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Thank you all for sharing. I'm just curious how people arrive at the decision to buy a car. Individuals on this forum are probably atypical since we tend to know more and tend toward enthusiasts. I know I'm a very difficult customer since I thoroughly research what I'm looking for, and won't be happy unless I'm getting the lowest price. I take it too far though; wasting so much time researching trivial things such as bicycle pumps, garden rakes, deck stains, computers, you name it. I even look at calories per dollar in the grocery store. Efficiency is in my DNS I suppose, but not when it comes to time management.
Grandpa looked at some trucks with me the other day and commented that he wanted an extra-cab short-box. Now he has a pending deal for a crew-cab long-box 4x4. Not sure what made him change his mind; and he has no business driving such a big rig at 88 years old just to go 8 miles each way to breakfast.
I told him to buy a car that has automatic braking and possibly lane keep assist that was easy to get in and out. He likes weird looking cars like the Juke (he calls it the Jupe and asks salesmen if they have that car) and Ridgeline. Looks like he settled on the Colorado since it's the replacement for the last two Chevy S-10s he has owned, and it's reviewed well. It's got the 3.42 axle ratio, so I guess that's good.
He might also have in mind to buy a truck that I would want to inherit, but I insist he spend his money on the things he wants. He's got an aneurysm in his chest that has an average survival period of 2 years.
When I went to the dealership to look at a TSX, I had no intention of buying the car, and only wanted to see it in person to confirm my decision to buy private party. Their initial offer was $23k, and I laughed, saying the price was ridiculous. The salesman asked what I thought a fair price was. Having briefly looked at some numbers beforehand, I told him they probably bought it for $14k, and that $17k seemed reasonable. He eventually went down to $17,700, but I went home. A week later, he called me and asked if I liked the car. I said yes. He said I could have it for $17,700. I told him to call me when the price gets to $17k. A couple days later he agreed to the price.
I'll likely never buy from a dealership again unless it's a very rare car I'm after, or I'm taking advantage of a subsidy that exists on new cars only.
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