Inside Car buying info...

Rick Meyer

Rick Meyer

Veteran
Recently, someone started a thread asking what type of cars people from DVXuser drive. I will soon be in the market to purchase something...as soon as I narrow down my choices.

I have already spoken to a lot of dealers; some seem nice, most seem like they are spewing bull..."wait a minute...what's the sticker on this price?...huh...I can't believe that....my manager must just want to get this car off the lot because he's practically giving it away."

I got to thinking...we are in the age of information. Does anyone know of a site out there where I can find information that puts the bargaining leverage in the buyers hands? If a MSRP is $26,999 and invoice is 23,999, I'd like to know just how low I could theoretically get them to sell the car for? Where their profit margin is. Does anyone know of a site like this? Because it could help out a LOT of people.

Rick
 
Yeah, be careful. There are some slimy people out there that just want to squeeze you for all you've got.
 
Here's the deal

1. Ask for the Invoice on the car and say you will pay $100.00 over invoice

If they will not cough up the invoice; walk. ONe of them will. Because the invoice is not 'true' because there is a dealer pack under it. The dealer is going to get their money. I'm not talking about Schlep the Car Sales Guy. Ask for the invoice.

2. Goto a lot whereas it's STICKER and NO NEGOTIATION. You pay a bit more than probably hard-ballin would get you; but the experience is generally stress free.

In a shell? Have some balls and remember; there are 400 dealers selling the same car. The sales person is STRESSING so remember you are really in control.
 
cool. thanks guys. zach, i checked out the sites. they are pretty helpful.

and john, i was checking out that toyota fj cruiser from the other thread...i think thats a sexy little beast...but she isnt available until summer 2007. and they dont even have a price set for her yet. so, i doubt im waitin'...
 
http://www.edmunds.com/

You can get the "invoice price" from edmunds.com, but keep in mind that car dealers know how easy it is to get an invoice price, so it's an inflated figure. But it gives you some idea of what you should pay. For much better info, go to the discussion forums for individual cars and find the "prices paid" forum where everyone posts what they're paying. A hot car can justifiably sell above invoice, but many cars can be had for significantly below "invoice". I bought a car last year for $1300 below invoice and did all my negotiating over the internet so I had an "out the door" price before I walked into the dealership. If they start to play games, just walk out the door, as John said--*you're* in control.

I emailed 6 or 7 local dealers and specified *exactly* what I wanted and asked them to send me an out the door price that included, tax, tags, and *any* other charges. I made it clear that if I accepted their price, I'd buy the car, but wouldn't pay *anything* more than the quoted price. Dealers would talk about this charge and that charge, but I said I didn't care what charges they included, the only thing I wanted was the final price. I refused to give out my phone number or mess around with any long email exchanges.

Good luck.
 
Solid advice, John and Barry_S. :thumbsup: Also, if you plan to trade-in a car, make sure you negotiate that seperately or the math will work out in their favor.
 
very smart to do your research before buying a car, something most people never do.

1. know what you want (model and features). sometimes this is hard if you like many different cars, but narrow it down.

2. research: the internet is a gem for this. check out sites for prices with features and tips

3. plan to buy toward the end of the month. dealers are more desperate to meet their qoutas at the end of the month than they are at the beginning (it is always easier to negotiate on "American" vs. "Japanese" cars. I use the " " because there is no such thing anymore, but you know what I mean.

4. don't let them know you are excited about the car. car salesmen are trained to take advantage of men's pyschological weakness towards cars. Even though many are poorly trained

5. Personally, I wouldn't let them know all your knowledge about the price and the car. use when you need it. But at the same time, let them know you are not a push over from the beginning (remember they will lie, lie, manipulate, lie, cheat, lie, and steal and lie to make a sale.

6. Be careful with what they call "rollbacks" cars that were previously sold, but something went wrong the transaction so they can legally sell the car as "new". Check the mileage. Personally. I only buy cars with low miles, never over 40 miles on them.


7. If financing (this is where they will get you) be sure to know your credit score, history, and what you qualify for. they may give you a "deal" on a car but rip you off on the financing. Many buyers either have bad credit or are completely ignorant of their credit score. It might be worse or better than you think so know that before going in to make sure you don't get ripped off.

8. Take a friend if you know you are ga ga over the car. Take a friend that will help you keep you cool and not fork over you life savings.

9. Demand to see the invoice. be tactful at first. Althought they may want to make a sale, their egos sometimes prevent them from thinking about the business and they don't want to lose face in front of you. But if you have to be assertive and have no reservation of walking out. Some dealers will never show you their invoice. to test them, try the I'm going to think about it over lunch thing.

10. don't let them control the dialogue. they will try to make you focus on the monthly payments. make sure you keep the conversation on the actual price of the car. I would focus on the out the door price (car, tax, lic., etc.)

11. don't buy aftermarket products such as a car alarm or extended warranty. not worth it.

12. Also each invoice has a about a $200 to $700 cushion. So you can actually get the car for under invoice. I got my car for $200 under invoice and with a $3500 rebate. I forgot what the cushion is called, but its on the invoice. Its money reserved for advertising the car.

13. In the end they want to sell the car more than you want to buy the car. So use that to your advantage.
 
It has become a family tradition in my family to buy a new car on new years eve. Our last car we did this on was a 2003 Jetta at the end of 2004. Brand new and we got a killer deal on it, they wanted that last sale at the end of the month and the end of the year.

But best advice is like John said, be ready to walk at any point at any dealer, you would be suprised at the things that happen on the way back to your car.
 
Thanks guys. You've given me some killer info.

And Barry, thats great. I am totally going to check that movie out.

Rick
 
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