!! I learned pricing info here on the forum, on Edmunds.com, Truecar.com, KBB. As part of the process I went to a dealership or two I wasnt interested in buying from to almost take a practice run...see what they offered etc. Be willing to walk away. Have a reason even. I said I was trying to decide whether or not to wait on the MySky and it seemed to make them work harder to get me to not wait. Then I pitted dealer against dealer...online and over the phone...on my Latitude w MSRP of $25690 I got 4 dealers down to 24000ish then 2 of them went to $23995. (both very large dealerships) 2 of the dealers dropped off and said they couldnt do it and I should jump on that price. Hope this helps.

 

[codev]

I'm late to the party... but here are my thoughts and strategies I've always used in the past:

1. Do your homework ahead of time.

• Know what the average selling prices are.
• Know what financing rates you can get on your own (have pre-approval from your credit union or bank in hand before you go to the dealer, CUs tend to have better rates.)
• Know your credit score. Less honest dealers can say you have a lower credit score than you have to get you into a higher interest rate loan.
• Know your trade-in value. If in the USA, look it up via KBB.com, NADA and Edmunds. Average the three values.
• Know exactly how much you are willing to spend and stand firm.
​

2. Be prepared to walk away. The Renegade you find isn't the only one in the world. The dealer you visit isn't the only one on the planet.

3. Be aware that the Renegade is so now that you may not have much bargaining power, but try anyway. If you can wait longer, wait. There will always be newer and better. Every car model produced receive improvements steadily over their product cycle.

I like @fmunk 's suggestions. This is exactly what you need to know. Your largest bargaining power is to just walk away. That always works. If something stinks, it's probably $***. Just walk. You will probably get a call with better terms not too long after

Also , here is a true story.

I had negotiated the price on the vehicle, and they were tiring me with all their BS. We agreed on a cost for the vehicle. I knew my credit score was less than perfect so I wouldn't get 0%. When the finance manager came back with loan quotes, I asked for the total cost of the loan contract. I wasn't about to pay 2400$ in interest over 5 years, so I got up and said "NO". "If that's the interest rate, I'll find a cheaper car..."

Well, the manager came out and said they'd pay the cost of the interest over the loan by reducing the vehicle cost. The banks get their interest and the dealer gets to sell the car.

That was probably the last point in the deal I could have negotiated before going into finance office. Don't be afraid to take your time and walk.

/codev

 

[Renegade4X4]

I'm late to the party... but here are my thoughts and strategies I've always used in the past:

1. Do your homework ahead of time.

• Know what the average selling prices are.
• Know what financing rates you can get on your own (have pre-approval from your credit union or bank in hand before you go to the dealer, CUs tend to have better rates.)
• Know your credit score. Less honest dealers can say you have a lower credit score than you have to get you into a higher interest rate loan.
• Know your trade-in value. If in the USA, look it up via KBB.com, NADA and Edmunds. Average the three values.
• Know exactly how much you are willing to spend and stand firm.
​

2. Be prepared to walk away. The Renegade you find isn't the only one in the world. The dealer you visit isn't the only one on the planet.

3. Be aware that the Renegade is so now that you may not have much bargaining power, but try anyway. If you can wait longer, wait. There will always be newer and better. Every car model produced receive improvements steadily over their product cycle.

Pretty much sums up all I could think, but here are a couple more ideas.
The end of the month is the best time to negotiate a sale while the dealer is trying to make his quota. Check for finance rates and pre-qualify. USAA insurance does this. Here is a link from USAA that addresses the best and worst times to buy.
https://www.usaa.com/inet/wc/advice-auto-buynewcar?akredirect=true

 

[Renegade4X4]

Also when dealers are well stocked with inventory you have a better position. Right now in San Diego I found no Renegade Trailhawks. The one that was here last was the Omaha Orange. The LA market has a couple Colorado red ones.

 

[djeffery]

What might be special pricing strategies to use with dealers if you want to order only a vehicle to your specifications that is not on the lot? You want a specific color, some option packages but not others, and so on.