Is there a better way to buy a car that talking to a sales guy?

[Charmonium]

Buy a Tesla?

Their dealership structure pissed off the older structure or something.

I'm liking the model 3. I would love to test drive one but I'm not interested in buying now. I will definitely consider it for my next car, or consider whatever new models they have by then.

 

[thesmokingman]

They have this newfangled thing called "Google" now. If you went there and searched for something like "Make 'x' model 'y' dealer holdback" who knows what magic can happen. Most cars it's either 2 or 3%, so it's not a huge chunk of cash, but it's often somewhere between $400 and $1000 hidden dealer profit. On some makes and models you can negotiate down from the invoice rather than up because the dealer is making so much money from incentives/holdback that the invoice price could be well over the minimum profit they're willing to take.

This. In 05' the car forum I was frequenting had already made handshake deals for forum member with specific stealerships, so you could pm the dealer and get 1K or was it 2K under invoice on x car. It was one of the easiest deals I ever had for a car buy. Pm, agreed to terms and went to stealership to pick up. We were in and out without issue as the car had already been prepped before we got there.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Carmax.

I hate negotiating -- it's not that I am not good at it and don't generally get my way, it's just that the whole process makes me super uncomfortable and feel gross.

 

[OutHouse]

ive used a broker for my last 3 car deals. i only went the dealer to test drive the car i was interested in. told the broker what i wanted and all 3 times found my car and was way under the sellers price. my last car the broker drove it to my house, i signed the papers and his wife was waiting outside in their personal car to drive him home because it was 8pm.

http://www.findtheperfectcar.com/

 

[OutHouse]

Carmax.

I hate negotiating -- it's not that I am not good at it and don't generally get my way, it's just that the whole process makes me super uncomfortable and feel gross.

be careful with carmax. They are known to cover up cosmetic damage and not disclose it.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

I used car max; some cars were clearly re-paints after body damage, but I say as long as you've got a reliable car that's a reasonable price and what you need: you're good.

 

[luv2liv]

im shocked amazon cant deliver a car of your choice within 48hrs in 2016.
do it amazon!

 

[yinan]

Tesla?

best option out there.

 

[SNC]

I spent a full day negotiating over my last car and I still paid too much. Surely in this day and age, there is some kind of middleman group that can help negotiate the best price on your behalf.

Research, research and more research. Determine the max you are willing to pay, not what you would like, or some far fetched amount, but the max you will feel happy paying and that leaves the dealer with a couple bucks to keep the lights on for said car and go to the dealer with a check. Start the conversation with I'm here to buy a x car with x options and I will only pay $X.xx If that is not possible than there is no need to continue, just leave, walk away, do not look back. If the salesperson does not come after you they have enough work in the pipeline that making less then average is not worth their time, they don't believe you are really going to leave the lot, or you price is to low and you need to reevaluate.
And if by some chance you are handcuffed to the chair and told you will not be released until you buy a car you are not comfortable buying because of the price, ask to call your wife for the OK to spend more money and call the police!

 

[yinan]

Or just do not buy from a company that supports the fucked up dealership model, and buy Tesla.

I hate going to a dealership and being able to buy any car in the lot and it still being an all day process.

Why can't I just buy it online like everything else?

 

[SNC]

Or just do not buy from a company that supports the fucked up dealership model, and buy Tesla.

I hate going to a dealership and being able to buy any car in the lot and it still being an all day process.

Why can't I just buy it online like everything else?

Not everyone has the ability to charge, afford, use a Tesla. While it will be on the list for my next car, its not for everyone. And I'm not sure where you buy you autos at but excluding test drives and after purchase run through of all the systems in the car, about 15 minutes, I didn't spend more then 30 minutes signing papers, writing out checks, and BSing over coffee.

Again START with the top dollar you are willing to pay. You only have you to blame for it taking so long.

 

[vi edit]

If buying new, another vote for costco. It's dead simple. Build it online, print off the price and wait for the call back from local dealer. Go to dealer with printed off price and sign.

 

[nageov3t]

research > negotiation

when I bought my new car 2 years ago, after test driving at a couple dealerships and deciding on which car I wanted in the first place, I figured out the exact make/model/options I wanted, did research into the average paid price for that car by looking at Edmunds, KBB, and TrueCar, and figured out how much I wanted to pay for the car.

I walked into a dealership with that price in my head (contacting the salesman who helped me out with my test drive a couple weeks prior) and told the guy that if he met that price I'd buy a car today, or I'd go to another dealership if he couldn't.

he checked with his manager, confirmed, and we were off to signing paperwork while a couple in a cubicle across the aisle from me were still passing little slips of paper back and forth.

had he returned with a higher price offer, I would have just walked away.

 

[JTsyo]

I used True Car last time and Costco the time before. Both got me prices below invoice. I'm sure it's not the lowest possible but I can live with the difference.

 

[Chiropteran]

best option out there.

Look, I love what Tesla is doing and my next car will probably be a Tesla, but it's not the best option for someone who can't spend $60k for a car, or someone who can't wait 1+ years before receiving a car.

But to the OP- just suck it up and pay full price, or whatever default savings they offer you. Any other purchase you make, you can potentially save a lot more money by going through the "hassle" of waiting weeks for the best deal, coupon, or whatever. In practice, car negotiations will usually cut 3-6% off MSRP. It's amazing how the same people who are perfectly happy paying full price for a computer or TV will spend hours and hours to save an extra 2% off the price of a car.

 

[Zee]

i love tesla's innovation but it is far from the best option out there.

 

[MtnMan]

When I bought my truck, I had done my research, knew what was a good price, and didn't screw the dealership.
They asked for "earnest" money to go talk to "the manager", I refused.
He went to the manger anyway, came back and said no. I said nothing, got up and started for the door.
As he followed me to the door, he agreed to my price.

 

[Bubblehappy]

Do the deal over the phone. The last 4-5 cars I've bought I've done the entire thing over the phone.

 

[K1052]

Did basically everything over email this time around. The biggest issue was who would give me the best trade in on one on our existing car (TDI Golf). The dealer that matched the best lease terms and gave me the best trade in value, nearly full book, closed the deal. Going to the dealer was just filling out paperwork.

 

[NutBucket]

Carmax.

I hate negotiating -- it's not that I am not good at it and don't generally get my way, it's just that the whole process makes me super uncomfortable and feel gross.

Great option if you want to overpay. Same difference as walking into any new car dealer and simply asking "how much".

I find negotiating for a car is easy. There's never any hard feelings and if you don't like one dealer just go to the next one.

 

[gorcorps]

Or just do not buy from a company that supports the fucked up dealership model, and buy Tesla.

I hate going to a dealership and being able to buy any car in the lot and it still being an all day process.

Why can't I just buy it online like everything else?

Why would it be an all day process? If you agreed to the price on the window like you have to do with Tesla, then you'll be out of there in 1/2 an hour in your new car. You have to wait months or years to see your Tesla. There are several places in my area that price their cars per invoice w/ no haggling necessary. You look online and see the price you're going to have to pay if you want the car, and that's it. They may not be direct from manufacturer, but as far as the way you purchase it you can't ask for a more similar system.

Look, I love what Tesla is doing and my next car will probably be a Tesla, but it's not the best option for someone who can't spend $60k for a car, or someone who can't wait 1+ years before receiving a car.

But to the OP- just suck it up and pay full price, or whatever default savings they offer you. Any other purchase you make, you can potentially save a lot more money by going through the "hassle" of waiting weeks for the best deal, coupon, or whatever. In practice, car negotiations will usually cut 3-6% off MSRP. It's amazing how the same people who are perfectly happy paying full price for a computer or TV will spend hours and hours to save an extra 2% off the price of a car.

Plus all of this. The wait is the biggest thing for Tesla right now. You get an estimate, but basically you'll get it when you get it. That's not how I'd like to get a new car.

 

[NutBucket]

That's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison. If you're happy with the configuration on the lot then you're good to go. If you want to an exact config then you're going to have to order any car.

I ordered our Acadia in 2012 and will likely order whatever car we get next.

 

[nageov3t]

i love tesla's innovation but it is far from the best option out there.

it also assumes that having somewhere to plug in and charge your car is available for everyone (apartment and condo dwellers need not apply... for me, the closest public charging station is 20 minutes away in an area I *never* drive through by happenstance)

 

[Beer4Me]

I spent a full day negotiating over my last car and I still paid too much. Surely in this day and age, there is some kind of middleman group that can help negotiate the best price on your behalf.

Yep, it's call e-mail. Otherwise, find another dealer and move on...

 

[K1052]

it also assumes that having somewhere to plug in and charge your car is available for everyone (apartment and condo dwellers need not apply... for me, the closest public charging station is 20 minutes away in an area I *never* drive through by happenstance)

Management companies and condo boards are becoming aware. All I needed to get one in my condo space was the ok form the management company. Just paid for the electrician and the wall unit.