Non-price Tips for 1st time "new car" buyer

[magnetism]

hi Guys,
I'm going to be a first time 'new car' buyer. so I'm pretty excited to buy a new CX-5 from a dealer.
I would like to know some tips on purchase apart from the price negotiation stuff itself. Please provide your valuable thoughts

* Picking the car: Do I have a say on the VIN# I want among the ones they have in stock, if there are multiple
* Should I test each and every feature/accessory after test driving the specific unit, prior to signing ?
* Does it make sense to buy simple stuff like cargo holder, mats online or get it from dealer itself ?
* Anything else ?

thanks.

 

[jjp735i]

Get pre-approved for the amount you want to spend and stick to it. This will give you power at the dealership. Get only the options you want and when you almost done with the deal, then see what they will throw in for free, like all weather mats, etc.

I got remote start, all weather mats and vent visor all for free. So don't let them give you the BS about set price.

Good luck. jjp

 

[GP 2004]

Generally, accessories like cargo nets, mats, etc. will be cheaper online than from your dealer, but know what prices are available online for what you want before buying the car and you will be ready if offered any last minute accessory deal.

 

[Ride92]

Be sure to do a through walk around the car and check the condition of the exterior and interior with a fine tooth comb. My car was dealer transfer, had about 100miles on it when I bought it new and after spending 7 hours at the dealership got home and found several odd scratches that needs to be taken care of.

 

[JbCalg]

* Does it make sense to buy simple stuff like cargo holder, mats online or get it from dealer itself ?

generally, you can find it online or after market for less, but might not be OEM - which isn't a bad thing with some items

price out what you want elsewhere, including shipping, ease of install - then use that with your price offer
most dealers will juggle their numbers between msrp, invoice, etc etc
but really all you care about is OTD - out the door - cost to you, not what their internal accounting numbers says

we added approx $1800 in 'extras' and were charged full price for them on the final invoice, but the vehicle cost etc went down by same numbers so at the end of the day - we paid what we wanted to pay for vehicle and options we wanted

that said, may have been slightly less if we just went with vehicle as is and added the other stuff later, but we think it built some goodwill with the dealership and also avoided some of the installation hassle
- service, drop in questions, troubleshooting, etc has all been good since day 1 - partially because of that IMO
- a win/win type of approach
- your dealership experience may vary LOL