Hey Reddit We are the mods of /r/askcarsales. We will take some time away from work today to answer your questions on anything in a Dealership.

If you could choose between ending world hunger and receiving $20,000,000 what color Ferrari would you get?

I'd buy a Tesla

Model S or Roadster (I don't care if they don't make roadsters anymore).

Of course I'd get an s with that iPad and 1/2 sized touch screen

I always hear those ads on the radio for "Bad credit / No Credit" No problem! How do they do that? Crazy high interest rates or huge deposits? Seems like in the past few years that has been a major advertising angle.

Edit: spelling

Ahhh! Great question. Listen up everyone I'm going to explain Dealer Rape to you.

Most larger Dealers have a Buy Here Pay Here or most smaller side shops are also a Buy Here Pay Here.

What a Buy Here Pay Here is, is an owner financed shop. The owner will finance you vehicles out of their own pockets.

Now it isn't rape in the sense of a title loan or pay day loan but when you are in the grit and can't finance a car, these guys will let you.

Now these places are all about profit, I'm not going to lie about that. You usually finance an overpriced vehicle at a high interest rate for a short period of time 2-3 years.

If you expect to trade this vehicle in, it's not going to happen, nor if you expect to private party sell it. But yes that is what those commercials are advertising for.

There are several ways to get a good car if you have no credit, but bad credit is the problem child.

I have no credit, but but i'm close to $3,000 for a down payment, what can I do?

What I did is use 3k as a down payment for a 4k car. It's not flashy but I think at 20 being raised in a trailer home I made an okay choice.

Edit: before you wonder why I didn't just wait for another grand... well the 95 taurus I 'inherited' had its frame rust out and I needed to keep my job.

Actually I was going to say impressively smart credit decision :p

First time buyers programs on new vehicles! Or go to your local cu and have them work you out a loan if you want to go used.

Here is how it's done:

They would buy a car in an auction for a grand, spend $50 to make it look Ok. Price it at $6000.

Some poor soul in need of a car comes in, they work him to out $1000 and finance the rest, so even if he drops off the face of the earth - they break even.

Then they have full call center to verify your address, work, friends, known associates. As soon as you miss a payment by a day - they are on your ass. Late by a couple of days - they have their own fleet of repo trucks ready to get the car.

To note on this a lot of these vehicles are tagged with GPS systems so if you owe and are unresponsive then they will go out in the middle of the night, truck it and put an involuntary repo on your credit.

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The largest con in my opinion is Manufacturers labeling vehicles as Hybrid's that aren't actually Hybrids.

Several vehicles are made and labeled as so, but the only hybrid thing about them is a little capacitor "power assist hybrid's". Very few true hybrids exist, but the range is slowly growing.

Do you care to name names about which manufacturers are producing "true hybrids" versus those that don't?

Camry is one. I'd have to check others

How do you honestly feel about the product you're selling? I know you're supposed to tell people all the good things. But what are some of the bad?

The Good:

• I'm proud to sell Fords. I'm proud that they didn't take the tax-payer bailout. I'm proud that it's an American brand. And I'm proud of the turnaround Ford has made in the past decade.

• I sincerely think the F-150 is one of the best trucks on the road.

The Negatives:

• Don't buy a 2003-2007 Ford Truck with a 6.0L diesel engine. They suck.

• Lately I've been telling customers to stay away from the 1.6L Ecoboost in the Escape and Fusion. They had some problems a few months back and I'm not satisfied with the "fix" that Ford issued. I believe that engine will still give problems until the properly fix it. We haven't ordered one for our inventory since then.

Great honest answer.

What do you think of the P71 Crown Vics?

It's late for me to be asking because I already bought one (2004, 160K, 3.55 rear) but I'd love to hear what you think of them and if you know of anything I should watch out for / known failure issues.

Thanks!

I often say that the Crown Vic is probably the best car Ford has ever made. Reliable, roomy, quiet, and most people wouldn't believe how well they do on fuel economy either. The Police Interceptor is obviously even better than most Crown Vics.

I can't recall any issues that I've seen right offhand with those cars. They are built like tanks for obvious reasons so they usually can go the distance. Just make sure to service it somewhere where they understand the vehicle. No WalMart, quick lubes, or backyard mechanics unless you really trust them.

I humbly disagree those inline 6 late 90s trucks, talk about the best ford engine ever made :p but vics are tanks

When the current slew of hybrids were being designed and developed, they mainly fell into 3 categories, and I saw them talked about with the following names and categories...

Power assist hybrids

Basically a normal gas car, but a piston replaced with an electric motor and regenerative breaking....

• Pros: better gas milage than a normal gas car, easier to convert existing plants.
• Cons: much higher maintenance

Dual train hybrids

Basically a full electric car system and a full gas motor system, the car uses both, balancing between the two for whatever most convenient at the moment) * Pros: Much better milage than power assist hybrids, your car can literally half-break down and still run. *Cons: Literally twice as much engine to maintain, and both trains (gas & electric) are individually weaker than normal.

Full Electric Train Hybrids

Basically, a full-on electric car, the only difference between it and a full electric car is a gas generator stuck in some spot that can run when you run out of juice. The gas fuels a generator which makes electricity which in turn fuels the electric motor.

• Pros: Best milage, fewest moving parts between the hybrids, lowest maintenance frequency.
• Cons: You really need an electrician to work on it if it breaks, not a mechanic.

This brings me to my question:

This is how I learned about Hybrids. Now they're using completely different names. I hear things I don't recognize (power train hybrids, plug-in hybrid, power-drive hybrids, etc.) Whenever I go to a dealer and ask if they have a Full electric train hybrid, they just stare at me blankly, and respond in ways that show they obviously don't know what I'm talking about.

What do dealers call a Full Electric Train hybrid, so I can ask for what I'm looking for, and make sure they don't get confused and try to give me a dual-train or a power assist?

Power assist hybrids, the sham of the hybrid community, I don't look at it as a hybrid at all.

Neither do I, which is why I don't want to get tricked into buying one when I'm looking for a Full-Electric Train hybrid... which I have no idea what the dealers call them. O_o

Simply put they don't really exist.

Any advice for a college student who has NEVER bought a car on his own? I've heard that Carmax is really good to use, but I wanna know what I should know before going to the lot.

Check out Micosilver's FAQ. That should cover most of your questions.

Thank you for posting this

We have 3 upcoming trends: electric, CNG, and hybrid. Which one will be around in 10 years and which one will not?

The new ford energi series is a step in the right direction for style attitude and drive but this all electric idea has a long way to go.

I'm thinking about buying a new car and I'd like to make a small down payment ~$1000, trade in my current POS, and finance the rest through my credit union. Do auto financing deals typically allow a buyer to finance the sales tax?

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Yes gap, warranties and life, death, accidental, disability. It's a slew of products

Yes

How careful do I need to be about buying a used car from a dealer? Is it unreasonable to ask for an independent mechanic to evaluate such a used car even when the dealer claims that it's a "<BRAND NAME HERE>-certified" car?

Edit: Thanks all for the responses. Glad to hear it.

It's not unreasonable at all, and always try to buy from a dealer who offers you some type of warranty, usually over 90 days. My dealership offers a 2 year 100k mile powertrain warranty on all pre owned units at no cost

I really like this AMA. Thanks guys. Why do Jeeps seem to retain their value so much. I really want a pretty basic wrangler to tool around in with the top off. Seems like Even old rust buckets cost as much as a decent newer sedan. What gives?

Jeeps aren't discounted brand new. There are no cash incentives

Can i get your quote on a 2004 Honda Pilot - 110,000 miles. Drives well, no damage. Thank you.

I'm retailing one for 10.9k atm, options may differ but same year same exact miles.

Is it my imagination or is "certified pre-owned" just a a fancy label slapped on junkers as another way to squeeze money out of customers' wallets?

CPO is the vehicle you want to buy. Most include up to 100k mile and extended year powertrain warranties. Most include an extra 12 mo 12k mile btb and most include additional roadside assistance.

Depending on the manufacturer some include free sirius trials, onstar trials, and maintence plans at no cost to you.

Most of these items combined will retail for $1500 plus if purchased on your own and the number I quoted is a fair low number.

Most dealers only have to pay $500 to cpo a car if it passes a cpo inspection.

Bonus points: a cpo has to have 2 keys which in today's world keys cost $200 on average

Also it gets treated like a new vehicle and has to get a full tank of gas too!

In other words paying the extra $500 for a cpo vehicle is worth every penny

What do you think about vehicles on Craigslist? I recently bought a truck for $10.5k off craigslist. The dealer wanted 15k for the same truck!!

Why do Tacomas hold their value? Would you say that's a good deal for a Tacoma with 155k?

Depends on year and options. I sold an 08 Trd sport crew cab with 164k last month for 14.9k

I've got a 1989 Ford Ranger with less than 200k miles on it, and it's been breaking down a lot lately. How much could I get for it at a dealership?

It's probably a $500 car.

Credit isn't so good. Had a repo in 2010 after being laid off. I'd like to lease a new Dodge Ram, but I'm sure I won't get credit. However, I've got a substantial amount to put down - roughly $7K-$8K. Any advice on how to make it happen? Also, how can I get the best deal on the Ram 1500? My only requirements are: Hemi, 4x4, sunroof. I really like the Big Horn. Thanks.

I'm going to step in and say do not put that amount down on a lease that is just stupid.

Go purchase once you rebuild credit find a 0 down at signing lease. Putting more money down on a lease than you need to is just plain ignorant and you are basically paying the dealer massive profit.

How often does a client walk through that door, trying to sell you a car at a price that's too good? Example: A Ferrari at 50G's.

-and you find that the car was/is a crime scene or was associated with drugs?

Never

What do you guys think about the F-150 King Ranch trucks, several of my friends have them, are they worth the money. Any downsides to them. And how are the SVT Raptor F-150s any problems with them you know about?

Let me just say that the raptor is my dream truck. That is biased though

Best cars for <$30k, <$40k, <$55k? Sports cars, specifically.

2013 boss 302 Laguna seca

In your opinion, which is the best crossover vehicle in terms of quality for price?

2014 Mazda CX-5