Lots of good arguments against buying a car (esp in cities) or buying a gas car (tesla) or buying a new car from a dealer (massive depreciation), but there are

Lots of good arguments against buying a car (esp in cities) or buying a gas car (tesla) or buying a new car from a dealer (massive depreciation), but there are cases where it makes sense. The key is to be an informed buyer, and to break out separate parts of the transaction and analyze them individually. Financing from your credit union, in the absence of a manufacturer-driven promotional financing rate, is going to be better. You'll get more for your car selling it on Craigslist or whatever (although, more hassle). Various services exist to negotiate fixed discounted prices for cars themselves: costco, usaa, etc. Founderscard has an audi MSRP discount, too. You might be able to do better negotiating in person at a dealer if you know the structure of manufacturer incentives -- sometimes selling a car at a loss makes sense because it pushes them over a threshold -- but that's a lot harder in a place like the Bay Area and for popular cars (VW TDI when gas was expensive, audi and bmw now). The great deal that was the certified preowned seems to have become popular enough that it's no longer such a deal. I really hope my car lasts me another 2-3 years; either get a Tesla then, or a 535d in Germany.