Car buying tips

Here are some personal tips to the new car buyers:

1) Do your home work. Before you go for shopping view some of the sites online like Cars, Kelly blue book, Edmunds to get a feel of what type of vehicle you are looking for.
2) Understand the difference between the MSRP and Invoice price of the vehicles.
3) Zero in on the vehicle or the manufacturer.
4) Get some online quotes and you would be surprised to see that they are way competitve than the dealer prices. Even if you are not comfortable in buying the car online as most of them are, get the quote/prices. Cars direct is good.
5) Take the quote and go to the dealer and challenge him if he can match the online price. But they will haggle and you need to be firm and should be ready to walk out if you do not get the price you want. I did that when I was buying my new car and I just walked out after 3 hours of haggling and the manager was mad and I did not bother.
6) Be wary of the "Appearance packages" they offer and take them with a grain of salt.
7) Depending on your mentality buy the extended warranty packages and carefully review the conditions and the coverages before you buy the warranty.
8) Insist and demand on the color and trim you want and do not fall for the tricks that they play like they do not have in stock or such stories.
9) If you have membership in any credit unions, ask them for the vehicle loan interest rate and they save a lot of money. At one time I got a vehicle finance at 3.5% and that is a steal. One such good financial institution is DCU.
10) Apply for the loan well in advance and most of them issue a check and you just take it to the dealer and they will put the lien on the financial institution. This is as good as taking cash to the dealer and they will drool on the money and bend backwards to serve you.
11) Print this out and read it again.
12) Save some $$$$$.
13) Safe driving!!!!