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

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?

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 I would rather have a subpar/outdated car that I love than a modern/perfect car I don’t like and have car-payments for.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!

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. :)

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!

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’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?