Who hasn't? Just make sure to aim away from any sensitive electronics.

Nope, he means each way. Omaha to Phoenix (I guessed on the city in AZ) is 1250 miles away.

Brando, that's some dedication you've got to the car buying experience. Sounds like a fun trip, something to tell people later on. It might be a record for here, but I know a guy drove his from Cleveland, OH to Denver and that's about 1350.

 

LoL, thanks buckeye. Yea it was around 1440 I believe. But, the deal was good, the car was great, and I was having a helluva time finding one so I put in the work and did what I needed to do to get it.

HAHA... and sorry Sons for the inadvertent thread jack! Hopefully we'll be having your success story talked about in here very soon.

 

it's cool! i'm happy to hear about your success story and i'm willing to take any advice anyone has!

 

None taken, but I gotta say that's TMI, bro. Did you get a coupe or sedan? Judging by the seatbelt complaint I'm guessing coupe. Congrats and enjoy your new ride.

 

Oh yes, im well versed in the meaning of the acronym TMI...... lol! Every time I tell my gf that I plan on heading to the toilet to take a dump, she informs me of its meaning.

And yes, I got a coupe. And yes, the seat belt kinda sucks.

 

oh btw brandon i had another question.
when you were planning on making the trip to get your car, did you already make a deal with the dealer via email or over the phone?
or did you drive alllll the way down there to negotiate in person?
this question also applies to everyone else so feel free to chime in anyone!

 

I nailed down all details before I went down there over the phone. I got what I wanted for my trade and I also worked the deal for what I wanted to pay for their car. HOWEVER i was fully ready to tell them to go suck a sidewalk if I got down there and the car had issues. As Im sure they were ready to alter their offer if my car was not what I initially told them.

But, i didnt lie about the quality of my car and neither did they. I also made sure, when I spoke to their finance person, to tell them that I didnt want to get hassled about buying extra crap or what not. I wanted ALL numbers over the phone, every little nit noid thing they try and toss at ya. I got that, figured out my payment, and when I rolled into town it literally took about 20 minutes (after I test drove it of course) and I was on my way.

 

That's very similar to my auction buying experience. I knew what my out-the-door price would be before they even went to the auction. If you're going to drive a long distance, even 200-300 miles, you should have a very good idea of what you can get the car for or it could be a wasted trip.

I successfully evaded their attempts to sell me extra stuff (they only gave it a hallf-hearted effort because they knew I knew as much as they did), but there was one item I wish I had gotten and that was Gap coverage. It's available on new or leased cars through your insurance provider, but many don't have that option for used cars. Basically, if your car gets totaled, it pays the difference between what the insurance company will give you for it and what you owe on the loan (if you're upside down).

 

hm..what guarantee do you have that the numbers they give you over the phone is what they're going to stick to when you get there?

 

You didnt get GAP? Did you get your car from an infinity dealer? Thats weird, that was definitely something we went over on the phone and something I always get on all my cars.

 

You dont. But you make sure and write EVERYTHING down as you talk to the sales person over the phone. EVERYTHING. Shoot, even go so far as to record if you can. But, also, you have to consider the dealership as well. I mean, I found it a little easier to trust what this infiniti dealership said, as opposed to Bobs used cars of bumblephuck... ya know?

So, yea there is definitely risk involved. But you have to be prepared for that "swing and a miss" scenario. You have to be prepared to walk away, no matter how long it took you to get there. And thats what I was prepared to do, and thats why I got the numbers set in stone before I went down there.

And, if they still would have tried to toss stuff at me that wasnt what we agreed on, then I would have walked. Taken a loss on the trip cost (gas, eats, lodging) and went back to the drawing board.

 

The guarantee I had was that I'd walk away from the deal and they'd be stuck with a car they just purchased from an auction, one they wouldn't have purchased had I not told them to. A dealer will often go to an auction if his inventory is low, but in this case it was specifically for me. They already had a few used and overpriced 2006's, so they weren't looking to boost their inventory.

 

I added the Elite Plan and some extra money to the loan for tires (they sent me a check for the extra) before they even mentioned anything about GAP coverage. I told them they needed to mention it either before or during the sales process, not at the very end when I'd already basically signed for everything. It was too late to add it to the loan, and I didn't want to write them a check for the $500-$600 it would have cost. I would have definitely added it to the loan.

Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. I'm a good driver and haven't been in a wreck in over 10 years, so it's likely to be the other guys fault if I do get in one, so I'll sue him for the difference. And I don't think I'm upside down anyway.

 

Oh, and heres the link to my car Sons....

https://g35driver.com/forums/new-mem...here-well.html

 

Nice car, i really like the white ... and good luck with it!!