October 25, 1996

You may recall, I bought a purple '93 Honda Civic EX coupe around 
2 months ago, and 2 weeks ago, I was involved in a head-on 
collision from an idiot in the on-coming lane who tried to 
make a left hand turn behind a Perrier truck that was stopped 
at the intersection also trying to make a left hand turn.  To 
my surprise, the settlement for my totalled, newly bought car 
was around $12k.  I started a search for another car last week. 

Well, after an exhaustive fruitless search for a new, used car 
this Saturday, I renewed my efforts today on Sunday.  I consulted 
an Auto Trader that I picked up at Krogers and combed the ads in
there for Honda Civics ('93-'95) and Acura Integra ('92-'93).  
I also looked at the classified car ads in the Sunday paper.  I 
made a few calls, and there were only 3 possible leads once I narrowed 
my choices since I really wanted a Honda Civic EX coupe with little 
mileage as possible in the teal green, or the british metallic green 
color.  The acceptable Integras would have to be coupes in the 
metallic green or blue color, and I didn't find any Integras in any 
color but white, black and red.  Ugh.  So there were no Integras 
in the sweepstakes at the moment.  I almost settled for a few 
white ones.  At least white cars have 2 coats of white paint on
them from the factory since one white coat is not enough to 
adequately cover the primer coat and not show through.  

According to the Edmunds car web site, the '93 Civic EX wholesale 
to retail range was $9k-$11.5k, the '94 Civic EX wholesale to 
retail range was $10.5k-$12.8k.  Using these numbers, I tried 
to buy either year's version for the wholesale price, or as close 
as possible.  To be honest, my total spending limit was $12k 
since that's what the insurance company gave me for my totally 
wrecked Civic EX '93.  It was a most generous settlement, though 
most car salesmen thought it was too low since the '93's retail 
for $12.5k in my area, though I was able to buy the same car for $10k
the last time I bought a car (2 months ago) during a red tag sale.  
The retail price for the '94 EX was about $13k-15k depending on which 
dealership you went to, and where that dealer was located.

I called a private seller on the 1st lead from Auto Trader.  The 
seller was a young lady who was trying to sell her '93 Civic EX  
coupe in British green color for $11k or best offer.  It had 64k miles,
so that kind of scared me, but I told her that I'd check out the car at 
her place of employment, Scalini's - an Italian restaurant where 
she waitressed, this evening.  

I checked out the 2nd lead, which was a '94 Purple Civic EX for 
$12.5k at a Saturn dealership, and supposedly that price was 
a no-dicker price.  I checked the car out and found numerous 
cosmetic blemishes, scratches, a 3" gouged area on the front 
bumper, and curious bump on the top corner of the backend.  I 
met the salesman, and told him that the car was too dinged up 
for me to consider buying it, and I thanked him for his time and 
drove off toward the southside of Atlanta. 

I found myself at Evans Toyota Used Car next, trying to beat the 
5 o'clock closing time.  I was advised to always show up at a 
dealership near closing time, where the salemen and managers are edgy
and went to get the deal over with as soon as possible.  I, on 
the other hand, had plenty of time to spare.  I had called this 
dealership around 3:30 today, and talked with a salesman by the
name of Frank Langello (no, not the actor who goes by the name of
Frank Langella - in fact, that's what Langello's card says on it).  
This dealership was at least 45 minutes from my house, but it was 
in the southside of Atlanta, and car prices are less steep then 
in my area, Gwinnett county, where car do actually sell at sticker 
price, and it's always a pain to dicker with salesmen who are used 
to getting the asking price.  The drive out to Evans Toyota was 
worth it as you will soon see. 

From the ad in Auto Trader, there was no mention of the color or the 
mileage, so I asked Frank both of those details.  I was estatic when 
he told me the car was a '94 Honda Civic EX in teal green.  They were 
asking $12,995 for the car, and supposedly, to get that "special" 
price, you had to bring in the Auto Trader ad.  

I immediately spot the car, I look it over, find a few paint chips 
near the edge of the car doors (to be expected from a 2 year old 
car).  But with some touch-up paint, I could live with it.  The car
was in good physical shape, no prominent bruises or dents of any kind.
I ask for Frank.  He greets me, shakes my hand and goes and gets
the keys so I can take a test drive.  The sticker price on the window 
for this car, according to the Kelly Blue Book, was $14,385.  I almost 
choked when I saw that figure.  Anyway, Frank and I take a spin around 
the block.  The car drove just like my '93 Civic EX, so that was a relief.  
 
I wasn't really sure what the dealership would accept for a low-ball 
price for the car since they were asking $13k for the car in their 
ad, and made sure to let me know that they were offering me a deal at 
that price.  I tell Frank to see if his manager will take $11k for the 
car.  I figured that I'll add $500 to the wholesale price of the car,  
which then amounted to $11k, and see if the manager would take the bait.  

I made certain that Frank understood that I'd be paying cash for the car, 
though he insisted on filling out the paperwork for financing.  He 
takes my offer to the manager.  I wait about 5-10 minutes.  Frank 
comes back.  He's shaking his head.  He tells me that $12,995 (plus 
tax, tag and title) is what the manager needs out of that car.  I tell
him (after some mumbling on my part just to throw Frank off) that 
that's too much.  Frank offers $12,995 (including tax, tag and title).
Still too much is what I tell Frank.  Frank gives me a piece of paper
to write down an offer so he can take it to his manager.  I persist 
and write down a figure of $11k + tax, tag and title.  Frank takes 
the paper into the manager's office, more time passes.  Tension is 
definitely mounting.  This is a good thing.

Frank comes out with the paper and the manager scribbles $11,500 +ttt 
on it.  I hmm and haw at the price, but at least we were getting 
somewhere now.  I'd called the dealership's bluff.  I ask Frank what 
the actual final figure we were talking with the $11,500 price for the 
car.  He has the manager fill out a pricing worksheet.  I immediately 
notice the $249 "administative fee" on there.  I think to myself that 
this is extra padding, and that I really didn't want to pay for this.  
The rest of the worksheet showed the price for the tax, tag and title 
fees, and I was comfortable with that portion.  I hmmed and hawed some 
more, shaking my head a few times to put a negative spin on the offer.  

I finally say that I'll split the difference and offered $11,250 for the 
car (effectively cancelling out the administrative fee).  Frank takes 
this offer back to the manager.  By now, the manager is fuming and 
ready to go home.  This is a Good thing.

The manager comes out of his office, tells me that at $11,250, he's losing
money on the car, he starts waving some papers at me saying that he's 
got $11,380 in the car and that at $11,500 he's only making $120 on 
the car.  The manager starts going off on a tangent, telling me that
he's put the car through their gold checkup program to make sure 
it's a quality used car, is offering a 2 month/2,000 mile warranty 
with the car, and said that he's been in business for 29 years and 
the dealers around him are closing down since he knows how to handle 
his customers and relies on repeat business through positive word 
of mouth from his satisfied customers.  After he gets off his soapbox,
I smile and tell him that I thank him for his candor.  

Frank and I leave the manager's office and sit back down.  I mull over 
the offer one more time and tell Frank that I'm unwilling to go for the 
higher price of $11,500.  Frank frowns, and asks me if I'm going to let 
$250 come between me and the car?  I smile and say yes.  I tell him 
that I've been looking, and there's no set timetable for me to buy 
a car unless I find one where the price is right.  I shake his hand and 
start walking toward the door.  As I get to the door, Frank yells for me 
to come on back, that they'll do the deal for $11,250 + ttt, which came 
out to exactly $11,997.96.  Heh. 

They zip me through the finance department.  I sign about 15 places to 
get my tag and title squared away, as well as the agreement for the 
car at the agreed upon price.  20 minutes later, I come out and 
Frank hands over the key to my new Honda Civic.  I don't really evince
a smile, but I shake Frank's hand once more, he said he was glad we got 
a deal going, even if I had beaten up the dealership to do so.  I 
chuckled to myself on that one.  I'll bet the dealership still made 
$750-$1000 on my purchase, but better that I think I got a deal than not.

So after applying some of the principles I read about at the Edmund's 
web site, I can say that I saved about $1750 for 30 minutes of haggling
and standing my ground.  The important thing was I was prepared to to 
pay in cash and I was prepared to leave at any moment during the deal. 
It was kind of fun, but somehow I have less elation than I did when 
I bought my other car 2 months ago, maybe buying cars is becoming 
old hat to me.  Heh.

After I leave with my new car (I had to leave my old car there overnight
and I hope they don't tow it away tomorrow), I head toward the restaurant
where the young lady works at to just let her know that I had found a 
car, but I felt I owed her a visit since I told her that I'd be coming
by to look at her car.  It's a good thing I bought the car that I did
because her car was mis-identified as a EX when it was a DX, and it 
had a big dent in the passenger side front fender (which was covered
up judiciously for the most part by a car bra).  There was a long scratch
mark on the passenger side of the car as well.  But I did like the 
metallic British color on that car.  I went into the restaurant and 
ask for her, she comes out.  I sheepishly tell her that I found a 
newer car with less miles on it, so I wouldn't be buying her car.  She
smiled and congratulated me on my find and thanked me for stopping by
even though I could have just called her.  And to think that she was 
asking $11k for that car, and she'd been advertising it for over 6 
weeks with no takers.  After seeing it, I can see why.  Oh, to top 
it off, she was taking out the CD player that she put into the car,
so that was another sticking point with regards to the car.  

I leave and go home in my new car, and smile as I cruise down the 
highway... 

Okay, I admit it, this was fun in a strange way, but I don't want 
to do this again for a long time to come.