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| - Purchased a 2014 Sierra. Riddled with regret. Should have waited longer and not been so impulsive. Overpaid by $4-5 grand easily. Was on par with bluebook, but that doesn't mean a whole lot anymore in these times. My salesman Carmine was solid, but his manager....WOW.
Came in to get a look at the truck and an idea of what mine might be worth as a trade in. You get invited inside to talk about it and before you know it you've got paperwork half filled out being pushed in front of you to sign. Buy now, buy today. It's nuts.
I'm a pretty savvy shopper, but I don't buy a lot of vehicles. I hang onto them for about a decade before I start looking for something newer. Do a lot of my own maintenance. Kudos to You Tube for teaching me most of it.
You really need to do your homework before you set foot on the lot. Search kelley blue book and print out what it's worth and what your trade is worth. It all happens so fast once they get their hooks in you. For dropping 35 grand, I would have liked to not feel like a total chump that got taken for a ride when it was all over. Second biggest purchase I've ever made in my life next to the house and it's hard to look at the vehicle in my driveway now without being riddled with regret for over paying. Just saw a 2015 today on the internet, same package, with even more options, for 4 grand less from another local dealer. Man, oh man, I really need to stop researching after I made my purchase. It's pure torture.
So, here's my advice to you, a future truck buyer.
The best time to buy a truck is late December and through January. No one is shopping for vehicles. You'll find a lot better prices. I bought mine in the absolute worst time, which is late fall, when people start thinking about winter coming and how nice it would be to have a new 4x4 to blast through the bad weather. Hold your horses! You've made it this long. Don't buy in October, Don't buy in November! Wait until like the week of Christmas and beyond. It just kills me now to do searches for similar vehicles on used car websites like Cars.com and Craigslist to see the same, or even newer trucks with the same miles for thousands less.
Don't fall in love with it! There are thousands of the EXACT same make and model trucks all over the place. BE PATIENT. You'll know when you see a great deal and it's time to move on it. It's really easy when you're driving a tired vehicle to fall in love on a test drive with a newer one and start thinking about how nice it would be to have the new one in your driveway this weekend.
Be prepared to walk out. Again, do your research. Know what the newer vehicle is worth. Odds are they got it for waaaayyyy less than blue book. Check the car fax, all the used trucks are all coming from Canada auctions lately, most likely for thousands less than what their supposed "sale" or bluebook price is. Google that if you're bored for some light reading. It's crazy. It has to do with the exchange rate of the Canadian currency versus the U.S. Dollar. It's quite an eye opener. Makes me wish I would have just drove up to Canada and bought one up there. At the time I bought mine, a Canadian dollar was only worth about 75% of a U.S. Dollar, so in essence, your money will go 25 percent farther for the same vehicle up there. Quite the little business. The trucks are made in the U.S., then sold to dealers in Canada. They get leased for a few years, then re-sold to the U.S. market again by the truck load and re-sold on U.S. used car lots again. Obviously I read all this AFTER the fact. But maybe it will help you. Show up with some printed out examples of similar vehicles at other places that are less money for leverage.
If you show up to look at a vehicle and end up buying it the same day, odds are you overpaid. You need to show some restraint. Get a fair offer for your trade. Ideally, get your old car all cleaned up and running half way decently and sell it privately on Craigslist. That's the ONLY way you'll get the most money for it. They're gonna low ball you on your trade too, then throw it on the lot the next day for thousands more than what they gave you for it, after most likely not doing a thing do it. They're making thousands in profit on a sale and now they're making thousands in profit on YOUR trade in, which YOU could have easily done yourself with a little elbow grease over the weekend.
Make a fair, or even low offer on the one you want. Odds are they won't accept it. Walk the hell out, tell them to give you a call, and let it ride for a few days, maybe even weeks. Once they get sick of looking at it on the books you'll most likely get a call back saying they can "probably come down some" on the price. You gotta play the game. It sucks, but it's a slow, frustrating process. It's your money on the line. Hang on to all of it that you can. Think of how many hours at work it takes you to earn this kind of money.
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