Used car dealers?

[Dire Wolf]

Originally Posted by saturnfan

Consider a new car with few options.

You can many times wind up with a factory warranty and a sure history. Sales are slow and rebate money's being done by mfrs and dealers.

I got $1,500 off a new 2008 Corolla + $500 more from the dealer.

Leave out the options and a new 2008 may be close to a loaded 2005.

When manufacturers offer incentives on new cars, the value of used vehicles of that model fall as well. So you'll always do better economically buying the used vehicle. The new car will always loose a big chunk of its value when you drive it off the lot.

For instance, here is one link that quickly popped up:

New-car incentives also drive used-car market - The Business Review (Albany):

A $3,000 incentive on a new car takes just about the same bite out of the value of a 2- or 3-year-old used car of the same model, said Mark Perleberg, lead auto expert for Costa Mesa, Calif.-based NADAguides.com, which provides consumer pricing information.

You can always purchase an aftermarket warranty if it makes you feel better.

[CaliBoy]

Originally Posted by Stu Barnes

I got my accord from auction direct on glenwood. basically they advertise for auction price plus $400. They will try and sell you on warranties but don't bite...that's where they make their money....short of it is I got a 2006 accord for $16K when everywhere else it was 19Kplus

We visited Auction Direct as well... unfortunately, we wanted to get out of there as fast as we got in. The salesperson was stuck to us like glue even after I told him we'd just like to walk the inventory, take notes, and come back to him with questions about any particular vehicle. I dunno. I need a little space when viewing the auto inventory. He wasn't giving us any, and we'll probably not revisit the place (unless we find exactly what we are looking for on their website for a price we just cannot resist). Just our experience with the shopping end of things.

[1kabooki]

We had a similar experience as the above poster. If you see a car that you like at a great price on their website, then you might consider visiting them. Otherwise we would advise to AVOID Auction Direct.

We passed by their store and decided to stop by. We told them we just wanted a quick peek at a few cars. They made us give them our information/ phone number. A salesman immediately greeted us and kept talking. He went on and on about Auction Direct and how they give better service and higher quality cars and that we can trust them more; they aren't like other car dealers, blahblahblabhblabhablahbalbh etc etc etc.

Then he took us to talk to the manager. I told him I just wanted to look at a few cars. Then they started asking us a bunch of questions. We said we just wanted to see if they had certain cars that we were considering. They didn't have those models currently, so I told them we wanted to leave. They insisted that we look at comparable cars. I declined but they are persistent.

They kept calling us day after day up to 3 to 4 times a day. I sometimes sleep during the day when I have to work the night shift. It is very annoying to have the phone ring from 9AM to 7PM several times a day. I called them and asked them to not call us and take us off of the list. I said please don't call anymore; I will call them if I see something I like on their website. They are still calling us. I answered again today and asked them not to call. Hopefully, they will honor the request this time.

I read on a review that they are not responsive/ communicative AFTER you buy the car if you have problems, but they sure seem persistent BEFORE you buy the car.

I think that I will stick to CarMax.
Avoid Auction Direct.