HumblePie
Lifer
- Oct 30, 2000
- 14,665
- 440
- 126
Doh, I know car dealers are a major PITA!! But here's how you deal with them if you WANT a good price.
Go to car sites like Edumunds, Carbuyingtips, Carsdirect, Cars, and others. What you want to look up is the type of car you want and the EXACT options you want. Don't settle for anything else on options except what you want. If the dealer tells you they don't have what you want ask them to order it, if they refuse or beat the bush walk away and say XX dealer up the street will get it or you'll just order it online. That normally puts their tail between their legs and makes them sit down with you to negotiate for exactly what YOU want from them and not what they want from you.
So, once you know what car and exact options, look at the MSRP price and the invoice price. Then look up ANY rebates and incentives online for that car that you can. What ever you find subtract THAT amount from the invoice price. Then substract another $200 to $1000 form THAT price depending on what type of dealership you go to. If it's a huge one and they claim to move the most amount of cars every year or blah blah blah,then they are getting the bigger manufacturer to dealer only incentives.
Then, get as MANY online quotes as you can. Use a spam email address to get quotes sent to because afterwards you WILL be spammed with other crap about buying anything car related even if you check off not to have that crap sent to your email.
Once you have some online quotes and the price in mind you want to pay (invoice - rebates/incentive - what you think the manufacturer to dealer incentive is if you can't find it online) it's time to play hard ball. Even if you are NOT looking to buy now you need to act like it.
Go in and pick the dealer that looks best to you, doesn't matter because they are all scum bags.
Tell them you are looking to buy if they can meet your PRICE. Tell them you already have your finances taken care of (which you should just incase). Tell them you already have done your research (good to come in with a manilla folder with printouts from the websites you went to to get quotes). Tell them you are looking for X car with Y options. If they have it GREAT! If they don't ask them if they can get it. If they want to try to sell you something else on the lot without budging on finding the car with the options you want, just mention what I said earlier to them. They'll either agree to order it or not. If they agree now get a price, if not, fvck em!
Assuming they have the car you want or agree to get the car you want, it's time to get the price. Don't let them distract you with ANY other number besides the price. No lease numbers, no financing numbers, and no trade in numbers. Just the price. That's call the four square method of screwing a customer over. If you see them grab a sheet of paper with 4 squares (2 colums and 2 rows) then tell them to put that piece of crap right back on the desk. They won't be needing it. They'll ask you the price you want. Tell them what you want and if they have it you'll buy today (they'll never have it at first). The sales man will ask the manager to see what he can do and come back with a crappy offer. Tell him whatever the manage tells him, have him write it on a piece of paper whatever the offer is.
Here's the kicker, if they come back with an offer that is HIGHER then any internet offer you have, tell them that you don't feel like having to use vaseline today and walk out the door. If they come back with an offer very near or lower then your internet offers that means they are willing to play ball. Otherwise, they aren't going to negotiate down in price if they come back with some ridiculous high ball offer.
Now here's the fun part. Whatever the offer is they come back with, you are going to have to up your side a tiny bit, even if it's like 100 bucks. Don't worry, you'll still GET your target price when you do buy and I'll tell you how in a bit, this is just for a quote for now. Whatever you tell them they'll take it back to the manager and get a newer and "lower" offer. If it's not lower or a small drop like $100, take that quote and leave there. If it's a decent drop and much closer to your "buy point" then jump a tad more up. I usually go halfway at this point. They WILL match that. Always do. Good, now you got a starting local quote. Walk out with it. Tell them you aren't feeling it today and will look around and might be back.
They hate that term, be back
Anyhow, do it to another dealership that competes with them. Just mention what you got for a price quote from the first one and tell them, you would have bought if it had been the original price you were looking for. If they get to the price you are looking for then you know whom you are going to buy from. If they lower the original but still not meet your price, well you go back to the original and say to them that the competition is will to go to XXX amount. Play off them. It works to get you the price you DO want to pay. Make sure you keep throwing the internet quote prices as well in their faces if they are being retarded and mention it's no sweat off your back to buy a new car from the internet. Which it's not. That is always your last resort.
Go to car sites like Edumunds, Carbuyingtips, Carsdirect, Cars, and others. What you want to look up is the type of car you want and the EXACT options you want. Don't settle for anything else on options except what you want. If the dealer tells you they don't have what you want ask them to order it, if they refuse or beat the bush walk away and say XX dealer up the street will get it or you'll just order it online. That normally puts their tail between their legs and makes them sit down with you to negotiate for exactly what YOU want from them and not what they want from you.
So, once you know what car and exact options, look at the MSRP price and the invoice price. Then look up ANY rebates and incentives online for that car that you can. What ever you find subtract THAT amount from the invoice price. Then substract another $200 to $1000 form THAT price depending on what type of dealership you go to. If it's a huge one and they claim to move the most amount of cars every year or blah blah blah,then they are getting the bigger manufacturer to dealer only incentives.
Then, get as MANY online quotes as you can. Use a spam email address to get quotes sent to because afterwards you WILL be spammed with other crap about buying anything car related even if you check off not to have that crap sent to your email.
Once you have some online quotes and the price in mind you want to pay (invoice - rebates/incentive - what you think the manufacturer to dealer incentive is if you can't find it online) it's time to play hard ball. Even if you are NOT looking to buy now you need to act like it.
Go in and pick the dealer that looks best to you, doesn't matter because they are all scum bags.
Tell them you are looking to buy if they can meet your PRICE. Tell them you already have your finances taken care of (which you should just incase). Tell them you already have done your research (good to come in with a manilla folder with printouts from the websites you went to to get quotes). Tell them you are looking for X car with Y options. If they have it GREAT! If they don't ask them if they can get it. If they want to try to sell you something else on the lot without budging on finding the car with the options you want, just mention what I said earlier to them. They'll either agree to order it or not. If they agree now get a price, if not, fvck em!
Assuming they have the car you want or agree to get the car you want, it's time to get the price. Don't let them distract you with ANY other number besides the price. No lease numbers, no financing numbers, and no trade in numbers. Just the price. That's call the four square method of screwing a customer over. If you see them grab a sheet of paper with 4 squares (2 colums and 2 rows) then tell them to put that piece of crap right back on the desk. They won't be needing it. They'll ask you the price you want. Tell them what you want and if they have it you'll buy today (they'll never have it at first). The sales man will ask the manager to see what he can do and come back with a crappy offer. Tell him whatever the manage tells him, have him write it on a piece of paper whatever the offer is.
Here's the kicker, if they come back with an offer that is HIGHER then any internet offer you have, tell them that you don't feel like having to use vaseline today and walk out the door. If they come back with an offer very near or lower then your internet offers that means they are willing to play ball. Otherwise, they aren't going to negotiate down in price if they come back with some ridiculous high ball offer.
Now here's the fun part. Whatever the offer is they come back with, you are going to have to up your side a tiny bit, even if it's like 100 bucks. Don't worry, you'll still GET your target price when you do buy and I'll tell you how in a bit, this is just for a quote for now. Whatever you tell them they'll take it back to the manager and get a newer and "lower" offer. If it's not lower or a small drop like $100, take that quote and leave there. If it's a decent drop and much closer to your "buy point" then jump a tad more up. I usually go halfway at this point. They WILL match that. Always do. Good, now you got a starting local quote. Walk out with it. Tell them you aren't feeling it today and will look around and might be back.
They hate that term, be back
Anyhow, do it to another dealership that competes with them. Just mention what you got for a price quote from the first one and tell them, you would have bought if it had been the original price you were looking for. If they get to the price you are looking for then you know whom you are going to buy from. If they lower the original but still not meet your price, well you go back to the original and say to them that the competition is will to go to XXX amount. Play off them. It works to get you the price you DO want to pay. Make sure you keep throwing the internet quote prices as well in their faces if they are being retarded and mention it's no sweat off your back to buy a new car from the internet. Which it's not. That is always your last resort.
Facebook
Twitter