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Smart Shopper Car Buying for Women
299 messages, Last post on Feb 15, 2009 at 4:46 PM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
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What are the issues - if any - that women face when buying a car? We encourage women to share their thoughts and experiences here.
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Replying to: Sylvia (Nov 18, 2004 11:29 am) During the next 15 years I went up the ranks in the construction company I work for and became responsible for purchasing the vehicles for the fleet. Now most of the work I do is try & neg. a good price on the trucks we buy. Time & time again I get a salesman that trys to point out the cosmetic features or onstar or xmradio as the features I would be most comfortable talking about. I want to talk Duramax Diesel, 4WD, GVW and they seem to be stunned that a woman is handling the fleet purchases. I actually had one manager say that most men buying these trucks are not as knowledgeable about them as I seem to be (so there is that flattery aspect again). And (no offense guys,) The best price I have gotten on a Chevy 3500 Diesel was from a woman salesperson. Now with my last vehicle purchase made about a month ago, I got a great price on an 04 monte carlo ss demo, walked out of the finance office when they would not meet my terms ,only to get 4% and 72 months the next day and a cash rebate totalling 5,000.00 (3,500 from gm & 1500 in coupons) Only problem I had was my salesmen told me the warranty was 36/36 but I lose 5,000 miles cause thats what the demo had on it. Turned out the car was in service as a demo in january (10 months b 4 I bought it) so I lost 5,000 miles & 10 months of the warranty. The salesman is trying to get them to give me back at least the months which should require them buying me an extended warranty for 12 months I dont think a 10 month warranty exists. My 2 personal car buying experiences and the 6 vehicles I bought on a corp. basis have been with salesmen who seem to try & play up the frills instead of the substance of the vehicle. Once a salesman gets to know me (next time I call with a need for th ecompany, they speak to me like I'm one of their equals and dont "pretty it up" for me. Hope this helps If you have any questions about my experience, Im happy to answer any questions.
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Replying to: tangofan (Nov 19, 2004 10:20 am) I'm an editor here at Edmunds. In a few weeks we'll be launching a Web page devoted to topics of interest to women. Please check back with us and also keep us informed of developments as you continue to buy for your company as well as yourself.
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Replying to: researchqueen (Dec 03, 2004 10:50 am) thats pretty much where I am on the warranty info on my Monte Carlo. I have gotten some great prices on a GMPP extended warranty using info I obtained thru Edmunds . My best bet with the extended purchase will be to wait about 19 months when I estimate I will have about 23,900 on my car. I can then buy the 60/60 extended from Blacks Pontiac at about 1600.00 -1700.00. This will give me a total of 83,900 on the miles and take me to June 2010. my car will be paid for by then , long before I hope as I plan on making principle only payments on the car quarterly so I'm not paying for the full 72 months. And I also will not be upside down on the car for long. I owe 17K now and its worth a bit less right now.
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Replying to: tangofan (Dec 03, 2004 11:37 am) Sounds like a plan. I think it's great that you're not letting them take advantage of you. I can't stand it when salesmen promise something and then can't deliver. It happened to me at the bank recently (and they wasted a LOT of my time). They've lost my business for good. Keep in touch! |
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| In any confrontation, if you cause them more pain then they cause you, then you have won. | |
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Replying to: Sylvia (Nov 18, 2004 11:29 am) I currently have a minivan that I enjoy and that is serving us well, but for a variety of good reasons, I do not want a minivan next time around. I am finding most car reviews on Edmunds discuss specs, road handling, and of course, horsepower, in great detail. All that is important to me, but I would love to see some reviews where cars/wagons/compact SUVs were "family tested." Not every family out here wants a minivan or a hulking full-sized SUV. I know I would benefit from information like rear seat space comfort for young children v. teens/adults, long-distance travel with children and related luggage, etc. Is this information you might incorporate into your website reviews? It would be much appreciated by many. Thanks.
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Replying to: jen1 (Jan 01, 2005 7:44 pm) Most discussions are about how the 300hp ABC is not as good as the 340hp XYZ, or they feel the seats just don't have that "look" from all the pictures in the Car mags ... The funny part is, most can't even drive or handle the 200hp vehicle they have now .. then they discuss on how bad (or good) a certain SUV drives when they ran it around a test track, or read it somewhere .. hmmm I never seen a test track at the malls or school zones, so I guess that 0 to 60 makes a big difference when it's 1.1 seconds faster .. Specs are fine, but 18 cubic feet of trunk space means nothing to someone who carries stuff on a day by day basis versus the consumer who takes that 5 day vacation every year and never pops that trunk again for another year ... legroom.? .. thats great, but if your 6 feet tall with an inseam of 34inches and the next guy is 6 feet with a 32 inseam, then they are both going to be lookin' for a different vehicle, no matter where the discussion goes ... now, take the Mrs who needs to be in and out everyday, she's 5.5" and the whole scenario changes by leaps and bounds .... considering the ladies have 60%+ of the decision making process, you would think there would be a whole lot more real world discussions .........  ..... it must be a testosterone thing ... That said, the best thing you can do for you and the family is to get your top 5 vehicles set up, then make an appointment to see 1 or 2 dealers on the same day, this way you can get the feel, touch and smell of them .. then take them out on a 30/60/90 minute ride (without the salesman) down your streets, your hills, your driveways and see what *you* think ..... remember, unless someone is making your payments and/or driving your vehicle everyday, then the only opinion that counts: is yours ... Always buy and drive what "you" like - the guy that writes the articles gets paid for it, it's his job, there's not much difference between those and the Boat magazines, ever see a Searay boat that "wasn't" great.? .. but lotsa people have, but they don't get any print .. hmm, I wonder why that is ..l.o.l.... Terry. |
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Replying to: jen1 (Jan 01, 2005 7:44 pm) First, I always recommend that you try to rent the vehicle that you are interested for a day or two and drive it in all the conditions that you generally drive in. For me. there are many cars that felt OK for a short time but after an hour, I was in pain. Second, I don't care about all that car magazine drivel and all those specifics. How does the car fit **MY** body? I have been in some subcompacts that were very comfortable in legroom. Last year, I was in a full sized Infiniti that I felt cramped in. And DITTO for the back seats. In other words, to be happy, YOU have to do your homework. Noone on this board will be able to tell you how a particular model will be for you. |
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SURE you have your baby strollers, diaper bags, sports gear bags, etc with you to make sure they fit without issue. Some vehicles may have cool storage areas or compartments and may work much better than another vehicle. My boys are 17 and 19, so it's not a concern, but if we turned back the clock to 1988-1992 when my guys were little, I was in the Air Force on a very limited budget, and we traveled to visit family, I'd be looking strongly at a Scion xA or xB, Mazda Protege 5, Pontiac Vibe or similar vehicle. First, I don't do minivans, just a thing with me. A sporty, yet very usable vehicle like these would work great for a family with small kids. |
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