Advice on buying from dealerships!

[folksyvolksy]

Hello all! I am looking to buy a new car from a dealership in the Bay Area, but I'm not quite sure what the experience is like, what to expect, and how to prepare for it. I would appreciate any advice/stories about your car buying experience. How should I prepare myself? What worked for you? What didn't work for you? What should I look for in a good/bad dealership?

Any comment is appreciated! If you have any experience with buying a Volkswagen (looking into this brand) or from a Bay Area dealership, that would be awesome as well. Thanks so much

[vinadvisor]

It's all about preparation. If buying new, start with mfg sites; they have the best detail on models, trims, option packages and prices. If you have a trade, stop into a CarMax to get a guaranteed purchase price - they buy cars every day, big wholesale operation - so you have a baseline value. If you're trading a Toyota into a Toyota dealer, they should be able to offer you a bit more than Carmax. Check your credit score, and most importantly, calculate your loan-to-value (LTV) when playing with pricing. Multiply MSRP by .92 to get an approx. value, then divide the amount you plan to finance (after trades & down payment) by the approx. value. Higher the LTV, the less likely you are to get a decent rate or approved, the lower the better.

Good luck.