Best place to buy used cars? (Myrtle Beach SC) (sales, coupons)

[citynelg]

Hey everyone,
I'm fairly new to the area and have found myself in need of a new (used) car. Tell me about a good place to buy a used car in the Myrtle area. Also, tell me if I should stay away from any particular dealers. Thanks. I appreciate the help!

[CTyankee54]

Boy, that's a tough question. I don't trust ANY car dealers...new or used. With that said, I have purchased two used cars from Addy's Harbor Dodge on 501. But, I'll give you some advice...

1. don't let them show you any car that has not been serviced after it was traded in...based on my price range, they showed me some pieces of junk...slipping transmissions, etc. before they finally showed me a nice car that had been through their service dept.
2. understand that they've built in about $2K into the price of the car for negotiating room and work out a deal based on that. Walk away if they're not dealing...they'll chase you to the door if they think you're serious about walking away.
3. do NOT accept their offer for financing without checking other sources first. They offered me 5% and when I said that sounded high, they said it was the best they could do. I went home, found financing at 2.25% and went back the next day with a confirmation letter from the online bank at that % and suddenly, Addy's was able to give me 1.75%.

Why would I recommend Addy's with these three pieces of advice? Because the cars that I purchased were actually good cars and Addy's was willing to work with me. But, you have to show them that you know what you're doing. If you don't know how to deal with them, they will take advantage of you just like any other car dealer...some are worse than others but they are all cut from the same cloth.

PM me if you want the name of the salesman I dealt with...he's actually pretty good...it's his boss you have to watch out for...LOL.

[Frozen]

Ill try and give you some advise on buying a used car.

Skip the dealers and look for private sales.

Shop in well to do neighborhoods
look for well maintained yards, and homes
these people have the money to maintain their cars
this is where you will get the best car for the money
tell the guy he has a great home, that he must have done well for himself
stroke his ego !


If you must go to a dealer, look for the poorest looking salesman
ask him to show you the cars that have sat on the lot the longest
these are cars the manager will want to get rid of the most, the dealer is paying interest on them by the month
start the car cold, listen for any noises, shop around the end of the month, they want the stuff off the books
look for the ugliest car, something no human would get caught driving, that's your best deal.

this works with women too!

[dlcamp]

I recommend Grand Strand Nissan.

My family has bought numerous cars (8 or more) from there over the last 7 or so years.

My salesman's name is Victor and he has been there for years. He sends me birthday cards, knows my wife and children (who've bought cars from him) and is always available, even goes out of his way to make sure I'm happy after the sale.

That is the sales dept.

The service dept. is awesome, too. Best one I've ever been in. They know my name, too. (Look, I'm a nobody, just a small business owner.) I was just there yesterday. My son's new Altima had a recall on his spare tire. They had to check it to see that it was properly inflated. As usual, they treated me like royalty, keeping me up to date with everything going on in regard to my car.

Service after the sale. That is very important! I would say as important as the sale itself.

I have also bought used cars there. I am currently driving a Dodge Nitro that I traded my Dodge Durango for. Victor knew everything about it and carefully explained everything to me about the car before I took delivery.

I service it at Addy's Harbor Dodge. They're OK. No complaints. They have good service coupons on their website. It's not the same though. They seem to change personel all the time and no one knows my name. I don't feel like family like I do at Grand Strand.

Disclaimer: I am not employed at Grand Strand Nissan nor is any family member or relative.

Hope this helps. I would suggest give them a shot at your business and see if they meet your standards and have a new or used car or truck that you may want.

[CTyankee54]

There are a lot of retired car salesmen here in the area. The one thing I've found about trying to buy from "private" individuals here in the Grand Strand is that many of the cars I looked into from a "private" owner were owned by guys who had gotten their used car dealer license (as a way to earn some extra money...not to open a lot) and then they go to the auction. Then they polish the car up, maybe put some new brakes on it and sell it as if it's a private owner car. I learned quickly to make one of the first questions to ask when calling about the car..."how long have you owned the car?" That's how I found that many of the cars being sold as "private" are really auction cars and why I ended up going the dealer route. I got frustrated tying to find a good, truly "private" sale car.

[seahawk008]

I bought my car few months ago at a small local dealership in Calabash, its called Progressive Auto and it's right next to SC stateline. They do repair work on the cars and sell both clean and branded titles. I got my 2008 Honda Fit with 80k miles for $6300 only, and yes it has a salvage title but they showed me the pics prior to the repairs, there was a dent on the rear bumper and thats it, cosmetic work needed only. NC dealers also required to pass the safety inspection for each car they sell and another inspection for branded titles when dmv makes sure that all the vin numbers are matching and the odometer reading is actual. That made me feel much safer, plus they offer 90 day warranty whenever you buy a car for the full asking price. I don't have one since we negotiated on the price but I am so happy with my purchase that I don't need a warranty. I keep sending all my friends that need a car there. Def worth seeing