Purchasing Power
How to Find Experts to Help You Make Smart Big-Ticket Buys: Shopping For A Car
Reprint excerpt: Your Real Success, Spring 1997
With the average new car today costing $21,480, you can't afford to pay a penny more than necessary on an auto. You could spend your weekends pounding car lots and haggling to cut a dealer's profit margin. But why not save your soles by signing up with a pro at a car-buying service?
For a fee of $250 to $500, your proxy will hunt down the best price on the auto you want from competing dealers and close the deal for you. If you need your car in a hurry, you'll often pay more. For example, at CarSource [CarQ.com] (800-517-2277), you'll pay $375 for a vehicle with a $15,000 sticker, while a $30,000 model will set you back $475.
"A client of mine recently saved $2,648 on a $23,660 Honda Accord," says Linda Lee Goldberg, who runs CarSource [CarQ.com]. You can also reach the National Association of Buyers' Agents, a trade group that will supply the names of other national car-buying firms, at Goldberg's phone number (she's the chairman).
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