Blog

YourHub.com \\ Westminster \\ Blogs \\ Family & Community \\ Home & Family

Blog Entry 1 of 8 ColoradoAutoInfoBlog

I have been in the automotive business here in the north metro Denver area for more than eleven years now. It has always amazed me that the experience of buying a new car is not exciting for most people, but rather a process to be feared and dreaded. I'd like to work through this whole process step-by-step, from the first thought' "Maybe I need a new car" all the way through to the next car we start thinking about down the road. I am a former insider in the business, so I will tell you what really goes on and answer any questions to the best of my ability. What makes us start thinking about a new or replacement vehicle in the first place? Some of us just moved here from a larger city where we never needed a car of our own, so we are looking for our first car. Some are just starting to drive, maybe teenagers in high school, and their parents are buying them a first vehicle. Maybe our previous car is too small, too big, poor fuel economy, not enough seats, destroyed in an accident or just plain worn out and can't be repaired anymore. A new baby (or two or three) can trigger this change, as well as children leaving home. Longer commute, don't need to haul or tow anymore; need to start towing or hauling. Just want to help save the environment with a hybrid vehicle. Inherited a car that doesn't fit our needs, just got "car fever" and want to scratch the itch. There are lots of reasons to buy a newer vehicle! What's the next step? Watch this space! Laura Ryan

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~ColoradoAutoInfoBlog

How not to trade in your old car

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

NEXT › ‹ PREVIOUS

Contributed by: Laura Ryan on 4/22/2008

Lots of books and articles have been written about how to get the very best price, best trade-in value and keep an auto dealership from "ripping you off." Many of them are written by embittered former "car people" who want to expose the racket from the insider perspective, and others are written by consumer advocates who want to ensure the public gets the best possible deal. There is all kinds of how-to advice available, especially on the Internet.

Why, then, are so many of us so unhappy about our car-buying experience? After all, don't all the dealers advertise "the lowest price in town" and "120% of trade-in value" and "0% financing"? Why does it take so LONG to buy the car and get out of there, why don't we get top-dollar for our trade-in, the lowest interest rate and a huge discount on the new car?

When it's time to start thinking about a new vehicle, most of us here in Colorado start by looking at the local newspaper auto ads for a few days; we keep an eye on the TV ads and really notice the dealerships we drive by every day; then we hop online and do some research on Kelley Blue Book or Edmunds.com for the trade-in value of our old car and the actual cost of the new car we're dreaming of.

It's human nature to "shop" all the different online trade-in estimators until we find the one that quotes us the highest price for our trade-in. It's also natural to assume that our vehicle is in "perfect" or "excellent" condition (after all, all cars have their little nicks and dings, right? and every car in Colorado has a broken windshield and "road rash" on the hood, right?)

Then we shop the different websites until we find the one with the lowest estimate on the price of the new car - and there's no need to worry about any fine print that says something about destination charges, dealer fees, taxes or anything like that - and no need to worry about what model the advertisement is for, either. Those are just little details, right? And besides, don't all the dealers advertise in the paper that they'll match or beat any deal in town?

Next, once we've got this ammunition in hand, we either search for quotes from local dealerships online, or call the store to ask for the best trade-in value, best price and interest rate, down payment and monthly payment... or we just show up at the dealership on Saturday after lunch, with our spouse and all the kids, prepared to browse a little, do a little negotiating and take home our new car within an hour or so. How hard can it be?

Then we get to the store and everything falls apart. Nothing goes according to plan - the saleman is rude about your estimated trade-in value. The new car is a lot more money than you thought it would be, you've already spent three hours at the dealership and you are ready to pull your hair out. What happened to the easy in-and-out process you anticipated?

Next time: How it really works

Previous | Next: 'Trading in that old ca...' >

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above blog

Talk Back : submit comments to the blog

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Thank you! Your comment has been updated.

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Laura Ryan

Broomfield , CO

Laura Ryan has posted 8 blog entries and 3 comments since joining on 4/22/2008. Laura Ryan 's average blog rating is 5.

view profile » view other postings from Laura Ryan »

SAVE AND SHARE THIS BLOG ENTRY

digg	Google
del.icio.us	Yahoo!
reddit	Newsvine

What is this?

BLOG ENTRY RSS FEEDS

All blog entries

All blog entries in Westminster

All blog entries by Laura Ryan

BLOG LIST

WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?

Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyonewhat events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

Loading Ad