best way to buy a new vehicle?

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i am gonna get a new ride for my kid soon. in the past i have done the negotiate with dealer stuff and i hated it. So these days a lot can be done online with buying services. also costco does it also.

So whats as good buying service? those that have used them, do you feel you got a good deal?
 
If you know what you want, email the dealers in the area. The good ones will reply with an itemized price, the scammers will refuse and try to get you in the door.
 
New as in brand new? I don't know. With proper research you can usually beat those prices by a couple hundred bucks. I figure that they provide a service if it's not just a lead service for the dealer.
 
Originally Posted by dishdude
If you know what you want, email the dealers in the area. The good ones will reply with an itemized price, the scammers will refuse and try to get you in the door.

This. ^^^^^^^^^

I bought both of my cars this way. The less you have to deal directly on the lot with these sales people, the better off you'll be. Every new car dealership today has a website, along with a current list of their inventory and prices. You can shop for hours from the comfort of your own home. As soon as you step on the lot, they will descend on you like a pack of coyotes circling a rabbit. And shadow your every step.

By using the Internet you can find the exact car you want, plus get a feel for prices of similarly equipped vehicles in your area. Don't forget to print them out when you go. You can have several different dealerships competing for your business this way. And you can get rid of all the scammers and B.S. artists with the click of a mouse. It makes new car buying all the more painless. When we bought our new Toyota last year, we were in and out in slightly over an hour. And 20 minutes of that was comprised of me driving to the bank to get the check, while my wife stayed to complete all the paperwork.
 
Originally Posted by WhyMe
i am gonna get a new ride for my kid soon. in the past i have done the negotiate with dealer stuff and i hated it. So these days a lot can be done online with buying services. also costco does it also.

So whats as good buying service? those that have used them, do you feel you got a good deal?

If you are talking new or used through a dealer no one gets a good deal. You just have to decide if you think it's a good deal. With Edmund's and every other Internet search tool available it is a lot easier to find out what other people are paying.

The main thing to do is to either have cash in hand or your own financing through your bank or credit union already taken care of. That way you tell the dealer what price you are willing to pay OTD and if they won't meet that price you walk. You don't have to deal with any gimmicks. You negotiate an OTD price and that is it.

Do you know what you want?
 
As already stated deal via email with the Internet Sales Manager. Ask for an out the door price for the vehicle you're interested in, all costs including tax and plates, the color, and with all the options you want. Tell him/her upfront you already test drove one and want a price, and there is no need for you to come in and have a look or meet face to face unless you're ready to sign papers. Tell them you don't mind if they have to order it. You'll be amazed how many don't want to deal that way, but there are a few who will and it will make getting a good price a lot easier. If they try and get over on you after doing all of this, walk out!

I've already driven the vehicle I was interested in buying, before I was actually ready to buy.
 
The past several new cars that I purchased, I went online and put in a vehicle/dealer search. You have to give some information but not tons. Then I wait for email response with sales consultants that have as close to the vehicle that I am looking for in terms of color/interior/options etc. Then they give a lowest price for the vehicle. You can move from dealer to dealer and finally, I make the phone call and set up an appt to see & test drive the vehicle(which I've done prior).

It takes some time to acclimate yourself to this procedure and I now have it down to a science. I usually know what I want before even putting in the SEARCH. We finish negotiation the price on the vehicle over the phone w/CC deposit and I have made deals by 9:00 am(contingent upon seeing/testing the vehicle first and giving it my approval. Then with paperwork & prep of the vehicle, I've had the vehicle by the end of day or the very next day.

Sure, there may be more to it than I've mentioned and too, there are probably several other methods that people prefer in order to get the same end result. You've gotta pick what works for you. I do it my way because it gets me pumped up.
 
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Originally Posted by demarpaint
As already stated deal via email with the Internet Sales Manager. Ask for an out the door price for the vehicle you're interested in, all costs including tax and plates, the color, and with all the options you want. Tell him/her upfront you already test drove one and want a price, and there is no need for you to come in and have a look or meet face to face unless you're ready to sign papers. Tell them you don't mind if they have to order it. You'll be amazed how many don't want to deal that way, but there are a few who will and it will make getting a good price a lot easier. If they try and get over on you after doing all of this, walk out!

I've already driven the vehicle I was interested in buying, before I was actually ready to buy.

This. ^^^^^^^^

Don't waste time listening to them hawk all of the "fluff", like "free" car washes, oil changes, loaner vehicles, cappuccino machines, and nail salons in the service area. Along with all of their other nonsense that is there strictly to sidetrack you. And if you want an extended warranty, research and buy it on your own. Don't buy what they are pushing.

As demar said, no "test drives" and only talk about the out the door price...... Nothing else. The more you allow them to talk, the more they will throw at you, in an attempt at trying to confuse you. And as was said, forget trying to, "get a good deal". There is no such thing when you buy a new car. Only doing everything possible to get screwed less than the next guy. A lot of the sales process is much like a nurse distracting a child while the doctor administers a shot. The concept is they don't want you to know it, or feel it when they stick it in.
 
Originally Posted by WhyMe
i am gonna get a new ride for my kid soon. in the past i have done the negotiate with dealer stuff and i hated it. So these days a lot can be done online with buying services. also costco does it also.

So whats as good buying service? those that have used them, do you feel you got a good deal?


You may find prices below dealer cost. Unless its a super hot car. But then they push the add'ons like paint protection, rust proofing, etching and extended warranty. The mark up on those is probably 50%.

And of course they can play games when they figure the trade in value.

And then there is what I really hate, the "documentation fee" which they say is "non negotiable". Next time I will see if thats true. Thats like going to Walmart and being charged for the cash register receipt. If the papers are for a loan, the dealer gets a $100 or two for originating the loan.
 
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Repetitious, but I concur with demarpaint's basic strategy. You do all the homework yourself to determine the exact model you want. You tell (don't ask) them the price you will pay out the door. You contact as many dealers as possible within your driving range. You negotiate very little, if at all.

Years ago Edmunds had a cookbook method to determine how much to offer. It's harder now a days. What I remember most is that many mfg. have dealer incentives not advertised to the public. Dealers sometimes have enough incentives to sell a car below their cost. You have to be reasonable and realize that the sales person deserves to make a living, but let them make a killing on a less knowledgeable person. On my last purchase, the dealer used one of their employee's family discount to meet my offer.

Like many above, most of my interactions are via email or phone. I only meet with the salesperson to sign the papers.
 
IMO it depends on the demand for the vehicle and/or brand in your market. Some brands could care less about internet inquiries because demand is so high.
 
Having just purchased a new vehicle, I did both the wrong thing (went to a dealer) and then the right thing (email numerous dealers and negotiate). Obviously, do a bunch of research before so you know what price you can expect to be near.

I ended up with a very honest and transparent salesman that gave me a very good price. A price $2500 below the TrueCar quote. Do it yourself, get the price you want, and be patient. It's actually very stress free.

After I agreed to the price, the dealer had all the paperwork waiting for me. I was in and out quite quickly. Easy.
 
Edmunds and truecar are good pricing resources.

ALWAYS email their internet sales dept. Tell them you are ready to buy today, you want a total price out the door. Negotiate back and forth via the comfort of your home, not in the dealership. The moron dealers will say, "Come on down. I'm sure we can find you something nice to drive." As soon as you get that response, bypass that dealership and move onto the next one. ALWAYS buy on total price. Only idiots buy based on monthly payment.
 
My parents have bought at least one car through Costco, and loved it. One time they went in and negotiated a deal, and then mentioned the Costco discount, and the dealer knocked a grand off the price that they negotiated.

If you know what you want, you can also call various dealers. Ask for the fleet or internet dealer at the dealership, who will talk to you & negotiate over the phone. I got the van that way. Found the options package that we wanted (the cheapest package with the ABS) in a dealer a few hours away, so I cut some off the price he quoted me, he agreed, and we went out and picked it up.
 
I have purchased 3 cars through internet research . CarGurus.com and others . Decide how far you are willing to drive . The further into the model year you get , the better the incentives on new cars , usually get .

On used cars , if you find one that interests you , price check with kelly blue book * nada.com .
 
Yup, with the others above, do 90% or more online.
I had done the research on the vehicle, prices of the vehicle in the area.
Had it narrowed down to 3 vehicles. Got an out the door price for each one, test drove the one that was the best deal for me, and bought it that day.

I think the out the door price is the big one, because each dealer will try to add on different things to the sale price.
Dealer I bought from was the middle "sale price" ($32,500) but the highest for out the out the door price ($37,200). I was able to get the out the door price down to $34,000 (which is the actual KBB/Edmunds sale value) by refusing their extra junk they wanted to add. I told them how much my out the door price was, and I did not care how they moved numbers around to meet it.
They ended up not "giving" me their dealer package that they include with all vehicles they sell- tracking/wireless vehicle device (my Hyundai already Blue Link for 3 years for free), window tint (which the vehicle had before they received it), roadside assistance for 3 years (Hyundai has 4 years left on it), $500 accident deductible paid (have a program through work for free that does the same thing).
Know what you want to pay out the door (a fair one, don't be ridiculous) and stick to that number.
Be willing to walk away. They will call if they want your business
 
I've done the Costco thing with great results. I got a desirable car for a better price than I could have found on my own. That is Costco's advantage I think, not getting ripped off by the dealer on cars that carry a premium.

I use Autotrader.com and look for new car deals in a 100 mile radius.

An Autotrader new car search for a 2019 Nissan Altima shows a wide range of prices for the very same "S" trim level. Ranging from $21K to $26K. The nearby dealership with the higher prices won't price match and kindly adds in a $899 dealer fee! The cheaper dealership is not that far away, and has half the dealer fee.
 
Just leased a 2019 Jetta for $139 a month with $2,995 down. ALL maintenance and wear items ( ex. brakes, tires) included. That's as about as cheap as you can get new . You can get an Impreza also for a bit less if you want AWD.


True story:
When I went to a local College my dad said he'd buy me a used car for up to 750 bucks. I scoured the newspapers for weeks. Than I found it. A 1969 Ford Fairlane 500 Fastback with 428 Cobra Jet package and 4 speed top loader with 68k miles.

The then six -year old car eneded up being a pain to fix constantly - being a FORD - . After a year of constant repair I gave up and I ended up selling it the a Prince from (??) Saleh Hussein... It always broke down on him - -He called it %*^%! Cobbbra Jeet!
 
The dealer just gave me $7,000 - on a Trade for my 2014 Nissan Rogue with 52K. It's on their lot for $13,200. ( Check it out on Seacoast VW , Greenland, NH ) It needed NOTHING other than a wash. Ive seen this over and over again. So Never Ever pay more than $1000- over wholesale on a used commodity vehicle if you want a decent deal. Never!
 
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