12th Sep 2010, 19:08
What you really should do is figure out what you want to get for your car, and then what you're willing to pay for the new car and go in with your numbers in hand. It has to be reasonable, obviously, but if they see you with figures in hand, they take you a little more seriously.
My last deal was worked out completely down to the payment I expected, as that is so easy to get online now with calculators and such. Yes, it was a hard deal and we started out at $3K apart. I fought with them back and forth and got to within $1 of my desired payment. That was a trade deal too. You aren't obligated to tell them your current payment so they can jack it up. I never give that information during a deal. It is none of their business, and has nothing to do with the current deal you are working. Dealers have used the "new cars mean higher payments" tactic for years. You should always know what payment you will be at when you make a fair offer BEFORE you even walk into a dealer. If you don't, you will likely get ridiculous offers from any dealer.
On the test drive, tell the salesman to please be quiet so you can concentrate on the car. If you need them, you'll tell them! This can be done in a non-offensive manner so as to not alienate the person. They do have to work for you in the end, after all.
If the paperwork confuses you, then make it simple. Tell them to give you a hard cash number on your car, and a bottom line price for theirs, on two separate sheets, plain and simple. If they give you the runaround, then go somewhere else.
Dealers will ALWAYS tell you that they can waltz into any auction and pick up ten cars just like yours. This is true if your car is in fair condition, but not so much for a low mileage mint car. I've had more than one small dealer tell me that really top notch cars are not found at auctions too often. If they are that good, they are retailed plain and simple, and not wholesaled to some auction house for them to make the money off of. This whole auction and wholesale trade in offer is the biggest scam there is. They won't even use KBB or NADA guides for trade in allowances anymore, because they just have to rip people off for $thousands. You are much better selling a mint car outright, as you'll more than make up for the tax difference, and it will be worth the effort.
Buying a car is a lot of work if you do it right. To just wander into a dealer with a trade in and hope for the best will empty your wallet pretty fast! Just be educated and do lots of research, and the buying process isn't all that hard. Remember, there is always another dealer that will want to make you a better deal, if they don't come down far enough... they may even trade for the exact car you looked at where they didn't agree to your terms.
12th Sep 2010, 15:48
"The car's not in the person's name whatsoever, so the car dealer would pay."
In NY they can't legally ticket you for a moving violation unless they personally catch you doing it. Anyone could borrow someones car, go 100 mph in a 30 zone and the owner would be responsible? Not in NY! This is why they don't use the EZ Pass toll system to write tickets. They could easily clock your on and off times and figure out how fast you were going and mail you a ticket. They'd be breaking their own law if they did. Trust me, I have had long arguments about this with people, and I finally researched it thoroughly to get a clear answer.