tips for buying a new car?

[builthatch]

I am looking at a 2007 Volvo XC90. How is the paint with Volvos? I have an Audi A4with rock hard clear.

oh, so a car that is new to you, but not a new car in the literal sense.

well, i'd say just give it a good look over. no need to go crazy over it - just really review it for paint/body work, deep scratches, clear coat failure and burn-through. anything else can be corrected, so don't worry about it. a very very very small percentage take care of their vehicles to the extent that we do, so it can be unreasonable to expect a used car to not need a bunch of correction, etc.

it's a lot harder to be picky with cars that are no longer made for a given production year than an actual new car, where you can find them elsewhere or have it built.

 

[01GreyStangGT]

I really don't like the idea of people going to new car lots and doing IPA wipe downs.


The condition of any new car is going to depend on how long it's sat of the lot (LOT ROT). If you can get one the day it arrives it should be free of defects and only need a light claying. If it's sat on the lot for months it will likely be marred up.

My advice, order the car you want and have them call you the day it arrives. Give specific instructions that it's not to be touched other than the pre delivery inspection. Remove all the plastic yourself and it should be defect free.

I got my new '06 Civic Si a couple days after it arrived (custom leather seats installed), and it was free of any marring and only had one tiny area where I could tell they popped out a ding....lol, actually it was pretty funny when I asked the manager about it as he couldn't believe I could tell it had been done.

My 2007 Mazda 6 was 100% free of defects. My '08 TSX on the other hand was pretty marred up, which I new before buying it. However, it was the end of model year and the only one left, which had been sitting for a while. Even with the plastic still on the car it was marred up.

Rasky

I orderd my new Mustang and picked it up the day it arrived. It sat on a lot in Detroit for a week before I got it. I've looked and can't honestly see any defects or marring in the paint. It's the best paint I've ever had on a vehicle.

 

[mg6045]

my wife and i are looking at buying a new car. i want to take a closer look at the paint condition. i took my light with me and got some strange looks by the salesman, but you do what you have to.

my question relates more to glazes and other stuff they goop onto the cars to cover the swirls. how does one look through that junk without claying etc.? Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Feed back please

pick on that looks the best. No dents, no dings, and no visual deep scratch's. Neither of those can be covered up with a glaze. So imo, that is fairly good advice for inspecting the finish.

I would not worry about shallow swirls, as even most brand new cars on the lot have them. and luckily you are part of the forum and will likely get the advice to amp the car up to a better finish anyway.

good luck !

when i first opened the thread, I was expecting to see advice for buying the car as an investment, and was going to post the writeup that is on edmunds.com . so if your looking for that type of advice, check out there website ! its great advice for looking to buy a used or new car.

 

[arenared]

I am definitely more interested in getting the best deal possible. I am looking at a 2007 Volvo XC90.

I would concur with others about not worrying so much about the paint. If the car is used, I would Google some forums related to the car that you are seriously interested in and become a forum member. Then surf, and ask. You will find a lot of advice about problem areas and what to look for (or out for) when looking for a used model. Depending on the cost/presence of common problems, you may wish to have those areas checked out.

 

[trhland]

when i bought my 2006 f350 lariet the dealer did wash it for me i forgot to. what a mess they made uggg. owell i fixed it

 

[slickooz]

My dad just brought the TSX to get oil change and wanted to know how much damage was done because they washed it. I told him not to get it...

I was always told not to let them wash your car.

 

[DLB]

Well, we just bought my wife a new metallic gray Sonata.
I went to the dealer, and luckily, the car I wanted was sitting inside the showroom. They had taken delivery on it, and pulled it in before it sit outside for long. There were no visible blemishes on it inside under the fluorescents, so it was good.

Then, washed, clayed, etc. when I got home, and it was indeed in very good shape (a couple of spots here and there, but not defect free).

Then, I took it in to have a part replaced that was defective from the factory (knew this when we bought it), and they gave me a complimentary wash - after I had sent it in on a fully, extensively detailed exterior.

Most of the panels now have swirls, and I get to do a correction on my brand new car.

Moral of the story - just buy the car you like and fix it later, because it's gonna get jacked up and you can't do anything about it. (Unless it sits in the garage after correction with a cover on it).

DLB

 

[Midnight1700]

Volvo clear is very easy to work with. Actually, IMO its very thin. I did a burn thru a couple years back

Curious..... What did you do to correct the burn thru??? Luckly, I haven't had that happen, but the odds are, it will some day....:dunno:

 

[ScottB]

always have service mark unit "DO NOT WASH" ...

 

[slickooz]

Curious..... What did you do to correct the burn thru??? Luckly, I haven't had that happen, but the odds are, it will some day....:dunno:

If it burn through then your out a few hundred bucks. There really not much you can do if the paint burns but get it repainted.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I would concur with others about not worrying so much about the paint. If the car is used, I would Google some forums related to the car that you are seriously interested in and become a forum member. Then surf, and ask. You will find a lot of advice about problem areas and what to look for (or out for) when looking for a used model.

Ding ding ding ding ding ding...

Good advice. Find a forum for the "thing" you want to buy and start doing some searches, some reading and posting questions. The people that hang out on a forum for particular make and model will be passionate about that make and model and will be a treasure trove of information to help with any decisions.

Then, I took it in to have a part replaced that was defective from the factory (knew this when we bought it), and they gave me a complimentary wash - after I had sent it in on a fully, extensively detailed exterior.

And the lesson here is you can't count on the employees at a dealership to see that your car has a flawless finish, they just follow protocols and unless you hang signs in the windows, write in big bold letters on the service forms, DON'T WASH... they're going to wash it and inflict unnecessary swirls.


Sorry to hear of the mishap...

 

[Flash Gordon]

Curious..... What did you do to correct the burn thru??? Luckly, I haven't had that happen, but the odds are, it will some day....:dunno:

If you do this long enough, its gonna happen. I have 30 years into this gig and a countless number of cars under my belt. I have only lost two patients thusfar

I offered to repaint. Actually I begged the customer to let me have there door reshot. They renigged (< is that a misspell =] ) the offer and were in the process of trading up anyway. I still do their cars, so all is good I suppose. Occasionally the husand still josh'es me about it. It was a very embarrassing day for me, and he knew it

 

[Midnight1700]

If you do this long enough, its gonna happen. I have 30 years into this gig and a countless number of cars under my belt. I have only lost two patients thusfar

I offered to repaint. Actually I begged the customer to let me have there door reshot. They renigged (< is that a misspell =] ) the offer and were in the process of trading up anyway. I still do their cars, so all is good I suppose. Occasionally the husand still josh'es me about it. It was a very embarrassing day for me, and he knew it

That's great that the owner wasn't too concerned. Those are the best kind of clients to have. When ever we do a multi-step process on any vehicle, we take very little steps and check the thickness with the paint guage constantly along the way. If we ever get to a point where we feel we're getting even close to a dangerous level, we're done! We never go beyond the level where we feel the possibility of causing any damage. It's better to have the customer deal with a scratch than us having to pay for a repaint. Although, we do have insurance, it's just not worth it...