Originally Posted by KimPossible

Dealerships don't have that kind of markup in their cars anymore. I'm not sure why people think that they do, but its not the case. Where does everyone think they get their used cars? There isn't a mythical used car factory that pumps them out - they buy them wholesale from people trading them in & at the auction. Most used cars at franchise dealers come from trades - about 85%. If you think that 85% of people are selling their cars to the dealerships for 3-5k below its value (don't forget that each trade has to get put thru safety too) then you really haven't even seen someone trying to trade in their "beloved" car. If you are buying a 50k car then they usually have some room in the car, but in regular 15k cars?!? They didn't buy those things that cheap. On top of that the banks tell them how much they can finance the vehicle for depending on the credit of the customer. There isn't anything wrong with buying the car the "old school" way - trust me, the dealership would prefer it. They see someone who thinks they are an "expert" walking thru the door & all that it seen is walking dollar signs. I know that's what I see. No one has to believe me or not, but this is what I do for a living & I am very good at my job. I work for a bank doing auto loans now, but before this my last 2 jobs were as a finance director for a DCJ dealership and a General Manager over 2 dealerships in a national used car group. I promise you that I really do know the best way to buy a car.