Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

[Pomai]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

Subaru Legacy Wagon. Good choice, especially for reliability & fuel economy. I always admired Subaru's insistence on All Wheel Drive for safety and handling. Although most of Oahu's roadways are paved, there are some beach spots that you have to park on where AWD will come in handy.

114mph record in H3 tunnel sounds rather conservative considering the rash of street racing problems we've had on Oahu. It's rather straight, long and wide open, but it is quite scary when you first come out and look over the guardrail, high above the windward side.

[Dale]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

Absolutely good advice, them and Honolulu Ford and Ala Moana VW. Just recently I went down and went to battle with New City Nissan on a 2006 Sentra. This was the fully loaded sports "S" model. Their asking price $17,500 or the full MSRP (Don't ever buy a new car at MSRP). After four hours of negotiating the final deal came to $12,500, 60-months at 2.75% APR and that included titanium window tint. That last one came outta left field as it was approaching 9pm and we were hungry. I told the closer that I had to feed my kid and his girlfriend so we'd be back in one hour to seal the deal. To ensure the price I paid non-refundable $500 to lock it in.

As we're leaving to go eat at Wahoo's Fish and Taco's the general manager comes out and tells me, "Mr. Watanabe what can I do to have you sign right now before you walk out the door?" I told him, "Look I paid this non-refundable $500 so if you're afraid I was going to change my mind, I won't, my kid is hungry, we've been here over 4-hours already and came in without eating lunch, we'll be back I promise" and we kept walking towards the door.

Then he blurted out, "Okay Mr. Watanabe if I throw in window tint will you sign right now!" Now I wasn't expecting that so I told him, "make it titanium and throw in that $25 cool neoprene 'Nissan Gear' CD case you wanted me to buy as an accessory for free and you got a deal!"

He extended his hand, we shook, he put his offer right on the sales contract and signed it. We accepted the offer and I told my boy to take care of the rest of the paperwork.

I told my boy this is how you negotiate. Work them down for a few hours, get them committed to a sale, then walk out with the intent on coming back. Stay with what you consider paying for monthly (in our case no more than $250 per month) and work the financing side. If the financing cannot get low enough they will adjust the pricing or length of the term to fit.

In our case we got the car for less than $245 per month for 60-months at 2.75% APR with $1000 down, no trade in and extended warranty plus window tint for a 2006 Nissan Sentra S about three months ago. I thought that was a good deal.

I second that. That's pretty much how you do the deal.

You basically offer them free Costco (don't spend too much of your own money) water. Walk through their own dealership and waste lots of their gas. Drive around the island a few times to test drive their cars. Drive the car that is triple parked behind all the other cars, and insist that you want the one that is the most difficult to get out. Drag race on the freeway. Weave through the traffic, test out how fast it can go from zero to 60 at a red light. Do doughnuts and wheelies in the stadium parking lot.

After a few hours of test driving their most recent release, you sit them with them facing out to the door and refuse to let them use the bathroom. You wear them down and ofter then more and more Costco (cheap) water. Refuse to let them use the toilet. Keep them from eating. Talk some more. Hold them past 9:10 pm. Keep talking until 11:30 pm. Talk some more. Wait until it is 1:30 am. Wait until it is almost sun rise. Then ofter them the final deal.

All in all, the car dealership made around $125 above their wholesale dealer cost for the two new cars. We found out that the salesperson got canned a few days later.

We got a good deal on our new cars (about 21 miles booked on it), free tint, extended warranty for 7-years. Free detailing for a year. Deep discount on the floor mats and a bit more extras thrown in.

It was well worth it. Time well spent to shave off close to $10K off their initial asking price. Basically, the bottom line was - take the dealer's wholesale price, mark it up $75 and that's how much you offer to pay for it.

Remember, after 9+ hours of talking, a case of Costco water in the tummy, the salesman really wants to use the bathroom!!! They will almost cut you any deal for bathroom access!!!

[808_m3]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

When I used to go car shopping with my dad, we would spend HOURS at the dealership negotiating the price. Man, the things they do to keep to get your into that car! I hated that experience.

For future car buying techniques, I would check this site out before heading out to any dealership. For the most part, when the price negotiations start going through, if I don't see the dealership doing a deal, I just walk out. I usually give it 15 minutes or so. I'm not about to waste the day playing price tag with these guys. Last year, I picked up a 05 Honda Pilot, $200 over invoice, about $5K below MSRP.

[speedtek]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

Try to use your Costco or Samsclub membership if you got it.

If you import a new car be aware you might have to pay a 4% sales tax on the vehicle! unless it has 5000 miles on it when brought in.

Also shipping a car from the west coast is under $1000 so that is another hurdle.

There are a lot of "Good" dealers here. They best time to buy a car is at the last 3 months of the year and around xmas time. Sales are considered slow and salespersons are hungry to sell the deal for that xmas bonus.

If you buy a Scion the prices are fixed. Saturn is like that too. just gotta bargain with them on the extended warranties.

[speedtek]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

Just recently I went down and went to battle with New City Nissan on a 2006 Sentra. This was the fully loaded sports "S" model. Their asking price $17,500 or the full MSRP (Don't ever buy a new car at MSRP). After four hours of negotiating the final deal came to $12,500, 60-months at 2.75% APR and that included titanium window tint. That last one came outta left field as it was approaching 9pm and we were hungry. I told the closer that I had to feed my kid and his girlfriend so we'd be back in one hour to seal the deal. To ensure the price I paid non-refundable $500 to lock it in.

As we're leaving to go eat at Wahoo's Fish and Taco's the general manager comes out and tells me, "Mr. Watanabe what can I do to have you sign right now before you walk out the door?" I told him, "Look I paid this non-refundable $500 so if you're afraid I was going to change my mind, I won't, my kid is hungry, we've been here over 4-hours already and came in without eating lunch, we'll be back I promise" and we kept walking towards the door.

Youre suppose to go the Windward Nissan.

It is illegal for them to take a NON-REFUNDABLE deposit. The "lock-in" is total BS anyway. They NEVER HOLD a car for you. If another sucker comes in to buy the car it is gone!

You should have taken the "Expert" with you and he would have gotten you out in a hour.

Even if you pay the car in full and don't take it off the lot, it is NOT your car yet. If you pay in full and come back later and tell them you don't want it THEY HAVE TO REFUND your money! That is why we tell the customer drive it away NOW! even if we make them park it on the street it is NOW their car!
oh and if you pay for it in full and didn't finish signing the contract they WILL SELL the car to someone else!

[Samurai123]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

Just bought a new 2006 Honda CR-V EX from Honda Windward. Very good buying experience, they were really upfront with the price and didn't push hard on buying extras like maintenance packages and accessories. Of all the 3 Honda dealerships I went to, Windward offered me the best price.

Another thing, I tried to donate my beloved, old faithful, 1997 Toyota Camry to Kidney Cars and a couple of other places but they wouldn't take it because of the high mileage (149,000 miles). I guess the leaking crank case seals, busted up CV joint, worn out brakes contributed to their refusal. Man I felt rejected! I was just going to try and sell it off the community bulletin board but Honda Windward took it in trade for $1,800. Not much but frankly the Camry would need a couple of thousand buck of repairs to get going.

[tutusue]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

After reading Craig's and Dale's car buying accounts I know I will never, ever buy a new car! I detest shopping to begin with...makes no difference what I'm shopping for! To jump thru so many hoops for so many hours would send me to the funny farm! I admire both of you for your tenaciousness and persistence but, oh Lordy, you guys worked hard and really, really earned those cars!

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

You should have taken the "Expert" with you and he would have gotten you out in a hour.

yada yada yada!!! When I went in I told my boy, "let's have some fun" This was his first experience and boy what an experience. Windward Nissan would have been too easy and my poor boy would have thought,"hey buying a car is a breeze" then when he buys his next car, his okole would be reamed like the friggin H3 tunnels, wide open

Hey speedtek Neil Tepper called me yesterday something about a radio show?

But anyway, I know you're the expert but when I left Oahu I had to ween myself off and grow up. Buying that Nissan was absolutely an enjoyable experience especially when you KNOW what's going on.

My first time was horrific at Ala Moana VW. I went thru two sales people. The first was this nice lady, her name Theresa Weixel, and she must have gone thru four packs of smokes before her nicotine overdose made her tag her team mate, good old Rocco (now at BMW Honolulu). When I caught him on a touche I bought my 84 Scirocco for $9999. Exactly the price I wanted as Windward VW was selling em for that price. Rocco said, "we sell BMW's and that's where I make my bread and butter, not with these VW's". So I told him, "well in that case you'll sell me that VW for $9999 since it doesn't mean crap to you anyway right". Touche, we signed.

[Supercub]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

yada yada yada!!!

Is "yada" a part of Hawaiin slang, or are you just throwing some Japanese into your post?

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

Is "yada" a part of Hawaiin slang, or are you just throwing some Japanese into your post?

Isn't Yada jewish or something like that? It definately ain't Japanese. Speedtek is always razzing me for spending more than I should have...everytime he tells me, "What you should have asked me, I could have gotten it cheaper!" Yada yada yada, I know but I learn things the hard way.

[Dale]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

After reading Craig's and Dale's car buying accounts I know I will never, ever buy a new car! I detest shopping to begin with...makes no difference what I'm shopping for! To jump thru so many hoops for so many hours would send me to the funny farm! I admire both of you for your tenaciousness and persistence but, oh Lordy, you guys worked hard and really, really earned those cars!

That's why you take a really, really, really pake friend with you to do all the bargaining for you (he manages hundreds of millions of dollars as a professional money manager, so he knows his stuff when it comes to money). Basically, I went and became invisible while he talked with the guy and softened him up for 9+ hours and then called me in to sign the paperwork.

Of course, for his fee, I took him out to lunch at the local Mcdonalds selecting only from the super value meal menu and I got a new car at $75 above wholesale dealer cost.

What a deal! (of course, he keeps me around for 24/7 tech support to his office, but it's worth every single minute of it, since his office has some view, and it's not the green grass and blue sky view either! It's the other types of "view" that guys like.)

[Supercub]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

Isn't Yada jewish or something like that? It definately ain't Japanese. Speedtek is always razzing me for spending more than I should have...everytime he tells me, "What you should have asked me, I could have gotten it cheaper!" Yada yada yada, I know but I learn things the hard way.

"iya" means disagreeable or unpleasant in Japanese. With the verb to be (da), it becomes "yada." It's a really common phrase in Japanese, so I thought maybe it had found its way into Hawaiian slang.

But you mean yada yada yada in the Seinfeld sense. Got it. Carry on.

[speedtek]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

When I caught him on a touche I bought my 84 Scirocco for $9999. Exactly the price I wanted as Windward VW was selling em for that price. Rocco said, "we sell BMW's and that's where I make my bread and butter, not with these VW's". So I told him, "well in that case you'll sell me that VW for $9999 since it doesn't mean crap to you anyway right". Touche, we signed.

I hate to inform you so late but that price of $9999 was the sale price at all dealerships at the time. It is unfortunate that AMVW was still trying to price gouge customers (A Rocco tactic) even though they knew it was on sale. I wish you bought it from me at the time then I could have made the $300 commission. (yeah I'm a PAKE) of course I would have given it back to you.

[dick]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

"iya" means disagreeable or unpleasant in Japanese. With the verb to be (da), it becomes "yada."

It's still iya, with the verb added -- iya da/desu.

[Supercub]

Re: Buying a car in Hawaii (Honolulu)

It's still iya, with the verb added -- iya da/desu.

Right. But the "i" sound is usually so smeared into the "ya" sound that it comes out sounding like "yada." I've often seen it written in romaji as "yada" (not in a textbook, mind you). The idea being that "yada" is more like an interjection than a grammatical construct.

But yeah, my post implied that "i" is dropped when adding the verb. The proper grammar is "iya da."