scottydl
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There's nothin' like an American V-8...
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Post by scottydl on Oct 4, 2004 10:54:07 GMT -6
I can't imagine purchasing a car without seeing it first. It can be done successfully... it depends on the amount of trust you have in your information source. My '69 Executive I bought from 2 states away (Illinois to South Dakota), but it had been seen & checked out by my next door neighbor... an older guy who KNOWS cars, who I completely trusted. And I set up a relationship with the seller (another old guy), through letters and phone calls. My other two remote purchases (my '98 Bonneville and current '99 Aurora) were autotrader.com finds, about 2-3 hours away. Again I made sure to set up a fairly solid relationship (by multiple phone calls) with ONE salesperson each time, so any bad information they gave me would reflect poorly on them personally. Most people won't take that risk to make a bad sale. And of course in all cases, I was willing to walk away from the deal if I didn't like the car once I saw it. For Roice, I'm thinking it may not be worth the effort if he can find other classic Auroras closer to him.
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Post by Roice on Oct 4, 2004 11:07:33 GMT -6
I forgot to mention. My dad works for an airline, so I can fly out there for free. I meant to say that the flight there and back would be sort of a waste if things didn't pan out, but then that's the sort of risk I should be willing to accept. That the dealer will cancel the contract if I don't like it is a bit comforting, though.
Oh, and Aurora40, after the auction ended that's what I offered to the guy--his quoted reserve price. I'd just as soon make it up there on my own time with a bank draft that I can make out without having to wait another 9 days on the outcome of this auction. His partner emailed me back; he's out of town but he should be calling me today. I'll have to make sure his contract termination offer still stands.
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Post by Letitroll98 on Oct 4, 2004 12:03:04 GMT -6
Roice, whatever you decide to do, this dealer is not your buddy, friend, or pal. Most car dealerships are not even very honorable businessmen. And this one will get zero repeat or referral business from you because of the distance.
Sc%#w his reserve or his "agreement" to cancel the contract. He cannot hold you to ANY agreement unless you give him money. Even then the most he may be able to do is keep any deposit, which are almost always refundable anyway. NY law is very specific and consumer friendly. He can sell this car to anybody whenever and wherever he wants to for whatever the market will bear. If someone walks in tomorrow and offers the right price he will sell it E-bay be damned.
The fact that the dealership hasn't sold it yet puts YOU in the drivers seat. Tell him you're no way going to travel to NY unless the price is MUCH better than you previously offered. Does he want to sell the car or not? If not, see ya! Next car please. Chrome wheels and a spoiler can be purchased way cheaper than new seats. BTW those seats will not clean up totally, no way, not even close.
DO NOT kowtow to car salesman. Make them sell you the car, be tough, be hard, be firm, be fair. Turn the tables by making them know you are a serious buyer, not a tire kicker, but will take your money down the street in a heartbeat if you don't get everything you want. Make sure this is reasonable by having all the numbers correct before you go in, this will also support your position, i.e. other cars with similar mileage selling for less elsewhere, or better yet, other cars with more options selling for the same price.
Sorry to talk to you like a Dutch Uncle, but you asked for advice and I need to turn you around from being subservient over to controlling the transaction.
Best of luck and keep posting.
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scottydl
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There's nothin' like an American V-8...
Posts: 7,373
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Post by scottydl on Oct 4, 2004 12:04:48 GMT -6
I forgot to mention. My dad works for an airline, so I can fly out there for free. I meant to say that the flight there and back would be sort of a waste if things didn't pan out, but then that's the sort of risk I should be willing to accept. That the dealer will cancel the contract if I don't like it is a bit comforting, though. Well that does change things a bit... considerably less time and costs for the travel, no doubt! However, that Aurora doesn't seem SO rare that you should have to travel so far to find one. For instance, check out this link from autotrader.com ... 112 Auroras (95-99) listed within 300 miles of Charlotte, NC! I'm not sure where you are in NC, but there must be one somewhere in there that meets your standards!
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Post by Roice on Oct 4, 2004 12:28:24 GMT -6
I sincerely appreciate the advice, letitroll. You were actually the one I wanted to hear from. Your advice is much the same as that of someone I've talked to for quite a while, and is a respectable source; he runs this site. I hate to think that I've sounded like a wimp this entire time, because I've been very assertive with the dealer. I know exactly what problems to look for, and have made it clear to him that there won't be a deal if the car isn't to my liking. My biggest mistake, incidentally, was offering him the reserve price after I didn't win the auction. At that point I was confused and in a hurry to lock it down. Kept feeling like someone else is right behind me to pick it up if I don't get it. At any rate, I may be able to reneg that if he doesn't call me back and the auction goes through again without a winning bid. The problem with the agreement, at least if I go the auction route, is eBay's contract rules. As far as I can tell, a bid is a binding contract to purchase the car upon winning the auction. His agreement to drop the deal if I don't like it is my only assurance that I won't be in violation of that contract if I do cancel. Not sure what the consequences of that are, but I'd rather maintain a clean account on eBay. As for other deals, it's been hard to find other offers with as many or more options, as few or fewer miles, and as low a price as his offer. Trust me, I've looked around, but if you know somewhere else I should check out, by all means let me know. I'd love to walk in the place with a manila folder full of better deals by which to leverage the deal. Again, you've all given sound advice. I'm happy to know that I'm in good company on this. (Admin, as the thread has gone somewhat off-topic, you may want to move it to the Water Cooler or another relevant board.)
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Post by Roice on Oct 4, 2004 12:30:20 GMT -6
You know, scotty, I haven't even checked that out! I've looked at every other website I can think of, including local listings, and didn't even think of autotrader. Thanks, man.
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Post by Aurora40 on Oct 4, 2004 13:09:11 GMT -6
Regarding eBay's rules, that's just another reason not to use eBay for a car you are unsure of. Anyone auctioning a car on eBay can always close the auction if they sell it outside of eBay. This is a dealership, it's not uncommon for people to come in off the street and buy a car. Don't feel you need to go through eBay or honor any eBay pricing, etc. I thought you said the auction you bid on fell through, but maybe I'm not reading it right.
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Post by Roice on Oct 4, 2004 15:01:19 GMT -6
I thought you said the auction you bid on fell through, but maybe I'm not reading it right. It did, but he relisted it. Assumedly at a lower reserve--all the more reason, I guess, to wonder if offering his quoted reserve is too much.
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Post by Aurora40 on Oct 4, 2004 16:30:47 GMT -6
It did, but he relisted it. Assumedly at a lower reserve--all the more reason, I guess, to wonder if offering his quoted reserve is too much. Well, if you didn't bid on the relist, then you've certainly no obligation to go via eBay.
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Post by Roice on Oct 4, 2004 18:34:35 GMT -6
Holy sh-t, guys, I'm ignorant. Been going about this wrong from the start. lookieThere're 15 cars right there, even with my stringent rules. One or two of those are Autobahns, and one's even got less than 30k miles on it. Granted, the price is steep, but this is much more to work from than I thought--and prices are negotiable like they should be. Why didn't I look here to begin with? Forget I said anything about eBay...
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Post by Letitroll98 on Oct 4, 2004 19:03:56 GMT -6
He he, and to think I hadn't even thought to ask if you'd shopped AutoTrader. The only place I look for a car. And don't feel too wimpy, the biggest wimp here is when I bought my Aurora. Rolled right over for the dealer like a puppydog. Only walked out once. Auroras do that to ya.
But the advice will still work for any car purchase. They want your money! They can have it, just make them do their job for it. Gotta go, Monday nite football, see ya.
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Post by Roice on Oct 4, 2004 19:20:29 GMT -6
Half the reason I got so fired up was because I didn't think I could get as raw a deal on a car as my dad did. He bought his at the eleventh hour one day, after getting burned by another dealer who acted like the price he was quoting him included tax/title/registration. Ran out in a huff, went to another dealer and bought one without so much a cough at the price. I'm positive he could've scored it for $2-3k less if he'd been patient, and he's a heck of a haggler.
But then, his car is awesome. Every possible option, except gold badging. And it just so happens that his tastes match mine exactly in terms of color, inside and out. If I get one with a few less creature comforts, I'll just swap mine out for his one night and see how long it takes for him to wise up.
Anyway. Now that I don't feel pressed toward a deadline, I can take some time and think it through properly. Maybe wait till graduation, which'd be the most sensible thing to do. In the meantime, try the Green Giant teriyaki frozen vegetables. They're freaking scrumptious.
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scottydl
Super Moderator
There's nothin' like an American V-8...
Posts: 7,373
Staff Member
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Post by scottydl on Oct 5, 2004 8:14:58 GMT -6
Anyway. Now that I don't feel pressed toward a deadline, I can take some time and think it through properly. Now THAT's the way to buy a car! Unfortunately we don't all manage to do it that way every time...
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