Buying a new car and having it shipped

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Phoenix
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I noticed under the "what did you pay" thread that in a lot of areas (NY) inventory is low and dealerships aren't dealing. While other areas, Phoenix? California? seem to have some people who got good deals. Maybe it's an option to look in to buy a car from out of state and have it shipped.

After test driving and making your offer, go on-line and look up 'California Mazda Dealers' - or wherever. Check their on-line inventory, call them up and say exactly this "I saw your car stock no. S1212 on-line, I'm ready to buy it today, right now, for $XX,XXX". Dealerships ship cars to customers all the time and can even arrange transport. It may seem like a lot of trouble to go through, but I look at it this way.... If they can sell me a car for $2,500 - $3,000 less than a local dealer, and it costs me $1,200-$2,000 to ship it, I'm ahead $1,000 - $1,500. I don't know about you, but I'll spend a day of my time to save (make) $1,000.

Too many people resolve themselves to 'it is what it is' when buying locally. They figure, "the car is $30,000, so in the scheme of things $500 really isn't that much. - they don't want the "hassle". Again, it's $500 (or more) in savings which is exactly the same as if someone is going to give you $500 for a day's (actually less) effort in buying and shipping

I've mentioned this to others who said "that's too much time and effort" Really??? But you'll spend 30 minutes driving EACH WAY to save $60 on a 75 inch TV?
 
Apparently, $500 is worth more to you than it is to otherother people. For me, I spent hours over 5-6 days negotiating with 6 dealers via email. In the end, I could have driven 4 hours each way to save $500, but no way was I going to do that. Even if they had offered to get it to me for free, I still wouldn't have done it. $500 on a 48 month 0.9% loan comes out to about $10-11 per month. Not worth my time and energy. That's a single dram of decent single malt in my favorite bar. Sometimes, people just don't want to put up with any more aggravation from car dealers than necessary. I do agree with the sentiment that $500 on a $30,000 car really isn't that much. Others will fight over $50. That's what makes the world go around. As with most things in life (besides my wonderful wife), I'm OK with good enough.
 
You state that $500 is maybe worth more to me. I'll phase that differently, maybe $500 isn't worth that much to you. If someone asked me to make phone calls for 3 hours, and they said they'll pay me $1,000 bucks, you're darn right I'd do it.

I do agree with the sentiment that $500 on a $30,000 car really isn't that much.

In the mean time there's a whole thread 'what did you pay' where people moan about the dealer not giving them a better deal. If people want to pay what they pay, that's fine, but then they complain about the dealer pricing and don't want to put in ANY additional effort to save $1,000. Which is it, do they want to moan, or put in some effort?

Whether you save $500 on a $30,000 car or $500 off a $1,000 television. It's the exact $500 in your pocket. - don't explain to me about 'percentage',
 
Not being able to visibly inspect the vehicle before I sign the papers is a no-go for me.

Okay, so tell me, how many times did you buy a new car, arrive to pick it up, inspect it, then say "no thank you, I don't like the way it looks. Maybe never?
 
Not being able to visibly inspect the vehicle before I sign the papers is a no-go for me.

Valid point, but there are options. Fly & drive, pay someone to got to the lot and inspect it. If I want a certain trim, with certain option, and a specific color, I have to expect to put in the effort. How many people have said "it wasn't my first choice but it's all they had"?

I was just throwing out a valid shopping option. It seems there are tons of people in NY that say there's nothing there or that dealers won't budge. Okay. They have options...

They can do without a new car, they can pay what the dealer wants or they can expand their search and explore other alternatives like the one I mentioned.

I can almost guaranty you that someone here has done the fly & drive to get the car they wanted, and maybe even for hundreds or thousands less.
 
I wonder if prices are lower near a port of entry? They wouldn't have to deliver as far.
 
Okay, so tell me, how many times did you buy a new car, arrive to pick it up, inspect it, then say "no thank you, I don't like the way it looks. Maybe never?
Zero for me but there's been cases on this forum where people have picked up their vehicle, got it home and found a problem. In that case they call their salesperson, return to the dealership and get it
straightened out. What happens if something gets damaged in shipping. How do you prove it?

In the case of NY you mention there's plenty of semi-local options. NJ, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, etc. all within 6 hours.

In Delaware there's two Mazda dealers within 10 miles of the NJ border and they have a decent inventory.
 
Just FYI in NY, brand new vehicles on showroom floor CAN be damaged & repaired without disclosure if damage was less than 5% of MSRP (3% in CA).

So the "brand new" $30,000 vehicle you thought it was, CAN have up to $1,500 of damage and the dealer would not be legally bounded to tell you. And if the damage was intentionally under-reported by the shady body shop/dealer, then you are even more screwed. I'm not saying this will happen to you but it is a possibility and you have no legal recourse. Just a thought.
 
Okay, so tell me, how many times did you buy a new car, arrive to pick it up, inspect it, then say "no thank you, I don't like the way it looks. Maybe never?

I did, sort of. 👍I didn't buy anything 1st, but I did make sure I got the one I wanted.
When I bought my Protege5. I test drove one and liked it, then when it was time to sign the papers, I went back out to the lot and found the silver 5-speed with no leather and the least miles.

I still miss that little shaggin' wagon.
 
I'm looking to switch cars and I have found a dealer far away that offer great deals. They would even ship it for free, but for example, they would charge a smaller tax, because it is sold in that state, and I will have to pay the difference and deal with forms at the DMV. The tax difference will have to come out of my pocket and I can't finance it.
 
Okay, so tell me, how many times did you buy a new car, arrive to pick it up, inspect it, then say "no thank you, I don't like the way it looks. Maybe never?
Rarely. Funny story tho: When I was car shopping for my mother in law, I was brought over to the vehicle we were interested in. I popped the hatch door and holy cow, somebody at the dealership must have borrowed it. Trunk had grass clippings in it and the plastic around the cargo area was marred some. It looked like somebody transported a push mower. ~30 miles on the odometer? We immediately moved on to the exact same vehicle a few cars down because that was just ridiculous.
 
A few years ago, we were driving to Maine from Florida and decided to buy a new vehicle. I checked online and found the a white one and the best price in Maryland. I gave them a deposit on my credit card and drove to Maryland prepared to buy the vehicle. I had a cashiers check for the OTD price.

When I arrived and inspected the vehicle, there was a scratch on the hood. I said I don't want this vehicle. The General Manager came out and said they would take it into the shop and fix it. I repeated myself...I don't want it...period. WE then walked around to check inventory and found a grey one with no damage and bought it.

I heard the General Manger give the sales rep hell for not checking the car before we arrived.

Why did I reject it???? Few years before we found a vehicle that had a paint damage to the bumper. The repainted it, it looked like new, bought it and 2 years later the clear coat cracked and peeled. I said to myself "never again".

Always remember...you are in control. The money is in your pocket. The dealer just wants to separate you from your money. Keep control of the situation. Walk if your are not happy...don't worry about hurting a sale rep feelings. Trust me, they just want your money.
 
When I bought a new 1990 Plymouth Laser Turbo in St. Louis, MO my color choice, turquoise was in Indianapolis. The dealership sent a responsible older gent to get the car so it had 400 miles on it when delivered. I don't know if that affected its longevity, something I was concerned about. I finally sold the car when it had 160,000 miles on it, at that point the AC needed repair and the car was emitting some blue smoke. Still ran like a champ though.
 
Okay, so tell me, how many times did you buy a new car, arrive to pick it up, inspect it, then say "no thank you, I don't like the way it looks. Maybe never?
Obviously the stakes are lower, but that's like asking "how many times have you had cancer" for a patient contemplating a mammogram or a colonoscopy.
 
I'm looking to switch cars and I have found a dealer far away that offer great deals. They would even ship it for free, but for example, they would charge a smaller tax, because it is sold in that state, and I will have to pay the difference and deal with forms at the DMV. The tax difference will have to come out of my pocket and I can't finance it.
We each have our own values and priorities, but if I couldn't front the tax for a car, I wouldn't consider myself able to afford the car.
 
I noticed under the "what did you pay" thread that in a lot of areas (NY) inventory is low and dealerships aren't dealing. While other areas, Phoenix? California? seem to have some people who got good deals. Maybe it's an option to look in to buy a car from out of state and have it shipped.

After test driving and making your offer, go on-line and look up 'California Mazda Dealers' - or wherever. Check their on-line inventory, call them up and say exactly this "I saw your car stock no. S1212 on-line, I'm ready to buy it today, right now, for $XX,XXX". Dealerships ship cars to customers all the time and can even arrange transport. It may seem like a lot of trouble to go through, but I look at it this way.... If they can sell me a car for $2,500 - $3,000 less than a local dealer, and it costs me $1,200-$2,000 to ship it, I'm ahead $1,000 - $1,500. I don't know about you, but I'll spend a day of my time to save (make) $1,000.

Too many people resolve themselves to 'it is what it is' when buying locally. They figure, "the car is $30,000, so in the scheme of things $500 really isn't that much. - they don't want the "hassle". Again, it's $500 (or more) in savings which is exactly the same as if someone is going to give you $500 for a day's (actually less) effort in buying and shipping

I've mentioned this to others who said "that's too much time and effort" Really??? But you'll spend 30 minutes driving EACH WAY to save $60 on a 75 inch TV?
I did exactly that. No one in south Florida wanted to give me a deal so I looked nationwide and was able to find my GTR In Illinois. Saved $3,000 by purchasing out of state. $1,000 to ship so I am up $2,000. Car arrived in perfect condition. Easiest transaction ever. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
 
I did exactly that. No one in south Florida wanted to give me a deal so I looked nationwide and was able to find my GTR In Illinois. Saved $3,000 by purchasing out of state. $1,000 to ship so I am up $2,000. Car arrived in perfect condition. Easiest transaction ever. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Good for you. In general I agree with what the OP said. And you just did it!

Of course there’re some risks involved. But for $2,000 saving it should worth it for many.

On the contrary of most people thinking, what I’ve found is new car price in California generally is actually cheaper.
 
Good for you. In general I agree with what the OP said. And you just did it!

Of course there’re some risks involved. But for $2,000 saving it should worth it for many.

On the contrary of most people thinking, what I’ve found is new car price in California generally is actually cheaper.
Thank you. For the uninitiated my OP seemed like lunacy. But I would venture, that for most guys who know their way around car buying, this is not really an obscure off the wall idea.
 
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