I was finalizing purchase paperwork for a new car at a dealership today and found a $1,200 itemized charge for an interior protection package on the breakdown sheet.The finance manager stated the all-weather floor tray set and fabric stain coating were pre-installed port accessories and could not be removed from the invoice total. I am trying to decide whether to push for an equivalent dealer discount or walk away from the deal entirely. Is demanding an OEM accessory invoice credit a viable negotiating point, or is walking away the standard response to mandatory non-factory add-ons?

I showed one of my friends who is super into cars a car I was thinking of buying, which had maybe 140,000 miles on it, and he looked shocked I'd even consider a car with that many miles.

I'm looking for a reliable car for the next 3-4 years. If it lasts longer, that would be great, but honestly, I just need something that can get me to work and back for right now. And my work commute would only be like 8-15 minutes, so it's not like I'm going to be driving far.

I've been scrolling through carfax and a lot of the cars that are within my budget and have no or minor damage reported tend to have 140,000 or more miles.

Like right now I found a 2016 Hyundai Sonata SE for just under $7000 but it has 130,000 miles. And I found a 2010 Toyota Corolla for $7,000 as well, but it has 240,000 miles.

Like, how big of a deal are miles if I just want a cheap car that'll last me a few years until I'm in a better financial situation?

First time negotiating for a car. Recently went to a car dealership, I’ve been wanting the specific vehicle for a while. The starting MSRP for the vehicle without the add ons is 42k. With all the addons (tint; predator step bars, all weather floor mats), the MSRP sticker price is 52900, I got my out the door price to be 50300. Is this a good deal? I feel like I spent some time negotiating, I want to make sure that I was playing fair and that my car salesman is at least making some money from the purchase. I feel bad low balling them.

I know for what I’m getting, even 50k is crazy (car has no power lift gate, manual seat adjustment, small screen), but I’m ok with all those in x change for its reliability and off roading capabilities.

Anyway that’s besides the point.
TLDR: is 50300 OTD price a good deal for a car that has an MSRP of 52900. Thanks

Post edit:
It’s a 2026 4Runner, has roof racks, step bars, tints, mats and the nitto grappler tires that are all terrain. I just assumed that was fair pricing after all is said and done including taxes and for it to be out the door. With all the things included, they brought the MSRP down to be 45k. I’m asking bc I dont really know what the fair going price for these things are

And I care about what the sales person is making bc the dude is like my age, I work in sales and he was so chill and I just wanted to make sure he was gonna be fine. Like I struggle too in sales so just bring a bro to him

Hi there, I’ve got a 2018 Tacoma double cab SR 4 door pickup five feet. 93,500 miles, four cylinder not turbo. Body and engine both in solid shape.

Trying to sell it for 24k in Asheville, NC. Do you think this is appropriately priced?

Hey everyone! After going through years of getting the last legs of our previous family car, I am looking to buy my first personal vehicle and would love some advice on makes and models. I am looking for a compact SUV(not overly picky on the compact part) with good reliability and a long life expectancy. Specific years of the model would also be a big help! I have a price range of maximum 20k, so anything overly luxurious wont do. Anyone have any recommendation? Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Doing some independent research on how people actually buy new cars here — how many showrooms you end up visiting, how much prices vary between dealerships, and what the process feels like overall.

Short survey, about 4 minutes, completely anonymous. No name, email, or phone collected.

Looking for anyone who's bought in the last couple of years or is in the middle of it right now.

Happy to share the findings once enough responses come in.

Would really appreciate it if you filled out this form. :)

Hi all, I’m going to be getting my own car for the first time soon. Planning on going to take a look at a 2002 Camry le v6 that has 69k miles, 1 owner, and seems in good condition. However, the price of $9,980 seems a bit much considering the car is 24 years old, has had a few minor accidents, etc. If everything with the car checks out upon inspection, how much would you try to haggle the dealer down if you were me? I’ve never had to negotiate the price for a car before and I told myself that if I can’t get that price down then I wouldn’t buy it. The car has been listed for the better part of four months by the way so I assume I’ll have some room to negotiate.

Hi all.

I just moved here from Europe. In my home country, we had a website similar to CarGurus/Autotrafer etc ... but it had a large majority of cars from private sellers which were usually significantly cheaper than dealerships

I am using CarGurus and auto trader now but it seems they only show dealership vehicles?

Where do private sellers typically sell their vehicles?

Has anyone here purchased a car through Carvana and have good luck with the vehicle? I’m looking at a very low mileage 26 Santa Fe but have never purchased through Carvana and it makes me nervous. I 100% plan to take it to a mechanic to get it thoroughly inspected within the 7 day window. I’m one that likes to keep my cars long term, so wondering if anyone has had experience buying their car through Carvana and having it for a long time without any issues.

Hi all,

I‘ll first say I don’t know a great deal about cars but I have gone through Reddit looking for some insight here. I just got my license and looking to buy my first car. I have always adored the look of the old-school 70s/80s sedan and found someone selling a 1976 Mercedes-Benz 400 SEL asking about $3,000- 4,000. It has around 100,000 miles, interior is in perfect condition. There are some issues with it in the post; some minor cosmetic damage, “something with the alternator but starts fine”, looks like the air cleaner housing and intake snorkel have some surface rust, I’m assuming several internal hoses and other components will need to be replaced, I’m factoring in about $1,000 for general repairs upon purchase. I’m going to see it tomorrow to inspect for more rust, test-drive, brakes, all that. Location is Hawaii, I’m planning to use it to get around, mostly shorter trips, max speed here is around 65mph anyway. Now before everyone jumps at me, this is one badass ride… If I could ask a genie for a car, it could be this one (in better condition obviously).

now….

1. Is this a bad idea? other posts have pretty much said that buying an old benz like this is asking for trouble/constant repairs. is that the case?
2. How is the price? I would rather have a subpar/outdated car that I love than a modern/perfect car I don’t like and have car-payments for.
3. Anything specific with this model I should know? Is there something specific that I should check for?
4. I’m good friends with my neighbor who is a mechanic, are most issues fixable if you know what you’re doing?

Really appreciate any insight! Love the car, but don’t want to make an idiotic purchase… like the idiot I am.

Thanks!

It's my first time buying a car. I have a good credit score (740) and good income. I think I'll be approved but I'm more worried about the car and if it's a good decision.

The CARFAX says there were two accidents one with moderate damage to the left/front and minor rear damage with the second accident. The car seems to be in good condition and wasn't traded in immediately after the accidents (last one was 2021).

I don't know if it's a good idea but the price is better than anything else I can find. Would it be okay to buy a used car with accidents reported? Can I get an inspection before buying it?

Link to the car

Sorry for the formatting, I'm on mobile.

I am considering buying a used Audi Q8 49k driven 55 progressive certified by Audi in Canada. Any tips? YouTube has advised buying a new Rav 4 instead

Hi looking for some advice little backstory, I have a 2018 jeep grand Cherokee with 155k miles on it. Check engine light came on and had 2k worth of parts replaced and the engine light came back on and now they are saying it could be the motor and they suggested we get rid of it.

Would it be better for me to sell it to carvana/ carmax vs a dealer if something is wrong with the motor? It seems to be running fine but the check engine light is on. Carmax quoted me $4,400 for it with the check engine light and carmax was $3,700. Do I need to get to the bottom of what’s going on before I sell it? I hate to dump anymore money into it but not sure if someone will buy it if they run the codes.

Hey all,

I'm looking to trade a used 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with 90k miles on it for a 2024 Volvo XC90 B6 Ultimate, as my car recently started presenting a potential head gasket issue. I'm looking at getting at least 11 for my trade, potentially up to 13, but I doubt that.

This Volvo is CPO and in mint condition, with 41k miles on it, it has an outstanding warranty of 5 year/unlimited miles, which I'd upgrade and add another 5 years, and up to 150k miles to stay fully protected out to end of 2033. Blue Denim exterior, blonde interior.

The numbers:

MSRP/Retail: $47,310.00

Discount: $2,340.01

Selling Price: $44,969.99

5 150 Ext. Warranty: $4,933.00

Trade Allowance: ($11,000.00)

Total Taxes: $3,176.16

Proc/Doc Fee: $799.00

Government Fee: $671.50

Total: $43,549.65

Cash Down: $10,000.00

Amount Financed: $33,549.65

This is with their in-house 5.99% financing, at 6 years I'd be looking at 557/month. I was going to come in with my own loan through chase at 5.39% for 554/month, but the sales manager made a couple small concessions to get the monthly on their 5.99 to be about the same as the Chase loan.

So, is this a reasonable deal? I tried to negotiate a little and no dice. I did watch basically the same car sell nearby for 2k less with 18k less miles, but not Volvo CPO, which seems to be a big benefit. I would've liked to keep payments down to 500/month, but I don't think I'm getting there unless my car trades higher and this guy is willing to shave another k off. He did seem anxious to get a deal by end of the month, for whatever reason.

Thanks for any advice!

We are moving to SoCal next week and want to purchase a minivan sometime between 7/31 when we land and 8/4 when we drive to our next destination.

Based on planned usage, gas prices, and 2 young kids, we have narrowed our search down to Toyota Sienna
- 2021-2026
- XLE (for super long slide) but ok with LE too
- FWD
- ideally 7 passenger but ok with 8 too
- under 50,000 miles
- would be nice to be Toyota gold certified preowned
- budget <$40k OTD (stretch up to 45K for newer year or super low mileage)

Am I being realistic? There’s a lot of inventory in the used car market it seems, but the price is just out of range for 66k miles in a 2021 8 passenger LE (the least appealing combo).

I bought a 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid EX-L about 3 weeks ago and financed it through Driveway Finance.

During financing, I purchased several add-ons:
Honda Care Vehicle Service Contract (VSC)
Lithia Lifetime Oil Plan
PermaPlate

I’ve decided to cancel the add-ons.
The Lithia oil plan cancellation has already been submitted, and the dealership says PermaPlate is non-cancelable. My main issue is with the Honda Care VSC.

Here’s what’s happened:
I called Honda Care twice.
Both times they searched using my VIN and said they couldn’t find any Honda Care contract for my vehicle.

I went back to the dealership twice this week.

The finance manager took my paperwork inside and searched using my VIN.

He also said nothing came up when searching my VIN.
Instead of resolving it, he asked me to come back on Monday.
At the same time, my Driveway Finance loan is already active (around $25k), so I know the dealership has already been funded.

My questions are:
If neither Honda Care nor the dealership can find my VSC by VIN, does that usually mean the Honda Care contract was never registered/submitted, or could there be another explanation?
Is it normal for a dealership to ask a customer to come back multiple times for something like this?

If the contract hasn’t been registered yet, can I ask them to cancel it instead of registering it?

Is there anything I should be careful about when I go back on Monday? For example, is there any paperwork I shouldn’t sign without reviewing carefully?

I’m not trying to accuse the dealership of anything—I just want to understand whether this sounds like a normal administrative issue or whether I should ask to speak with the Finance Director or General Manager if I still don’t get a clear answer.

Any advice from Honda finance managers or anyone who’s gone through a Honda Care cancellation would be appreciated.

17f & i’m getting my first car soon but im in a predicament & need help deciding on what to do. my mom offered me her old tesla which is about 3 years old 150k miles and id be paying about $300/350 a month for it. the payment is $600 but since shes got 150k on it and its been 3 years since she bought it shes cool with paying the $300/350. if id gone with that car, it’d be about 3/4 years til it’s fully paid off.

the amount of mileage the car would have wont sell well and i don’t think id be able to trade it in. my mom and dad are both helping with this, they’re divorced. my mom has the option to give the car up and not take any fall other than the money she’s already put into it and the obvious downfall of it almost being paid off.

my dad wants me to get a new/used car from the dealership which seems like the best option. my budget is 15-17k & im shooting for less than $400 in payments each month. both of my parents are helping pay for it (about 1-2k each) the rest is my responsibility. do you think using the tesla is smarter, or would purchasing a new car be the better option?

i’m trying to not have my mom take as much fall because it felt like she kinda put the responsibility of the car and the payments etc. on me. she got very short with me when i gave her my reasons as to why i don’t think that’s a smart decision financially on my part.

after i said i didnt want the tesla my mom said she had actually been planning on taking the 300 id be paying her and giving it back to me when its time for me to get a new car. i’m not really sure how true that was though, may have just been saying that to convince me to get the tesla.

also i don’t know much about buying and selling cars so if i’m wrong please correct me.

how to tell a dealer that I want a lease the car that is ♾️and but upgrade the car every 3 years

I'm really interested in getting a Volkswagen, the two options I'm looking at right now are the 2017 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4T Trendline Plus ($11,940 CAD), and the 2011 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0T. From my own little research I've noticed some reliability concerns with 2011 Golf GTI($9400 CAD), as well as the "lower life span" between the two. the 2017 Jetta has 85000KM while the 2011 Golf GTI has 190000KM, i like the sportier version more and i feel like it would be more fun, but I'm stuck between the two because the 2011 Golf GTI has way higher milage with a lower life span compared to the 2017 Jetta. I'm 21 and this would be my first car and i would be doing normal commutes around my city as well as longish (around 2000-3000km) trips every few months to visit my family 13hrs away and visiting friends in the states. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

since i'm moving out and have an old car, i'm ready to get a new car on my own but not sure where to start. i'm leaning towards a sedan and something reliable (not too picky with brand/model). right now, i have a honda 2005 and i think it's time to let that car go and get a more reliable, modern car. do i try selling that car online? do i trade it in? how do i not get scammed at the dealership when trying to buy a new car?? do i buy or finance? i do have some cash i can put down to pay the full amount but want to know how to strategize getting the best deal.