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Buying a s2k from dealer ship

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Old Apr 13, 2007 | 10:37 PM
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Default Buying a s2k from dealer ship

im planning to buy a used 02-03 s2k in the next month or so and i know it's cheaper to buy it from privite party, but i was wondering how much more would it be buying the car from a used car dealer ship, invoice, tax (California), ect....

Example: privite seller: $19,000 for 03 S2k

dealership: $19,000 plus tax, invoice, ect




what is the estimated $$$ difference between both.
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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 06:21 AM
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Originally Posted by San Diego,Apr 14 2007, 02:37 AM
im planning to buy a used 02-03 s2k in the next month or so and i know it's cheaper to buy it from privite party, but i was wondering how much more would it be buying the car from a used car dealer ship, invoice, tax (California), ect....

Example: privite seller: $19,000 for 03 S2k

dealership: $19,000 plus tax, invoice, ect




what is the estimated $$$ difference between both.
1) You're going to have to pay tax on the sale amount either way. Similarly, you're gonna have to pay registration and title fees either way.

2) "Invoice" is the price the dealer [supposedly] pays to purchase a new car from the manufacturer. I'm not sure what you mean by "invoice" on a used car.

3) The dealership is going to charge some sort of paperwork fees. It depends on the dealership ($300-$600) and can be negotiable.

4) And this one is the most important to understand... All things being equal (year, condition, mileage, etc.) The sale price of the car, regardless of any other fees. Generally the benefits from purchasing from a dealership is that the car has been detailed, inspected, and in some cases comes with a certification or warranty. The benefit from purchasing privately is that you may know more about the history of the car and in general the purchase price is lower.
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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 06:22 AM
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Hot news flash: you'll pay sales tax if you buy from a private seller. Some states give you an opportunity to lie about how much you paid, other states base the tax on the book value of the car. I don't know which way California works.
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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 06:24 AM
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Originally Posted by 00CivicSi,Apr 14 2007, 06:21 AM
1) You're going to have to pay tax on the sale amount either way. Similarly, you're gonna have to pay registration and title fees either way.

2) "Invoice" is the price the dealer [supposedly] pays to purchase a new car from the manufacturer. I'm not sure what you mean by "invoice" on a used car.

3) The dealership is going to charge some sort of paperwork fees. It depends on the dealership ($300-$600) and can be negotiable.

4) And this one is the most important to understand... All things being equal (year, condition, mileage, etc.) The sale price of the car, regardless of any other fees. Generally the benefits from purchasing from a dealership is that the car has been detailed, inspected, and in some cases comes with a certification or warranty. The benefit from purchasing privately is that you may know more about the history of the car and in general the purchase price is lower.
I don't think he knows what he means by invoice.
#4 is correct. The most benefitial part of buying from a dealership is that the car has been reconditioned.
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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 06:51 AM
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I typically buy and trade my cars in at dealerships mainly due to convenience. Sure I'm not getting top dollar for it that way, but there's something to be said for the convenience. Also, I'm not sure if it works this way in all states (probably does) but in Minnesota if you purchase a vehicle from a dealer and TRADE in a car at the same time you only pay sales tax on the DIFFERENCE. Can save thousands $$.
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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 08:02 AM
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I agree with all said above. The Dealership offers much convience and small or large piece of mind depending on how you look at it.
Specifically if the dealer bought the car wholesale the assumption would be that he knew what he was getting and unless he made a mistake, you'll be getting the benefit of his knowledge of what it takes to buy a good used car.
New car dealers are the safest. They generally" keep the best and wholesale the rest"
Small corner Used Car lot dealers are a little riskier. Some are buying wholesale cars that the new car dealers refused to keep that were taken in on trade. You need to evaluate the reputation of these small dealers. This also has exceptions. The dealer may already have too many used cars in stock or may simply prefer not to have a sports car on his lot.
Either way ,have an independent mech check the car out.
Buying from a private party can be a good way to go particulary if the owner holds the title. If a bank is still holding the title, there may be a few more hoops you'll have to jump through before the car is finally yours. Compensation in a discounted price should be expected. Disadvantages maybe. tThe general discount over a dealer may be worth it to many people and not worth it to others.
Shop all venues and make a decision on a car you really like based on milage/price/condition/ and not the least of all your estimation of the reputation of the dealer or private party you are going to have to deal with.
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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 02:24 PM
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Originally Posted by JackS,Apr 14 2007, 08:02 AM
I agree with all said above. The Dealership offers much convience and small or large piece of mind depending on how you look at it.
Specifically if the dealer bought the car wholesale the assumption would be that he knew what he was getting and unless he made a mistake, you'll be getting the benefit of his knowledge of what it takes to buy a good used car.
New car dealers are the safest. They generally" keep the best and wholesale the rest"
Small corner Used Car lot dealers are a little riskier. Some are buying wholesale cars that the new car dealers refused to keep that were taken in on trade. You need to evaluate the reputation of these small dealers. This also has exceptions. The dealer may already have too many used cars in stock or may simply prefer not to have a sports car on his lot.
Either way ,have an independent mech check the car out.
Buying from a private party can be a good way to go particulary if the owner holds the title. If a bank is still holding the title, there may be a few more hoops you'll have to jump through before the car is finally yours. Compensation in a discounted price should be expected. Disadvantages maybe. tThe general discount over a dealer may be worth it to many people and not worth it to others.
Shop all venues and make a decision on a car you really like based on milage/price/condition/ and not the least of all your estimation of the reputation of the dealer or private party you are going to have to deal with.
great info. you probably saved my hunders to thousands of $$$$ thanks everyone for replies
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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 04:25 PM
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In GA you do NOT pay sales tax on a car purchased from a private seller. States differ quite a bit in how they collect revenue. Here in GA it is a real advantage to seek out a private seller. Another advantage is that you get to meet the previous owner of your car and see what kind of shape he/she kept it in. The dealer will just lie about how it was owned by his neighbors grandmother.

Sure you'll meet a couple of shady guys who are flipping cars, but at the dealership they're all shady guys. The good ones just hide it better.

All that said, I still ended up buying mine from a dealership. I probably paid about $1k more OTD than I would had if I could've found a private seller.

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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 04:39 PM
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In CA you pay state sales tax on the book value when you go to register it.
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Old Apr 14, 2007 | 05:32 PM
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I bought mine from a dealer after coming to the conclusion that too many of these cars are driven abusively.

The dealer told me the soft top (which was already starting to develop holes when I bought it) was covered under the extended warranty. It wasn't. Honda ended up splitting the cost of a new one with me.

However, when I went to get the car aligned and discovered a botched repair (and bent frame), the dealer stepped up and paid for the car to go on the frame machine and get a new lower control arm.

If you're going to get a private party car, pay to have it professionally inspected (and get it aligned). If you're getting it from the dealer, get the warranty. That's my opinion.
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