Another vote for finance the the dealer for the lowest overall cost. (Pay off early of course)

PLUS: Get a pre-approval letter from your credit union, let them see it... Now they will be even more motivated

FWIW: Next go I'm probably buying direct from Tesla or Slate, maybe thru Costco. Fuck these dealers with their asinine "Processing Fees" that are near $1k now, high pressure add-ons, etc. They made their bed after the plan_demic, rape people all day at the service department and low-ball trades. They can suck it for all I care

Can you provide more details on purchasing through Costco vs just dealer? What am I gaining? Any drawbacks? I don’t think there is much room to negotiate on a 2027 Camry so other than price what’s good about going through Costco? What’s these processing fees? Sounds like tricky dealer add on that isn’t applied when buying through Costco?

quote:

Originally posted by Speedbird:
Another vote for finance the the dealer for the lowest overall cost. (Pay off early of course)

PLUS: Get a pre-approval letter from your credit union, let them see it... Now they will be even more motivated

FWIW: Next go I'm probably buying direct from Tesla or Slate, maybe thru Costco. Fuck these dealers with their asinine "Processing Fees" that are near $1k now, high pressure add-ons, etc. They made their bed after the plan_demic, rape people all day at the service department and low-ball trades. They can suck it for all I care

I like the Tesla and Slate purchase model, it makes trade ins easy as well however you might not get the value you want so check it first. I know for the longest time Tesla was getting lots of Lexus, Mercedes and BMW level trades, the auction houses even had special lanes for the Tesla trades as they were typically higher end and better taken care of compared to a Hyundai or Kia trade in.

In FL there is no law on dealer fees, so you have to go in looking for the fee and then use that to lower your counter offer by that amount, only way to get it off the price.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Can you provide more details on purchasing through Costco vs just dealer? What am I gaining? Any drawbacks? I don’t think there is much room to negotiate on a 2027 Camry so other than price what’s good about going through Costco? What’s these processing fees? Sounds like tricky dealer add on that isn’t applied when buying through Costco?

We used Costco for both 25 Chevy EV's we bought last year, worked great, fill it out online, pick the dealer you are going to and it creates the coupon/discount code then print and take to the dealer, bob's your uncle.

It just has to be a participating dealer, most are. When we shopped the EV's over three dealers, all of them took the Costco program. Check with the dealer, then go sign up. Executive members get more $ than standard members.
Link

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Personal check would be easiest and simple. Would love that as an option. Just not sure a dealer would accept that since the funds aren't as assured as a cashier's check (I think).

Nothing wrong with personal check. Pretty sure I’m not the only one who has ever bought a car with personal check.

traded in my old Civic on a gently used RAV for my company use, so gave the dealer the title after all negotiations were done, and pulled out the company checkbook for the balance

personal check would be no different,

easy peasy

My two cents:
Never shop for a car before the 25th of the month. Salespeople and their managers are almost always compensated for hitting monthly targets. Help them help you.

Know your credit score before they do. It is still meaningful.

Know what the manufacturer is offering. 0%, 0.9% etc… Don’t overlook other spiffs such as Costco.

Don’t overlook certified preowned programs. I recently purchased a 2026 BMW with 3,000 miles on it for $16,000 below the original sticker price and I’m under warranty until December of 2030.

quote:

Originally posted by armored:
Not a car but a tractor purchase.
When I bought my new Kubota tractor, trailer and attachments I went out of state to Indiana ( I live in Chicago).
I wrote a personal check to the dealer (about $30,000), no problems.

Side story I live in Florida, spitting distance to Alabama. The bama dealers have billboards here they have people on staff that can handle a Florida resident buyer. I would bet the Indiana dealer has somebody that can handle the title work on a neighboring state purchase.

quote:

Originally posted by ElToro:

Side story I live in Florida, spitting distance to Alabama. The bama dealers have billboards here they have people on staff that can handle a Florida resident buyer. I would bet the Indiana dealer has somebody that can handle the title work on a neighboring state purchase.

1986, so things might have changed since then. I was wrapping up a project in Colorado, relocating to Florida. Wife bought a new car (Honda) in Colorado. Rather than title it in Colorado and then re-title within a month in Florida, we just got a Certificate of Origin from the Honda dealer, had the dealer put 30-day temporary cardboard license plate on the car, drove to Florida, took the C.O. to Florida DMV, paid Florida sales tax (had not paid tax in Colorado), got Florida title and registration. The explanation sounds complicated, but it was actually a simple, straightforward, process.

Most if not all franchised dealers now a days can easily register out of state

It used to be a pain in the ass when I had to call the county,dmv or local tag office to find out what the fees are and where to send them. Government employees are always helpful and a pleasure to deal with


We now pay for all of that to be done for us, a few taps on the keyboard and I have all info and forms needed for any state