Honda Toyota

What does your gut instinct tell you what has been happening with our situation.

And what would you do if you were in our situation? How would you have handled it in the dealership?

I'm wondering if there are better ways for a customer to handle themselves with car salesmen and not act like lost tourists.

I think the best thing to do is to not act like some uninformed ignorant person who's a first time buyer. The customer has to be in control of the situation and set the agenda and let the salesman know this is how it's going to be in a respectful way.

bsmiley

A dealer who cares about their reputation will auction off cars taken in trade that aren't up to their standards or can't be brought up to a satisfactory condition in a viable business model. Every dealership will tell you convenient stories while they make you wait, that's just part of the experience.
You seem like a nice kid, so just walk on that car and learn from your experiences. Car salesmen and car dealers are notorious for games. Always be skeptical. If they tell you a story, it may sound good, but don't be quick to believe it. Sometimes what they tell you is in good faith, many times its just an easy story to keep you on their agenda.
The big dealerships often have nice looking facilities and disciplined sales tactics. The salesman is selling a "product" that he has no attachment to. He will tell you stories about how reliable the model is and how many calls he gets about that car.... Hopefully you'll find a dealer with some ethics too. But car salesmen are like the rest of the people in the world, some are honest and many aren't.
I've bought three cars off Craigslist in the last 3 years. Two were from the original owners. I've run into many shifty con artists who think they are slick salesmen. It can be easy for an experienced eye to spot the jokers, but you can too.
Meet the seller during daylight and let them tell you their story. How long have they had the car? Who has maintained it? Does the car have licence plates? Is it currently registered? Ask to see the registration. Ask to see the title. Ask to see the DL of the seller.
Saying the timing belt was replaced without documentation from a reputable shop means nothing. Fresh paint might be because it was recently repaired from a wreck... Anyone who tells you their "phone is blowing up..." is full of baloney.
There are no certainties in buying a used car. Find a mechanic you trust and meet the seller at the shop to have it checked out. Take it up to speed on the highway and feel for wobbles and vibrations, check the brakes.
Never be afraid to walk away. If you look at enough cars you'll learn to spot the gently used from the worn out and abused. You'll also get good at spotting the bogus stories. Grandma isn't selling her car on own and the dealership is going to give her $1500 for it in trade and will ask for $6995 retail for it.
Find the car that is being sold by the real owner. Trust your instincts and do your homework. Keep your chin up! You probably have more time than money. Time traded for experience is well worth the price.

Honda Toyota

Thanks for the info and advice.

The dealer that I mentioned below is an official Honda dealer and well known.

Earlier this morning we got a call from "John Doe" from Honda again and he told us they got in a 2004 Nissan with under 50,000 miles and they can sell it to us for $6000. I believe it's a Sentra, my father took the call. We'll check it out in a bit. I give John Doe credit, he is keeping to his word and looking out for cars for us.

I'll keep you posted.

kinakoes2

You will regret getting a Sentra, beware. They haven't been good cars since they had independent rear suspensions, and even then had quality issues.

Honda Toyota

UPDATE: I just got a 2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8s for $6200. It only has 30,000 miles on it with new tires. It only had one owner who was a female.

I test drove it and all is well. They're going to put it through Nissan tech service. I should get it by Mon or Tues.

bsmiley

Congratulations! I hope you have many enjoyable miles on the road of life with your new car! Get to know your new car by researching maintenance and upgrades in a Sentra forum. Take care of her and you will get a lot for your money!

Honda Toyota

Thank you. I appreciate it.

MarshallBar

Hi guys, I'm a new member. I want to buy a car via Incacar.com but I´m a bit worried about that, just if they are reliable. Is there someone who knows them, or bought a car from them?
What do you think about that? Thanks for answers.