car negotiation . online or Face to face gets the best price

[VTECOverRated]

I start by knowing exactly what car I want and what price I am willing to pay. Then I will reach out to everyone who might have it within 250 miles of my house, through email. I keep it short and sweet, I am busy and don't have the time to "come in for a test drive" for a car I know I want/need. I will not be upsold or down sold. I will get what I want, and if its not them, it will be someone else. I have fantastic credit and if I wanted to, could buy any car outright in hard cold cash. Skip the BS and go straight to an invoice with the managers signature. If they want a phone call, sure, they can do it, but I will simply repeat myself.
Stay respectful, but to the point. You are buying a car, not because you are desperate, but because you have the option as a consumer, it is on them to sell you on the car, and not for you to be wasting time.

Once you have the invoice, go to all those dealers and have them bid it out. Take the lowest invoice and do it all over again until no one wants to bid lower, and that is your real price.

I paid 24,000 Out the door (taxes, fees, etc) for my Camry XSE which MSRP'd at 33,500.
Paid 29,000 for my Accord 2.0T which MSRP'd at 33,350.
This list goes long through the ages.

Anyone paying sticker for a car is insane. Any dealer saying times have changed is also, insane, and will not be tolerated. Treat them respectfully, but they are scum. They easily have 2-3K in margin on every car, and after being flush with cash due to markups, have enough cash on the books to ride out a whole year.

So take your time, do not rush the process. What is the worst that can happen? You rent a car for 30$ a day till you find the right deal?

The face to face part is simply there for me to go through the money. If they don't honor the deal, or are trying to play hard ball, leave them your number, tell them they have at most 48 hours to change their mind, and walk away. Trust me, they will call. If they don't believe you over the internet, provide all necessary evidence, from the comfort of your couch. If the deal is worth it, trust me, you will drive 500 miles. Thats only a tank or two of gas for several thousands in savings (and if you consider interest rates, even more).

 

[Bud]

When I bought my Forester I did everything online. After making the deal I took a drive to the dealer to inspect the car, drive it and transfer the money over for payment. This was on a Saturday, and the dealer prepped the car on Monday morning and delivered it to my home on Monday afternoon. Was very happy with the transaction.

 

[Jdeere562]

My local dealer gave me MSRP prices and would not negotiate online or via email. Said that I had to come in person.

I had the same thing with another Subaru Dealer. I was not willing to go into the dealership and told them so. Then you are on their grounds, and they are pros on their jobs. I refused it on those terms. Just asked for a cash price and they refused. Come in and we can make a deal. Forget that crap. Made sure to email the sales person, sales mgr and general mgr after I made the deal 10 miles away over the river. Kind of enjoyed rubbing it into their faces. Sent them a pic of the check I wrote, to their competing dealer. That felt good!

 

[RDY4WAR]

I research online and do negotiation in person.

I research the vehicle we're looking at, its common problems, what maintenance it needs at what mileage, study the features it has so I know to properly test their function, etc... I go to the dealer to negotiate in person. When we bought my wife's Mustang, it had 129k miles. I noticed it had the factory OEM belts on it which were supposed to be replaced at 100k miles. I also noticed the trans fluid was a little burnt and the brakes had some sponginess to the pedals meaning brake fluid had likely never been changed. It also had a spot on the windshield where it was hit by a rock. The soft top had some dry rotting to it.

I mentioned that the car needed the 100k mile maintenance and wasn't in perfect condition thus not justifying their highest dollar amount on KBB. They had it listed for $8,000, and I talked them down to $7,150.

 

[Exhaustgases]

Find it online yes, then deal on the phone. You have to tell the sales person how great they are and can't do that online.

 

[GON]

I research online and do negotiation in person.

I research the vehicle we're looking at, its common problems, what maintenance it needs at what mileage, study the features it has so I know to properly test their function, etc... I go to the dealer to negotiate in person. When we bought my wife's Mustang, it had 129k miles. I noticed it had the factory OEM belts on it which were supposed to be replaced at 100k miles. I also noticed the trans fluid was a little burnt and the brakes had some sponginess to the pedals meaning brake fluid had likely never been changed. It also had a spot on the windshield where it was hit by a rock. The soft top had some dry rotting to it.

I mentioned that the car needed the 100k mile maintenance and wasn't in perfect condition thus not justifying their highest dollar amount on KBB. They had it listed for $8,000, and I talked them down to $7,150.

What was the trade in value, and private party value of the car? Those are measurements to see how well you negotiated.

 

[fdcg27]

My personal experience is that you get favorable pricing by emailing dealers who are willing to play and then going in person to get down to the real deal. You have to be willing to make an offer you're firm on and then leave it to them to come down to it. You also have to tell the F&I guy no on everything and then present a check, unless really concessionary financing is on offer.
This has worked well for us on our last two new car purchases, which were pre-pandemic and hence in a different world.
I have the sense that the seller's market is fading away, although the sellers seem to be trying to cling to it, while for those who are looking for an EV, this is very clearly a buyer's market.

 

[MCompact]

When I worked at a dealer I responded to emails and phone calls and I would provide a price in either case. That said, most of my sales were to people who appeared in person and wanted to test drive one or more cars. The NCM called me "the anti-salesman" because of my extremely laid back approach. What would often happen is that a customer would want to look at other brands in the same market segment and I'd never bad-mouth other manufacturers. They almost always came back and bought from us us because the other stores were pushy and/or didn't know their product.

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a friend who had bought a Gladiator and he had a lot of questions about my 4xe; he said that he had taken one on a test drive and the salesman knew next to nothing about it. I would have been beyond humiliated if a customer knew more about the car I was selling than I did.

 

[dishdude]

I had the same thing with another Subaru Dealer. I was not willing to go into the dealership and told them so. Then you are on their grounds, and they are pros on their jobs. I refused it on those terms. Just asked for a cash price and they refused. Come in and we can make a deal. Forget that crap. Made sure to email the sales person, sales mgr and general mgr after I made the deal 10 miles away over the river. Kind of enjoyed rubbing it into their faces. Sent them a pic of the check I wrote, to their competing dealer. That felt good!

That's the way to do it! If they're difficult to deal with over phone/email, it sure isn't going to get better in person! And the ones that won't give you a price are the ones that keep calling after you bought...

 

[AZjeff]

I research online and do negotiation in person.

When we bought my wife's Mustang, it had 129k miles.

Pretty sure this thread is about buying new. You’d be nuts to buy anything used sight unseen. If you’re happy with the price of a used car that’s all that matters, you have no idea what they have in it.

 

[andrew_j]

Depends on specific dealer which is more favorable.

 

[willbur]

we are currently looking for a replacement car for my son. He is of the generation of do everything online. i tell him with car dealers you need to be there face to face to get the best deal on a car.

So in general , who is more correct , him or i?

Another question. the vehicle we are looking at is not in stock. They have one coming soon, but they want to sell it before it get here. I much prefer to wait till it get here before negotiation , but the dealer says buy it now, no holds. what do you think of this

"buy right now or this special deal is off" is the oldest sales trick there is

 

[willbur]

I start by knowing exactly what car I want and what price I am willing to pay. Then I will reach out to everyone who might have it within 250 miles of my house, through email. I keep it short and sweet, I am busy and don't have the time to "come in for a test drive" for a car I know I want/need. I will not be upsold or down sold. I will get what I want, and if its not them, it will be someone else. I have fantastic credit and if I wanted to, could buy any car outright in hard cold cash. Skip the BS and go straight to an invoice with the managers signature. If they want a phone call, sure, they can do it, but I will simply repeat myself.
Stay respectful, but to the point. You are buying a car, not because you are desperate, but because you have the option as a consumer, it is on them to sell you on the car, and not for you to be wasting time.

Once you have the invoice, go to all those dealers and have them bid it out. Take the lowest invoice and do it all over again until no one wants to bid lower, and that is your real price.

I paid 24,000 Out the door (taxes, fees, etc) for my Camry XSE which MSRP'd at 33,500.
Paid 29,000 for my Accord 2.0T which MSRP'd at 33,350.
This list goes long through the ages.

Anyone paying sticker for a car is insane. Any dealer saying times have changed is also, insane, and will not be tolerated. Treat them respectfully, but they are scum. They easily have 2-3K in margin on every car, and after being flush with cash due to markups, have enough cash on the books to ride out a whole year.

So take your time, do not rush the process. What is the worst that can happen? You rent a car for 30$ a day till you find the right deal?

The face to face part is simply there for me to go through the money. If they don't honor the deal, or are trying to play hard ball, leave them your number, tell them they have at most 48 hours to change their mind, and walk away. Trust me, they will call. If they don't believe you over the internet, provide all necessary evidence, from the comfort of your couch. If the deal is worth it, trust me, you will drive 500 miles. Thats only a tank or two of gas for several thousands in savings (and if you consider interest rates, even more).

good advice except fpr the 500 mile drive. Easier, less hassle warranty work and other favors a local dealer may give you if you buy from them, and not from a 500 mile dealer

 

[willbur]

That's the way to do it! If they're difficult to deal with over phone/email, it sure isn't going to get better in person! And the ones that won't give you a price are the ones that keep calling after you bought...

I had a Honda dealer agree to an over the internet deal we made. When I went to pick up the car, they told me I would have to wait 6 months to get it, but the car was availabe now at a higher price.

Idea was to get you in the door, and then go to work on you...

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

I don't like wasting time. I have finances pre approved through my credit union. Give me the out the door prices and I dont want to hear anything about "how much you want to pay a month".
I am not going to play "the financing fell through due to your credit history even though we ran your credit history"

 

[VTECOverRated]

good advice except fpr the 500 mile drive. Easier, less hassle warranty work and other favors a local dealer may give you if you buy from them, and not from a 500 mile dealer

I have had dealers buy me a flight and a hotel as long as I put a deposit down on the car.
Was a nice hotel too, flew some 900 miles then drove the car home. Worth it.
Trust me, driving to save money is by far the best thing you can do, math > butt pain.
Some special people think local matters, it doesn't, and its just there to play on your heart strings. Go the one who bids the lowest, PERIOD.

Besides, I can service my cars wherever, when ever, has nothing to do with the dealer, and I refuse to have cars serviced at a dealer, those people don't know what they are doing. Find a quality shop.

 

[VTECOverRated]

I had a Honda dealer agree to an over the internet deal we made. When I went to pick up the car, they told me I would have to wait 6 months to get it, but the car was availabe now at a higher price.

Idea was to get you in the door, and then go to work on you...

They can agree to what ever they want. They can sell you the moon.

No invoice, vin and manager signature? They lying.

I have taken dealers to court over going back on a signed invoice. And won the case in less than 5 minutes. Easiest profit in my life.

 

[willbur]

I have had dealers buy me a flight and a hotel as long as I put a deposit down on the car.
Was a nice hotel too, flew some 900 miles then drove the car home. Worth it.
Trust me, driving to save money is by far the best thing you can do, math > butt pain.
Some special people think local matters, it doesn't, and its just there to play on your heart strings. Go the one who bids the lowest, PERIOD.

Besides, I can service my cars wherever, when ever, has nothing to do with the dealer, and I refuse to have cars serviced at a dealer, those people don't know what they are doing. Find a quality shop.

I have had dealers buy me a flight and a hotel as long as I put a deposit down on the car.
Was a nice hotel too, flew some 900 miles then drove the car home. Worth it.
Trust me, driving to save money is by far the best thing you can do, math > butt pain.
Some special people think local matters, it doesn't, and its just there to play on your heart strings. Go the one who bids the lowest, PERIOD.

Besides, I can service my cars wherever, when ever, has nothing to do with the dealer, and I refuse to have cars serviced at a dealer, those people don't know what they are doing. Find a quality shop.

So, let me understand this- you would rather pay to repair your new car at a quality shop instead of free warranty work at the dealer?

Last time I checked (many years ago), IRS held that it cost $.60 a mile to own, operate. depreciate etc a car. Your 500 mile trip would cost $300 at the old rate , not counting your time (10 hours?). If you make, say $50yr.,that is an additional $240. So, looks like it cost $540 to save $3-4K. Not bad. But I could probably do as well locally unless it was the only dealer around for 500 miles. LOL

 

[John105]

I'm just going to venture a guess from the end of the Denzel film. Where the guy tells him you gotta put your own work in around here.

My dad got an Edmunds guaranteed price on a Honda. Went to the participating dealer, who x'd out the price, circled an asterisk, and said they will not sell him a car for said price. that's what online does.

imho? Is car purchase unpleasant? Sure. So is dating. But relying upon online? Is certainly leaving something on the table. Much as people want to avoid human contact these days, it's gonna lead to the best outcome.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

I'm just going to venture a guess from the end of the Denzel film. Where the guy tells him you gotta put your own work in around here.

My dad got an Edmunds guaranteed price on a Honda. Went to the participating dealer, who x'd out the price, circled an asterisk, and said they will not sell him a car for said price. that's what online does.

imho? Is car purchase unpleasant? Sure. So is dating. But relying upon online? Is certainly leaving something on the table. Much as people want to avoid human contact these days, it's gonna lead to the best outcome.

Why would I want to waste my time in person when I can save that time and do it online.