OT:My truck died.

For the last fifteen years, I have been driving a 1976 Ford F250 pickup. When people would ask "when are you going to buy yourself a new truck", I would tell them that I would get a new (to me, I don't buy new) one when this one died. Well, today I pronounced it. With a bit of work and more money than I'm willing to put into it, it has a few more years in it but it's not worth it to me. This is a dark day. Not because my truck died, I never really liked it, but now I have to buy a new one. The money is no big deal, I just loath shopping for vehicles. I hate to drive. I can tell you the make and model of every car and truck on the road, as long as I'm close enough to read the nameplate. In addition, car dealers rate right up there with lawyers as my most favorite people. Best I can hope for out of this is I get something that I will be able to drive for as many years as the last one. R.I.P

Reply to
CW
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LOL!! Similar to my wife and I. I have a company truck. My wife's car is a '93 Chevy Caprice. It really is a nice car even with the 160,000 miles on the clock. No rust, clean interior, and we are gonna drive it 'til the wheels fall off, and probably will put them back on and drive it some more! On the other hand I like motorcycles, always have. I have never been without at least one motorcycle in my possession. Last summer the missus and I took the plunge and bought our first Harley. Shopped around for used for a while, then said screw it and dropped $21K+ for a new Ultra Classic. Some people can not figure out why we would drive a $2000 car, and drop so much on a bike. Well, you gotta have priorities! A car gets you to work and back, buy groceries, no real enjoyment in that. The bike is much more important! We ride it for pleasure, for enjoyment, much more important that getting to and from work! Greg

Reply to
Greg O

Good luck. Certainly understand your feeling regarding dealing with car dealers (almost feel like you have to take a shower after visiting the showroom). Try to find one where they simply show you the cars and tell you the asking price without pressuring you (there are a few of those out there). If they sit you down and ask you what it's going to take to get you to drive out with the vehicle *now*, get up and walk out -- they aren't worth dealing with. Get yourself a copy of a book "Never Get Taken Again

-- The NEW Rules for Buying a Car" by Remar Sutton. I read an earlier version of that book, it was quite helpful disclosing the various tactics dealers use.

I don't know what conditions are like now, given the recent gas price runup, reasonably-priced used pickups may be easily obtained. When I bought my 97 F-150, I found that all of the used pickups available were at or around 80k or more miles and only yet priced at around 2/3 the cost of a new pickup. I decided that new was more cost-effective than used at that point.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Reply to
Mark & Juanita

I've been looking in the paper today at the ads. It appears to be a buyers market right now. Good timing. Another thing in my favor is that I live just outside Seattle. There are probably 100 car dealers in a 15 mile radius. Don't like the deal, there's always someone else. Thanks for the tip on the book. I'll look that one up.

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Reply to
CW

I new I couldn't be the only one.

Reply to
CW

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

That's a lot of bids. How much difference betweenthe highs and lows?

Now you can do the specs from web pages. I already know what I'm going to buy next summer right down to the options and color.

Last time it took about 15 minutes at the dealer's place. Dealer had exactly what I wanted, asked for a price. It was too high and started to leave. Told him I had a price in mind, all he had to do was match it. After a few minutes with his calculator, he beat it by $100 so I bought.

Be sure to check

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for some pricing information also.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

I'd have to disagree with that statement Mark. As a sales guy in high tech, that's the ultimate question. It's always best put on the table up front. There's different ways to ask it, but it's always a discovery point that is quickly approached and sometimes, even that directly. It quickly determines whether the buyer and the seller have any good reason to spend any of each other's time.

When asked that question, the buyer should be able to answer it with a fair price offer. Perhaps allowing for a bit of time to consider the question, but it's not an unreasonable question. When I go to buy a car, I've got my choices of cars narrowed down to one of a couple or few different models, have researched them on the net and have a good feel for the book values (all three categories) of each model equipped as I would want it. That puts me in a good position to either preempt that question with an initial offer, or to answer the question if it's asked before I make an offer.

The question itself is a perfectly legitimate question though that invites the process of negotiation. That's a big part of what buying a car is all about. I'd be much more concerned about a dealer who tried to avoid that process.

Reply to
Mike Marlow

holy moley!!! I thought I was stubborn hanging on to my 1984 Chevy 4x4 as long as I could.... Getcha a newer fuel injected one! I bought a 1997 Chevy

4x4 with the same (350ci) engine and get at least 10 mpg more. It makes a real difference! I drive close to 100 mi a day to and from work, the gas savings almost made the payment on the newer truck! --dave "
Reply to
Dave Jackson

Do a Google for "Fighting Chance".

I've been in the guy's house down in Long Beach, CA.

Good skinny for a modest price.

Lew

Reply to
Lew Hodgett

My trucks never die of old age... My two sons have killed three of them... in '96, I "loaned" a 91 Mitsubishi to son #1 for college, maintained it for him till I moved to Japan in '99 only to have him total it soon after... in '01 I bought a '99 S10 for son #2 to take to college (with hope of getting it when i transfered back to the states and he had a job)... that one lasted a year before he loaned it to a buddy who totaled it... in Jan 04 I gave son #1 a 02 Ranger that I really liked and hoped to get from him when he steadied out (new chemical engineering job (7 years of college) after he tired of his restaurant job) and he had that one stolen 8 months later... lesson learned... when you find a truck you like, make it one that has everybody wondering why you own it and it will live a long time.

Reply to
Jack

I certainly agree that the question is not unreasonable, it is the tactics used that are disagreeable.

Therein lies one of the problems at the "high-pressure" dealerships, time is all on their side, they are not going to allow one to consider the question

When in the initial process of looking, I will go into a dealership to get a feel for some of the candidates on my list. This is also the time when I will form an opinion of the dealership itself. There are dealerships that despite the fact you have told them up-front that at this time, you are looking and downselecting a candidate list of cars that will still try to get you to "drive it off the lot now". Those are the dealerships to stay away from.

In the proper context I agree.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Reply to
Mark & Juanita

Heck, no! I'm 53 and I've owned only 4 cars in my life. Hate buying them.

Reply to
Dhakala

Reply to
badger

Hummm, my 1958 land-rover was sold on only a few years ago, still running somewhere stateside....Still got me '52 Matchless though!

Reply to
badger

I had an '87 Dodge D150, slant six, that I ran from '88 until 2003. It wasn't a world beater for power, gas mileage or much else, but it ran reliably, and had only one non-normal repair in my 165,000 miles of use...pinhole in the water pump, so that had to be replaced. Otherwise, all maintenance. I was afraid, with 200,000 or so on the clock, it wouldn't make it over the mountains to WV, so I sold it in '03 for about 30% of what I paid for it in '88. The guy is still driving it locally.

I am currently driving a '98 S10 that is far less of a world beater anywhere except gas mileage. At my current driving pace, it may outlast me.

Reply to
Charles Self

Actually, lesson learned: never loan a kid anything you truly want back.

Reply to
Charles Self

Lew has a good suggestion... I used a slightly differnt flavor of that approach.

I have fewer dealers to choose from. It took me one afternoon of driving around to come to the conclusion that there had to be a better way.

Rule 1. Don't confuse shopping with buying. Those things happen on different days.

Shop, that is figure out what you want and what is out there. Go ahead and kick tires to figure out what you want, but the answer to what is out there can be had online.

Research. It takes all of 10 minutes to determine what you should/are willing to pay with on-line research.

I did all my shopping on-line. When it came time to buy, I showed up at the dealer and said "I beleive you have VIN xxx" on your lot, I would like to take it for a test drive.

20 minutes of test drive, 20 minutes of negotiation and, 10 minutes of paperwork; done in under an hour.

CHeers,

Steve

Reply to
Stephen M

I worked in the new car industry for many years and typically get a good deal as I know the jargon that lets them know that I am on to their game.

That said, I would buy from CarMax if shopping for a new car, providing you have one local. There IS NO PRESSURE to buy anything.

Reply to
Leon

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