Not familiar with car sales tactics from this era, enlighten me please.

Even if this new dealer states your credit union is in their network of credit unions they use, they can still mark up the interest rate on you. They will buy the loan at 7.00% and sell it to you at 9.00%. This is legal for them to do that.
I checked with my credit union before I went to the dealer for the rate. I close the deal and state to the dealer the credit union is charging me this rate, do you want to write the loan with them under that rate? They did. Where is the issue? The issue comes in only if your uninformed.
 
What is wrong with the current Honda? someone on here has one with 666k on the clock. He's got a bad cam, and the motor drinks oil; I guess mine with a bad cam but minor oil usage is better?

Never want to buy a car when in a pinch but maybe it's better to save up for now and be ready for later? I feel like there has been a bit of a softening in the used car market--not huge, but just a bit--and I wonder if things might be better in a bit. Not great as I think the glory days are gone now. But who knows what might pop up between now and some time in the future.

I'm still holding out for a unicorn myself.
This, better to take time to shop for a deal you're happy with than needing wheels NOW.
 
So you're buying an 6 year old GM with the idea of getting another 8 - 10 years out of it. I suggest you give your head a shake. If you were buying a new one you might get 8 - 10 years out of it. A Malibu isn't even a particularly reliable GM. I wouldn't do it.

Buying an 6 year old Honda or Toyota with the idea of getting another 8 - 10 years out of it. Sure, that should work out.

Getting 8 - 10 years more out of your Honda? Might be possible, as long as it isn't rusty. I'd put some of that money aside for a big repair ($2500 maybe) and go for it.
I only drive 10,000-12,000 miles a year. I don't think it's far fetched, especially given that my stepdad has a 2018 Malibu LS with 160k on the clock that runs like a top.
 
One problem is many people don't want the salesman to make any money to support his family and they don't want to dealer to make any money. They want to think they are special and macho and whatever and skint the deal to cut off every penny of profit. They don't do that at the grocer's or hardware store or anywhere else. They are just anal orifices at car dealers.
Exactly. I never try and negotiate away the dealership prep and sales fees.
The last vehicle I bought was a 2022 3.6L Acadia the day it rolled off the truck.
I had to drive 3 hours to go fetch it a couple of days later, but saved $50 a month times 84 months less than a quote from down the street.
One thing that I agree with from one of your posts, is I can’t stand dealerships that add sometimes thousands of dollars to the sticker price with add ons like paint sealer and undercoating.
That’s the sales department doing to boost their profits.
The vehicle before that was a 2018 High Country. It was the 7th vehicle sold before noon and the staff was run off their feet.
No add ons, no nonsense.
 
Beware of add ons like extended warranty’s quietly slipped into the deal
It's all spelled out on the contract. The issue is you have to read it- but yes depending on the dealer they will try. However, in my experience buying over 30 vehicles, sneaky ones are the exception.
 
As someone with an anxiety disorder I love shopping at carmax. I can walk around by myself, sit in various different cars without a salesperson blabbing the whole time, and getting a test drive is as easy as walking into the store, going to the counter and saying “can I drive this one?” They’ll have someone to you quickly if not instantly.

And the price is the price, no hard sales tactics just “do you want our (actually pretty good) warranty for $XXXX?” And if you decline they say no problem and move on. Yeah, I’ll pay more for all that, but I value my sanity more.
Yeah carmax has its benefits, in some cases they're priced a hair higher than other dealerships but you get a set price a set extended repair plan etc. If you're really eagle eyed on occasion Carmax has priced vehicles really off the mark and people have ended up with some killer deals. A couple of years ago a guy spotted an S500 Mercedes on Carmax , ran the vin and realized it was an AMG S500 but priced like the regular S500. It was priced 20ish grand less than it should have been.
 
So you're buying an 6 year old GM with the idea of getting another 8 - 10 years out of it. I suggest you give your head a shake. If you were buying a new one you might get 8 - 10 years out of it. A Malibu isn't even a particularly reliable GM. I wouldn't do it.

Buying an 6 year old Honda or Toyota with the idea of getting another 8 - 10 years out of it. Sure, that should work out.

Getting 8 - 10 years more out of your Honda? Might be possible, as long as it isn't rusty. I'd put some of that money aside for a big repair ($2500 maybe) and go for it.

There's nothing wrong with a Malibu, but financing any 6 year old car for 72 months is not a good idea imo.

Previous owner drove 5 kids around in it? That would be enough for me to run.
 
Beware of add ons like extended warranty’s quietly slipped into the deal
I've never bought a vehicle where the F&I guy didn't go line by line on the paperwork before I signed . Maybe it's a State thing , but here it seems to be the norm .
 
I've never bought a vehicle where the F&I guy didn't go line by line on the paperwork before I signed . Maybe it's a State thing , but here it seems to be the norm .
My bank is closed Saturday so no go on the contract until Monday.
 
I think you are settling for what is quick and easy to get the deal done right now and ignoring quite a bit of red flags. The fact that dealership presented that car to you in the condition it was in is very telling.
 
I think you are settling for what is quick and easy to get the deal done right now and ignoring quite a bit of red flags. The fact that dealership presented that car to you in the condition it was in is very telling.
They're going to detail the hell out of the car for me. And they're roughly asking what the car is worth compared to National Automobile Dealers Association. The CVT behavior is normal according to the chevy malibu forums. They haven't detailed the car because it's only been for sale for two days. The scratches don't matter to me. My ex gfs parents had a buick that was scratched up by a 2 year old, so it know it happens. I'm not expecting a 5 year old car to be a shiny gem.

I don't mean to be rude but do you have any other concerns?
 
I don't mean to be rude but do you have any other concerns?
Yeah, I do. But I think you are going to do what you want to do regardless.

You started this thread somewhat complaining and asking for advice. It has been a up/down, hot/cold, start/stop affair. Sage advice has been given by others and not just me. I would state the same to any friend, family or acquaintance that ask the same as you have.

What you have stated about your mental state, you have narrowed yourself into small swim lanes and kind of letting external forces run the deal for you and not by you for ease of just wanting to get it done.

I do not know you but only by what you have written here. That being said, any pushback I may have given is only in that I want the best outcome for you.
 
Yeah, I do. But I think you are going to do what you want to do regardless.

You started this thread somewhat complaining and asking for advice. It has been a up/down, hot/cold, start/stop affair. Sage advice has been given by others and not just me. I would state the same to any friend, family or acquaintance that ask the same as you have.

What you have stated about your mental state, you have narrowed yourself into small swim lanes and kind of letting external forces run the deal for you and not by you for ease of just wanting to get it done.

I do not know you but only by what you have written here. That being said, any pushback I may have given is only in that I want the best outcome for you.
I apologize for being rude but you're right, I've made my mind up. Talked to family members about it - only one seems to object and the only concern is interest. My mental state is returning to normal and I don't mind the extra interest.
 
No worries, OP. I know plenty of people, including myself who have straight up walked away in the middle of dealing with some car salesmen. I had a pissy 70 year old at a Nissan dealer audibly going "ughhh" and rolling his eyes, then yell at me for looking under the vehicle (we live in the Northeast - Rust land) and checking the oil on a used car, claiming I was "picking the car apart"

I asked him if it was a problem for him if I check the oil on a used car before I buy it. He said yes, I slammed the hood and walked away.
 
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Did you buy your Buick from a Buick dealer? Most of their dealers are laid back because they deal with older customers with good credit.

Like mentioned here, if they are trying this hard to sell you a 8 year old Malibu, find another dealer.
My buick dealer is now out of business.
 
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