So the good news is that I have good financing in place. My scores (as of August) are clustered around 670, even with two significant collections that I am paying down every month (student loans, long story). Got approved for $9k at 8.44% (specifically for a 7+ year old vehicle)). I also have $2k for a down payment.
The glitch is that I've really fallen for this car, and it's clouding my judgment! It's a 1999 Lexus RX300, great condition, 70k miles, garaged one owner. The nada on it goes up to around $11k, and even my loan company (USAA) values it at $11.4k. The dealer, who I know and mostly trust, has it priced at $10,499.
It's a little older than what I wanted, but it's a beautiful car, and it really is in great condition--the old owner really babied it. Really, the only way I could have this car is for it to be 10 years old, and so I think I'm going to make an offer.
How low can I go?? My ceiling is $11k for everything (taxes, etc.). Can I offer lower than $9.5k without insulting the guy??
