New truck advice

[Extremebowman]

Here's my pickle. I have a perfectly dandy '04 GMC HD2500 crew 4x4 with all the bells and whistles in great condition. We are starting to pull trailers alot more than we did when I bought this 6 liter gas truck. I really need to get back into a diesel. I drive 60 miles one way to work a day, highway with the cruise locked, so the miles are at 100k. I know I'm going to get hosed on a trade in on this truck. The only way I know of getting a fair price is to sell it outright to an individual. Do you folks have any advice or pointers to get the most of trade in, best time of year to trade in or does it matter etc.

[TimHicks]

A chevy will always have a resale higher than the others,,of course because its so much better..LOL..It really will..I am not sure but dodges resale value suck diesel or no diesel..I havnt heard much on a chevy diesel..but thats where I would head

[Tuffbroadhead]

Kraig, dont listen to Tim.......LOL!!

Your going to hear plenty of opinions but here is ONE FACT....all brand names go out the window when your wife works for a dealer!!! Plus I have heard a few rumors that the Alison trannys are having rpoblems, you need to go with a new ford with the twin turbo's!!!

[Mudslinger]

You will never get a good deal on a trade in. They will either give you more for your trade in and less off a new vehicle or vice versa. Tried to trade in my 95 Ford for the new 2006 C/C and was offered $5000 for my truck. l Put my truck on Autotrader.com amd sold it in less than 3 weeks for $8500. You will hardly ever come out for the good in a trade.

[Bill]

kbb.com should tell you what the fair market is with the mileage both as trade-in and as private-party sale. If you do the work and sell it instead of trade-in you've got to be ahead.

[Olphart]

I'd also check Edmunds for a value on your truck and the new one. Check consumer reports, JD powers, etc. My shadow won't grace a Dodge dealer.

[Extremebowman]

Dale - That's another hard pill to swallow, the GM imbilical cord was cut when momma stayed home to raise the curtain climbers. I had problems with my '03 Allison, that's why i went back to gas. I would love to get into one of the new twin turbo's, but boy do they carry a price tag!

My bro-in-law still works for GM, i might have to wait until the extended family GM discounts open up to try and close the gap between trade in and sales price.

Thanks for the help gents

[WIKI]

As the price of gas creeps back up it gets harder to trade in those 6 liter chevys. My truck buying tips.
1. Do not be in a hurry to purchase.
2. Take your trade to a Carmax for trade appraisal. They are always hight than a new car dealer in trade amount. Which means for anyone buying there is that you pay more at carmax. They will give you a written 15 day garuntee.
3.Internet,Internet,Internet. When you decide on what make of truck you want Chevy, Dodge or Frod. Go online to four to five dealerships and do a internet inquiry. Ask for a quote. If they will not give you one and want a phone call from you. Go somewere else. You quickly see who wants to earn your business. The internet is the way to go in pricing a new ride.
4.If you have time sell your trade out right. You always win. Remember though that you lose 6.25% in tax savings that you would get at the dealer. So if you the dealer is giving you 10k you are really getting 10625.00. So sometimes you have to look at the situation you are in.
A. Never negoitiate your trade in untill you have the lowest sell price you can get on the new ride. Salesman hate this tactic. For good reason. it takes money away from there deal. How? Dealer takes trade for appraisal get trade appraised for 10500.00 from used car manager. Comes back and tells you 8500.00. You agree! They take the 2500.00 and put it towards gross in the new ride. Does that make since? You can lose lots of money by not knowing this!!!
B. After you get what you believe is the best price on the new ride. Then tell them you have a trade. Do not mention Carmax. And do not leave any information in the trade that has any pricing you may have gotten from other dealers are carmax. They will look. When you tell him you have decided to trade in your truck there will be a slight pause and uncomfortable expression on the salesman face. Once he gets trade appraised and shows you for example the 8500.00 on a 10500.00 trade apprasial. They will ALWAYS offer you less for your trade than what they were offered from there own used car dept. Again I say ALWAYS!! It is there job. Once this has happened and you understand that they are trying to make money on your trade do not get mad.... This is there job. You have already got ther best price you can on the new ride by internet pricing. RIGHT!! If not you would not be at his desk. He is doing his job you are doing your job. getting youre self the best deal!! Simply lay out your carmax bid, KKB.com apprasial and NADA apprasial.(printed from internet). I promise you at this point this guy wants to sell you a new ride more than you want to buy one. At this point his manager may come out and talk to you. Hold your guns. Let them sweat. Do not get frustated. They are trying to make a deal. Dkl not let them pressure you. If you have tell thim you want to think it over. That setence at this point of the game is vary important! The salesman has spent valuable time with you. They will not let you leave. If they do evertyyhitng to keep you from leaving and lets you leave he is giving you the best deal he can. Sometimes with trades we get in a position that dealers have a hard time getting us out of. That can be avoided. MONEY DOWN is quity on your next purchase. Again be prepared to wait. You might be able to sell your trade out right. Just remaber that could take time. Patience.

Just a couple other tips.

1. Wait untill the last few days of the month to buy. The dealer has quotes to hit. Manager tunover is very high in the car industry. Trust those last few deals may mean big bonus or a mangers head.
2. As important is the trade in buying a new car. So is FINANCING!! I could rant here also but I want. Dealers amke money off your financing. While you are getting quotes on new rides over the internet also set up your own financing. NEVER,Never go into a car dealership without your own financing. If they can not beat what you have do not finance with the dealer. Credit Unions seem to have the best rates.

Review.
1.Shop the internet.You want to see what they have on the lot.Do it after hours.
2.Research your trade and get a carmax bid.KBB.com and NADA.com are invauable resources.
3.Have your own financing for back up.

OK if you have read this all the way you might be wondering if I know what I am talking about. I was a salesman at a new car dealership where we sold and were certified to sell Dodge,Chevy and Ford. None of which hold any trade value anymore.

One other mith that I will let you know!! Do you know why the last saleman you purchased from keeps sending you christams cards and birthday cards? Yes he wants you to keep coming back to him. Why? Because as a salesman he will make more money on his repeat customer. Repeat customer rarely if ever follow the rules that I layed out above in purchasing. They simply go to the guy they got the last car from and he rakes them over the coals. Salesman who have a strong customer base make tons more money and it is bacause they are not kept HONEST! The repeat customer trust them. WHY!!! They should not!! I hope no salesman on here take offence to this. Do not let someome who has not sat on that side of the table ever tell you how toi buy a car. Take what I have wrote and use it. I promise it will save you thousands. Any questions? Give me a shout.

Mike

[TEXAS 10PT]

[QUOTE=Tuffbroadhead;147190]I have heard a few rumors that the Allison trannys are having poblems/QUOTE]

Not true brother. My 05 has 61K miles on it and it will still pull a house. Allisons are bullet proof

[Longhorn]

Wiki that is some of the best advice I have found on this site. When I was fresh out of college and got my first job, I got burned bad on my F-150 (mostly on the financing), and have not gotten into my truck a day since with out getting a little bit fired up about it. If I had only read your write up before, and had any negotation skills at all (which I have since aquired buying oil and gas leases). Well, guess I'm glad I got burned real good once, because I won't ever be afraid to walk out on a deal, probably save me lots on money in the years to come.

[rossn2]

Do not buyone of the new Fords with twin turbo's. You cannot pull the heads or motor of the engine without pulling the entire cab of the truck off...
Ford really messed up on this one. Have you seen the news lately about "warranty issues with Navistar"?...

Also you can do an "in & out"..You find a buyer for your truck and have the dealership do all the paperwork. It's just like you sold the vehicle to the dealership, and they sell it to the new buyer, and you get to keep the sale price towards the taxes on the new ride. Some dealerships don't like doing this, soem will try to charge you a nominal paperwork fee ($250).

For diesels try Dodge and the Cummins. Just keep an eye on the Dodge Ball joints. They're non-greaseable and some people have to have them replaced earlier than other trucks makers.
The truck will fall apart around the engine...HAHA!

[Bowhuntinonly]

I would stay away from the new Ford for a while. They replaced the 6.0 because of problems, one problem was the turbo, and now the new one has two turbo's.

[VorTexan]

Wiki that book is dead on! I hate the game but you have to play it. good advice on the tax situation as well. With all the info on the internet I find out dealer's actual cost and tell them I will pay them X over that amount varyiing depending on vehicle availabilty and demand. Good advice about NOT telling them of trade-in up front. Get the BEST price first. If salesmanager has not been involved you aren't even close. I tell the guys I own a business and several hundred customer's of mine a day will see my truck, want to know where I got it and from whom. You can be their best salesperson so to speak. I run a grocery store and see people fight over pennies yet lose thousands on car deals?