I got a new car and cash does talk...and so does doing your homework!

I got a new car Tuesday. It's used but new to me. It's definitely the nicest car I've ever had. I had a budget so I had to stay within my price range. This definitely worked for me!

I am currently expecting and well my Mustang is not family oriented and it was getting more and more difficult to get in and out of and it was killing my back. Now don't get me wrong I LOVE my Ellie (Mustang) but it's not a family car. I had been on a hunt for a month for a new car that fit my requirements. I had cash to get a car with so I decided to start looking before I got too big and couldn't drive the Mustang. I had the thought of trading in my car and paying the difference but I just couldn't get rid of my Ellie, too attached. Yes I'm attached to my 1998 Mustang!

So I go looking around on Monday and find a 2003 PT Cruiser Limited Edition. It has all the "bells and whistles," things I'm not use to having in a car. It has leather/suede interior and a sunroof. It was like moving on up in the car world lol I had been looking online over the last month at cars and did my actually looking Monday....Well I stopped at this one lot to look at the Nissan they had out front since I was looking for Nissan's and well this nice PT came my way instead. I went home and did my homework on the car and it paid off, literally.

The salesman was of course doing his sales pitch. He tried to tell me the car was $7995 and he'd give me a deal at $5995. In my head I'm thinking yea ok whatever lol. So I got the Carfax and did some Googling, NEVER arm me with google and research! I will find anything! I found out that they had had the car for almost 6 mths at their two lots. I also found out they put about 10k miles on it since they'd had it. I then found out that it was listed at $5995 and NOT $7995, that was the original price when they got it in. He was trying to take me for a fool! The car had been lowered in price twice since they got it. The place I got it from is known for their high end imports and sports cars not PT Cruisers lol. This was a trade in so it wasn't something people came to their lot looking for. So I took it to my mechanic the next day and he said it was a great car and well maintained. He said the water pump and timing belt had been changed, two things I wanted to know about with the mileage. It has 90k. There was something else too that was replaced but I don't remember what it was. After my mechanic gave it the thumbs up I thought of my sales pitch approach on the way back to the dealership. At the time I was going to trade in Ellie and pay $5500 cash. Well after I did my HW I wasn't up for their deal. I had one of my own!

I walked in and told them I liked it. I then pulled out my notes. They teased me about my notes the day before but I ALWAYS take notes and do HW on a used car or anything I buy that is that expensive! I pointed out the facts I came across and then said I'll give you $6000 cash and I keep my car. If they said no I was willing to walk away. I didn't need to get that car right then and there even though I liked it. I wasn't willing to give up Ellie either lol They discussed it with another manager and said deal!! I felt GREAT at that moment! I made a deal on my own and it worked!!! I was so shocked and thought, awesome cash does talk! The salesman seemed impressed when he said "wow you did do your homework." I looked at him and said, "I always do." So I went home with my new car and I got to keep my beloved Ellie. I literally cried when I thought I was going to have to get rid of my Mustang and got teary with joy when I got to keep her! Most don't get my love for that car but it's something personal from my childhood and on. I now have two cars, both I own outright Ellie will be put in storage til I can drive her again.

Today I went to pick up my Mustang (it was at the dealership) and they actually DETAILED it for free!! They cleaned the inside and outside and waxed it. She looks so pretty! They also came and put in a new battery in the PT at my house. This place has my approval for sure. As a thank to them when I make lasagna next weekend I'm going to make them one and take it to them as a thank you. They were very nice. I had always heard good things about them and now i see why.

So it pays to do your HW on cars! All you need is the VIN and Google. You can find anything! I know the salesman didn't think I'd do anything but he underestimated me! I am not an easy person to sell to. I dont' fall for BS lines. I proved him wrong

Here is my "new" car.

Congrats! It is so refreshing to see someone so enthusiastic and happy over such a simple thing. Most would have to of won a Mercedes you feel like you right now

Awesome !!!

My wife had a PT..... it was very nice... great gas mileage.... a really nice car.

I can do you one better

I wanted into the dealership with no job, bad credit, and a 05 honda civic si with 90k miles on it and 4 decent sized dents and no customization owing $6000 on it still... The payment was $500 a month and killing me.

So I picked the car I wanted for the price I wanted to stay in which was under $12k The salesman is like there is no way we can get you a car you have no job, no downpayment, bad credit, ect..

So I was like well run the numbers lets see what we can do and also you take my car and pay it off and I want my payment well under $500 a month..

2hr later I drive out with my 09 Chevy HHR 35k miles under warranty until 100k miles, payment that started 3 months later at $335 a month and my insurance dropped from $119 to $95 a month since I wasn't in a sport car anymore.



How did they do it? its all in the paperwork, they lied on my application, do I care? NO I got the car I wanted for the payment I wanted. They put my old job down as my job and added $2k to the price of the car and said I put down $2000.. That is how I got my car :d

Originally posted by Newagekid2012
Congrats! It is so refreshing to see someone so enthusiastic and happy over such a simple thing. Most would have to of won a Mercedes you feel like you right now

Thanks

I'm easily pleased. It's the simple things in life that make me happy.

Originally posted by dc4lifeskater
I can do you one better

I wanted into the dealership with no job, bad credit, and a 05 honda civic si with 90k miles on it and 4 decent sized dents and no customization owing $6000 on it still... The payment was $500 a month and killing me.

WOW!! That is a high car payment! The highest I ever had was $300 for my Stratus.

So I picked the car I wanted for the price I wanted to stay in which was under $12k The salesman is like there is no way we can get you a car you have no job, no downpayment, bad credit, ect..

So I was like well run the numbers lets see what we can do and also you take my car and pay it off and I want my payment well under $500 a month..

2hr later I drive out with my 09 Chevy HHR 35k miles under warranty until 100k miles, payment that started 3 months later at $335 a month and my insurance dropped from $119 to $95 a month since I wasn't in a sport car anymore.

SWEET!!!! The HHR looks like a Cruiser! I like those too.

How did they do it? its all in the paperwork, they lied on my application, do I care? NO I got the car I wanted for the payment I wanted. They put my old job down as my job and added $2k to the price of the car and said I put down $2000.. That is how I got my car :d

That is awesome!

Good job on getting what you wanted!

Originally posted by elevatedone
Awesome !!!

My wife had a PT..... it was very nice... great gas mileage.... a really nice car.

Yup I'll be testing the gas mileage tomorrow. I'm going to my moms which is about an hour and twenty mins. away. I know what my Mustang used up so I will see the difference. I know it will take a little more but that is fine.

yah i like the cruiser too they look similar I like how they have an oldschool look to them. I could have gotten a better payment on the car if I had better credit im sure but I dont.. I am waiting for wells fargo to go under then I can keep my car for free lol.

Congrats OP!

Looks sharp...

Coming from me that says a lot because I can't stand the PT's.

That one looks nicer than most perhaps because of the color, condition, and the wheels.

Originally posted by dc4lifeskater
yah i like the cruiser too they look similar I like how they have an oldschool look to them. I could have gotten a better payment on the car if I had better credit im sure but I dont.. I am waiting for wells fargo to go under then I can keep my car for free lol.

Yea I like the old school look too! Most people say ewww they are ugly but I like a lot of "vintage" things so why not have my car look vintage too.

HAHA on Wells Fargo going under. They are my bank, not by choice. I hate banks but it's a necessary evil. I'd rather have them over BOA. That bank is pure evil

Originally posted by Murgatroid
Congrats OP!

Looks sharp...

Coming from me that says a lot because I can't stand the PT's.

That one looks nicer than most perhaps because of the color, condition, and the wheels.

Thanks!!

Yea it's Limited Edition so it has some upgraded features. I was comparing mine to my neighbors lol mine looks so much better....but don't tell them.

Great job!!! As someone that has sold a few cars in my day, if the list was 5995, you could have offered 5300 cash and walked away with Ellie as well. Great job however, sexy lookin car

Originally posted by thesmokingman
Great job!!! As someone that has sold a few cars in my day, if the list was 5995, you could have offered 5300 cash and walked away with Ellie as well. Great job however, sexy lookin car

I was going to say $5500 but decided on $6000. This was the first time I ever had cash to do this with lol

Thanks

Great job.
The Designer of that car received many accolades for it's retro style.(he also designed the HHR for GM.)
My wife came pretty close to buying one a number of years ago, but she needed something with a little more ground clearance due to some of the desert driving she had to do for her job.
I think it's a really nice looking style too..Looks great in black. I even had a little model of one sitting on my desk for many years (with a plastic alien sitting in the driver's seat! LOL)
I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Originally posted by Newagekid2012
Congrats! It is so refreshing to see someone so enthusiastic and happy over such a simple thing. Most would have to of won a Mercedes you feel like you right now

If she got the 2.2 L four-cylinder diesel version, then it IS a Mercedes. At least the engine is.

soulwaxer

Yeah! I love the PT look, I think they're awesome.
I was going to buy one in the plumb colour but bought the Soarer in my profile pic instead.
For 6 grand you scored a bargain.

Originally posted by spacedoubt
Great job.
The Designer of that car received many accolades for it's retro style.(he also designed the HHR for GM.)

I knew it!! I saw the HHR the other day and was like that looks like a Cruiser. You just confirmed suspicions!

My wife came pretty close to buying one a number of years ago, but she needed something with a little more ground clearance due to some of the desert driving she had to do for her job.
I think it's a really nice looking style too..Looks great in black. I even had a little model of one sitting on my desk for many years (with a plastic alien sitting in the driver's seat! LOL)
I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

I don't have to worry about clearance here lol.

I like the color, it's a dark blue. Most think it's black cause of the picture but it's blue lol.

Haha I like the alien add on!

Well my beloved little car I have had for past 5 years and had never let me down is going to cost me another £135 for a years road tax we have to pay here in the UK every year. If we don't we can get a heavy fine plus the car is not legal to drive on the road. I had a big fancy car before this one and all my others were a head turner but I thought what do I need in a car when I wanted one to replace my last one.
It had to have a sunroof that I can open, a small engine to save on the petrol costs and insurance costs, room in the back for my collie as you can see by my sig and also cheap.
I almost gave up looking when I saw one parked outside a house with a for sale sign on it and it was just the one I was looking for.
After a test drive etc i bought it outright for cash and it had a full years mot and 6 months road tax on it and that was 5 years ago. Only thing I bought was a new battery in all that time because when I bought it the old one was past its best.
I will run it until it starts to give me trouble and so far I have been lucky.

Originally posted by soulwaxer

Originally posted by Newagekid2012
Congrats! It is so refreshing to see someone so enthusiastic and happy over such a simple thing. Most would have to of won a Mercedes you feel like you right now

If she got the 2.2 L four-cylinder diesel version, then it IS a Mercedes. At least the engine is.

soulwaxer

Nope no diesel

Does Chrysler make Mercedes engines or vice versa?

Congrats OP!

What a great story, thanks for sharing. Enjoy your new wheels!