z-tec

Hey everyone,

First of all, this forum is fantastic...what a great resource (and way to goof off)

I'm looking to buy at the end of December and wondered if anyone wanted to share their price negotiation stories. I know this has been covered a lot, (many results in the searches)but I was specifically wondering about e-mail negotiations and buying a car the dealer doesnt' have on the lot. (ordering one)

I've read in a few places that the best day of the month to make a deal is specifically on the 30th due to the inventory system most dealers use. That works fine if the car you want is on the lot, but what about if you want a special combo of colors that is less common (like Carbon Gray w/ Quartz interior for example...)

Anyone have tips for negotiating a car that's NOT readily available that day?? Does it count as a sale for THAT month if you simply order it that day or does the deal have to be "final" for it to count??

Bests,
Z-TEC

mpic02

I tried several of the tactics listed in that thread, but the prices I was quoted were higher than I wanted to pay- primarily because the combination I was looking for wasn’t available at any local dealerships. Essentially I was in the same situation you are now. I used the Car Bargains service which solicits bids from at least 5 dealerships (I received 9). Here is an excerpt of what they claim:

“-Since our staff members are experts, we can be sure all costs--advertising association fees, dealer-installed options, processing fees, etc.--are explicit in dealers' bids, not added on later.

-Dealers know we'll get good bids from other dealers, so each dealership knows it will have to bid very low to have a chance of winning. We remind dealers of any ongoing factory-to-dealer incentive programs, manufacturer holdbacks, carry-over allowances, and other factors that give the dealer room to cut its price. Also, dealers know that we know the market. They know that if we don't get good prices locally, we can get prices from out-of-area dealers who will deliver locally.

-Dealers know the bidding is for real. They know we'll actually get at least 5 quotes. In addition, they know that a consumer who has paid for the CarBargains service is almost certain to buy now from one of the quoting dealers, so refusing to quote means losing any chance at a sale. In contrast, when you call for a bid, the dealer may not believe you will bother to get bids elsewhere. Worse still, dealers often make statements like "shop around and I'll beat any price'' or "come on down and I'll take care of you''--leaving you with no more information than you started with. In addition, dealers may believe you're just casually shopping and therefore may not treat you seriously.

-We are a witness to each dealer's quotes. We get signed commitments by fax, and the dealers know we will follow up. In contrast, if a customer gets quotes by phone, the dealer may believe it can back out without serious consequences.”

The bids are valid for any color combination. There is a section on each dealers bid which outlines any additional costs to obtain a vehicle not on their lot, either via dealer trade or factory order. Only a few of the dealers that bid actually charged this fee. I ended up purchasing from a dealer who didn’t have my combination in stock, without any problems. It will cost you $190 for the service, luckily in my case the cost was well justified. I’m curious if anyone else has had experience with Car Bargains, good or bad.

http://www.checkbook.org/auto/cb-brochure.cfm
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/20040127a2.asp


PS I will be picking up my CG/Ebony/Navi/5AT at 9am tomorrow. This board has been a tremendous help in making that decision, thanks everyone!


-Matt

iamhomin

Uhm, I believe there's a thead in this forum regarding negotiations, so check it out.

Also, don't forget to go on the last day of the month to get the best deal!

biker

This weekend will be a good time to buy a car, especially for an unpopular car on the lot. It might be hard to deal for a December delivery car when even the dealer doesn't know what the bottom line will be nor the exact details of the car.

michaelbolton

I'm pretty sure the day you order it will not count as a sale for that month. I was in the same situation in that I had to order the one I wanted and wait 2-3 months for them to build it and ship it over here. The reason is that you don't actually pay for the car until the car is there.
Negotiating is limited when you're ordering one, but you can still try. I don't know if you're looking at an '05 now, but basically the further along in the production year of the car, the more money you should be able to get off of it.

Belzebutt

I think the deal will count for the month during which you fork over the money, that's that. The dealers are a lot more willing to negotiate when you're ready to buy, and even more so when you're actually there.

By the way, I'd be careful about using those web sites to find you the best deal. I went to one of those and they quoted me less than half of the discount I was able to get on my own. Granted it was a free one but sometimes you can just get a better deal on your own. Always remember: stick to your guns.

cmf

I always send one blanket e-mail to numerous dealers telling them exactly what I want, in regards to color of exterior/ interior, tranny, options. Then I explain I am willing to buy at such and such a time, and wait. Most dealers see you are looking for the best deal and you are willing to travel a bit to pick it up, if they really wanna sell a car, they are gonna cut you the best price. After you get good numbers, use those to negotiate more. Always works for me and I have yet to buy a car for more than 500 over invoice.
Letting a dealership know now is not gonna help too much if you plan to buy in December, they have no clue as to what will arrive between now and then. You're best bet would be end of Oct, early Nov.
As far as the last day of the month crap...I don't know if you get any better deals. I always buy the first week or two of any month, that way I don't get screwed over on one months of registration. If you buy the last day, and your car gets registered that day, it takes one full month off of your annual registration.
Don't know if that helps, but my .02 anyways!

biker

From most of the things that have been posted on this site it seems most folks are getting within a few hundred $ of the invoice price without any outside help. Paying anything to maybe save another hundred seems iffy to me. The only time this might work is if there's only one dealer in the area who's not willing to deal and the outside helper can bring a car in from out of the area.

keg1997

I did this exact thing and then negotiated a little bit with the last 3 dealers over the phone. Had everything completed within 12 hours of the email and even was able to swing getting the car at a local dealer for the best price that I had been quoted.
Definitely the best way to buy a car!!!

DGH

This internet negotiation is great, but complicated when you have a trade, since the price they offer will vary from dealer to dealer, and of course they will want to see it before giving a price. This sorta eliminates the advantage of internet negotiation.

Yeah, I know, private sale is best, but it is such a pain in the ass.

Did you guys who used on-line negotiation have trade-ins, and if so how did you tackle that aspect?

biker

Why is it that people put in so much effort to save a few hundred $ on the purchase price of a new car to just turn around and get raped on a trade in.

DGH

Actually I typically put little effort into both, and get raped twice.

RCB1701

That is why you always negotiate the best price for the car first, then negotiate the best price for the trade. Never tell a dealer up front that you have a trade in or they will screw you big-time. If they ask if you have a trade-in, tell them that you not sure what your going to do yet. ALWAYS NEGOTIATE THE PRICE OF THE CAR FIRST SEPERATE OF ALL OTHER THINGS.