What do most people dread about the used car buying process? I would say dealing with shady car dealers and haggling over the price. Recently, Cat from Budget Blonde and Matt from Mom and Dad Money wrote that they were thinking about buying a car, and the blogger on the Well Heeled Blog just bought a car. So I figured I would share my no haggle car buying experience at Enterprise. Enterprise? You are probably asking. Don’t they rent cars? Well they also sell cars too.
“But it’s a Rental Car!”
The first response I usually get when I tell people that I bought my car from Enterprise is that they would never buy a rental car. For what it’s worth, I was told that the car was from their corporate fleet, though I don’t know whether that is true or not. Also, when I checked the CarFax of cars from other used car dealers, many sold cars that were rentals too. Sure, there are some out there who will mistreat a car because it’s a rental, but I think most people drive the rental like their own car. One positive of buying from a rental car company is that they make sure to perform routine maintenance and can probably provide you with the records. You can’t get that from other used cars.
“No Haggle means you’re not getting the best price!”
I’m not sure if this true. I think I got a pretty good deal. I bought a 2009 Hyundai Sonata back in the summer of 2010. The no-haggle price at Enterprise was $13,300. I found a 2009 Sonata with similar mileage on Autotrader.com for $9900, so I went to check it out. They told me that $9900 is the amount I would finance which did not include the $3000 downpayment. Shady! I left that dealership quickly.
I continued to search online and called a few places within a 50 mile radius of my house and tried to negotiate over the phone and via e-mail. I was able to get the price down to $13,400 (around the same price as the No-haggle price). However, the salesman assured me that if I came in person to the dealership, he could no doubt give me a better deal. I probably would have gotten the price under $13,000, but there was a matter of the $299 docking fee, destination fee, and various other fees that I can’t remember. At Enterprise, I paid a $149 document processing fee. There was no other fee except for the required governmental fees.
Why I chose to buy at Enterprise
As I explained above, the final cost was pretty comparable whether I bought from a regular dealership or from Enterprise, maybe I would have saved a few hundred dollars if I really negotiated at the dealership…maybe.
One big perk Enterprise was running at the time was that they offered $500 above KBB value for your trade-in (sometimes they offer $1000 above KBB value). I was trading in my ’97 Altima which I had driven for 10 years and it had almost 170,000 miles on it. They gave me a KBB value of $500 for the car and added another $500. I thought it was fair as my car had been in an accident according to the CarFax (the accident was caused by a previous owner as I bought it used). At the used car dealership, after negotiating the price of the vehicle, I’d have to negotiate the value of the trade-in. Haggle-free worked for me.
Other benefits include:
-The car was still under the manufacturer’s warranty
-They will buy it back within 7 days or 1000 miles if you are not happy with it
-The car went through their 109 point inspection (though I’m not that impressed by these alleged inspections)
-They offered a 12,000 mile Power Train Warranty and 12-month roadside assistance.
Financing
I was able to pay cash for the car, but if you need to finance, Penfed Credit Union has a partnership with Enterprise and offers interest rates of 0.99% for 48 months and 1.49% for 60 months (at the time this post was written). Those are pretty good rates.
As with buying used cars, always do your due diligence. This is just an account of my buying experience. While I had a good experience and have had no problems with my car, every used car and Enterprise Franchise is different. They also offer a referral if you refer your friends or family and they purchase a car. It was between $100 to $150.
Hertz also sells used cars. They offer a Rent2Buy program where you can rent the car for a 3-day test drive (the rental charge of $49 a day is waived if you buy the car). I have not tried this program, but the prices seem pretty good.
If I needed to buy another car, I wouldn’t hesitate to check out these no-haggle programs. If I didn’t end up buying from them, I would at least use the no-haggle price as a starting point for negotiations at the used car dealerships.
Have you every bought a car from a no-haggle dealer? Would you consider it?
Hey! Thanks so much for the link. 🙂 So appreciated! I seriously love haggling but it sounds like its super stressful when it comes to cars.
Cat Alford (@BudgetBlonde) recently posted…4 Budget Friendly Adventures in Christchurch, New Zealand
You’re very welcome. I’m bad at haggling…I need to work on that skill. But with the used car dealers, it was tiring dealing with some of them because some were a bit shady with the hidden fees and mandatory financing.
When I was 18, I bought a brand new car. It was a Scion Tc and it was no haggle pricing. Made it easy! Luckily the price was pretty low too.
Michelle recently posted…More Minimalist Confessions – Wedding Edition
Yea no haggling makes things easy. I was in and out of there in pretty quickly. I made sure that the price was good though.
Thanks for the shout out! You’ve definitely given me something new to consider. Thanks for the info.
Matt Becker recently posted…Why Whole Life Insurance is a Bad Investment
No problem. Good luck with your car purchase!
My husband did – that’s part of the reason he bought a Saturn! I’ve never haggled – it’s just not in my personality. 🙂
Cat recently posted…Why I decided to cancel my cable for the summer
Yea I’m with you. I can haggle a little bit but for such a big purchase I don’t want to deal with the whole game of “Oh we’re not making any money off this sale” or “My manager is not going to like this” and the salesman goes to the office and pretends to talk to the manager about giving you a better deal.
No haggling at all seems scary but I bought a car from a dealership like that. They were already wholesale cars so they didn’t move on pricing since you were going to already be getting a great deal. At least you got some money for the Altima and those are some really good rates from the bank if you needed to finance. Never heard of the Hertz program before though.
Thomas | Your Daily Finance recently posted…Blogging to Make It More Personal – Maybe Maybe Not
That sounds great, I hadn’t heard of Enterprise selling cars before. Definitely something to look into later on when we have enough money saved up. I plan on keeping my current car for several more years, but my boyfriend may need one sooner…I’ve been to the dealerships with my parents and they put you through so many hoops, it’s such a hassle.
E.M. recently posted…Liebster Award Nominee: Get To Know Me!
Yea I have been to dealerships and they do make you go through a lot of hoops. Buying a car requires a lot of research since you’re spending a lot of money, but I think the no-haggle places can a viable option that many people don’t generally consider.
I think that sounds perfectly reasonable. I also HATE haggling over car price. I’ve done it a few times and Greg always makes me be the bad guy! =)
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted…Life After College: Preparing Your Finances for the Real World
Really, he makes you the bad guy? I’d be interesting in what he says…”my wife won’t let me buy it for that amount!” Hmm…maybe I should try that next time.
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Your car buying experience sounds like it went pretty smooth. I usually buy older cars but if I were to buy a newer car I’d definitely consider buying from a place like Enterprise. I suck at haggling so no haggle would save me money.
Andy Hough recently posted…Get Cash Back on Your Rent and Other Bills
Actually I thought no-haggling places would cost more, but after my experience it didn’t seem like it was much of a difference. Maybe if I was a really good negotiator… But time is money…I don’t want to spend hours upon hours dealing with car dealers negotiating when the price difference isn’t that big or in my case, I think it was no difference.
I would have never known you could buy directly from Enterprise — thanks for the nugget of wisdom!
We bought our no-haggle used car from Carmax and it really was a wonderful experience. We were contemplating buying a new (at the time) Toyota Highlander when my first daughter was on the way, but I couldn’t bear to pay the $30,000+ sticker price.
We were able to get a few year older model through Carmax for $16k that only had 27,000 miles on it, so nearly a 50% discount. It’s nice to let some other sucker pay the early-years depreciation on the car and still get it essentially new-ish.
We’re coming up on the 6 year anniversary of the purchase and the car is still going strong. I expect we’ll have it for easily another 10-20 years.
Brad @ RichmondSavers.com recently posted…Planning our Free Family Trip to Disney World
Yea I’ve heard of Carmax but there isn’t one near me. Glad you had a wonderful experience there.
I actually bought my car at a no haggle dealer. I didn’t know they were no haggle, but they told me when I got there. I got a good price, and despite being “no haggle” I got them down around $250.
Daisy @ Prairie Eco Thrifter recently posted…Wave Goodbye to Expensive Entertainment and Head Over to the Beach for Cheap Fun
That’s great that you got a good price. So how did you haggle at a “no haggle” place? Wouldn’t it ruin their business model? Thanks for sharing!
I bought my car from Thrifty Car Sales, so I agree that getting a rental is not a bad way to go. As you mention, people immediately think that rentals will be beat up, but they are guaranteed to be regularly serviced. I go to the dealer armed with comps on autotrader and other places to talk through the price. Thank God for the internet as far as car-buying. It makes all of the back and forth much easier by putting the info right in front of the sales guy.
Greg@Thriftgenuity recently posted…Implosion of the Movie Industry – Do They Promise?
Very interesting, I guess there are a few people who have bought used cars from rental agencies or from no-haggle dealerships. I thought I was the only one. The internet is definitely very useful when negotiating with salesmen. You are in a much better position when you have prepared comps.
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I hope I don’t need to buy a car for a long time, but I would certainly check out all avenues before buying. I hate haggling about anything, but will do it if I feel like it will net a great deal. If I could do without, that is a bonus.
Kim@Eyesonthedollar recently posted…How to Afford a Vacation- Time Off and A Place To Stay
I agree. I wouldn’t have used the no-haggle dealership if I didn’t think I was getting good value. With the regular car dealerships, it is possible that I could have gotten an even lower price, though I’m not sure. I really didn’t want to deal with the slick used car salesmen that I encountered. The no haggle place was much more straightforward and I didn’t have to worry about hidden costs.
I hope My partner and i don’t need to obtain a auto for a long period, although I’d personally definitely look at many ways just before acquiring. My partner and i loathe haggling about anything at all, although will do that easily feel as if it’ll web a great deal. Only could complete with no, that is a advantage.
Great tips. It’s good to know that haggling will get you a good deal when buying a car. Thanks for sharing.
Quite an informative article you have here! Here in Romania you have to put up with shady car dealers all the time. You can`t avoid them anywhere you go. They are like locusts!
Edward Smith recently posted…3 Ways to Find Discounts & Codes Released by Rock Auto
I guess car dealers have a reputation for being shady worldwide!
What a coincidence Michelle! My first car also was a Scion Tc. I had a few different Toyota models since then, but the Scion Tc model always remained in my mind on top of them all. Maybe it`s something like the first love – the first car also can`t be forgotten! 🙂
James Bash recently posted…AutoZone – The Ultimate Brand in Online Automotive Parts
Hello Michelle! Great post, but no haggle!? I suggest the reader to check whether the seller has a good track record. Also, they must make sure that every specification is on the post itself. That would put their worries to rest if they are either looking for their next purchase online.
thanks for the helpful tips, Here in our town, Haggling is the name of the game when it comes to buying and selling cars, especially if you know the car you’re buying from the inside out.
James recently posted…Luxury or Utility: Toyota Models for Either Choice
Great information, I was looking for buying a car from enterprise. ..
Looks like a really painless car buying experience. It’s good they offered that extra bit on the trade in, that would get me in the door as well. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I think you were so lucky when buying your car because you got so much benefits from your deal. Great post shared with us.
So 5 years later, has the car been reliable? Are you happy with your purchase?
I no longer own that car as we got a bigger car with a growing family. I never had any major issues with that car and when the no haggle car buying route again but this time with Hertz.