[cbondhonda]

I am always asked by many customers nationwide for Car-Buying advice, so here are my “2 cents”…

1st of all….see what numbers you can get by phone or email….the more info/numbers you get this way the more you can shop without leaving your chair….plus it gives you time to see honestly how “cool” that dealer will be to work with.

2nd….dont be in a rush, even if you are. Act as if you have all the time in the world and your shopping everything from kia’s to Benz’s.

3rd….dont discuss what numbers you want. I repeat….DONT DISCUSS WHAT NUMBERS YOU WANT. Once you give up your hand, its hard to keep a poker face.

4th…..work the deal as if you are paying cash before talking finance or trades.

5th….Car Math is just like 1st grade math:

a) For every 5k you finance, you are going to pay around 100 bucks a month for it over a 5 year term.

b) For every year under or over 5 years on financing…either add or take away about 35 bucks a month.

c) For every 1000 you either put down in cash or trade equity….or add to the loan because of negative equity…take away or add 20 bucks to your 5 year loan per month.

d) Your rate (or APR) Doesnt matter THAT MUCH on your payment like a lot of people think!! 1% in RATE = 11 to 6 dollars a month on a 24-72 month term respectively.

6th…..To get financed from tier 4 (worst) to tier 1 (best)…you HAVE to have a 580 to 720 beacon score. Anything lower and be happy you got a loan…but be prepared to pay some crazy rates.

7th…. if one dealer couldnt finance you…chances are NONE OF THEM CAN no matter what they might say……you hopping from place to place will only make your score worse. Pull your own credit and go shopping that way.

8th….and possibly the most important……..Don’t do all the talking!!!!!

The more you talk, the easier you are for many “Car Dogs” to read. Negotiators do it for a living….regardless of how smart and savvy many people think they are. They (we) (Me) are professionals at what they- we - I do…we feed our kids with this job…and we hear every kind of story thats possible to come up with when it comes to weeding out “Real Customers” from people who are just “Playing the Game”…..and the more you talk or act like you have read every book on car sales…especially if you haven’t….the more you are giving yourself away. By knowing everything you can before you walk in the door (as much or more than the Dealer you are working with) and making sure they (we) (me) doesn’t know that….the better.

And not being truthfull and saying that you got a 2.9 rate at so-and so credit union is the first way to tell a salesperson thats worth his salt that you have no idea about what you are doing….especially if that isnt true!!!

We see rates all day. We see the best credit to the worst credit and we know what it takes to get whatever rates are avilable. Also, a dealership like mine uses over 30 lenders to get people bought. So that means I know what local rates are available by 7:30am every morning. The reason I want to know that is because this tells me what people need to get bought….and that helps me make money because that helps me get more people in a car that otherwise might not get done….or know that they could go for a new car when they thought they couldnt.

So the moral of the story is very simple….find the car(s) you want…compare them through info sites, drive each one…and do your own math. Walk in the dealer, give them your math, tell them the rate tier you qualify for and tell them to clean and gas her so you can get your new car on the road…..just bring a pen to sign with and you are in and out within an hour or so and I (we) can go help someone else get into their new baby as well.

At least thats how I like to do it!

Of course not all dealers are that easy to deal with…so search till you find one that is!!

Chris