track 1

went to the dealership and offered 25k otd. they said can't do it. so i just left. this was after the test drive and it last less than 5 mins.

08A-SPEC

iTrader: (3)

1. Tuck a handgun in your belt of your pants, make sure its clearly visible.
2. Go back to dealership and try to re-negotiate.
3. DO NOT USE GUN.

LoveMyTL-S

Let your wife or GF do the negotiations.

track 1

fail

Jared234

LOL depends on your location

erick3

In regards to purchasing our TL, we got ripped out. I learned from the experience, and since then...we've gotten all of our more recent purchases under invoice or @ invoice, including our '09 RX 350, '09 MDX, '07 4Runner, and our '08 GS350. You need to go into the dealership and express your interests MORE than once. Going in once without really knowing your salesman really kills your deal. For me, we do business with relatively the same dealers - Acura, Lexus and Toyota so it's a bit easier for me now; they offer invoice prices right when our family walks in the door now. You need to learn to joke around a little; when they refused the 25k out the door, you should've laughed a little and said something along the lines of "why not"...? Make sure you do your homework, and go in with MORE than one quote from different dealers. You could've told them KBB value. Know that dealers ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS shoot low on trade in value; it's never a "fair trade". On new cars, it's a bit easier - I always walk in knowing the invoice value and some BS that another local dealer has offered me 500 below invoice. All dealers have manufacturer breaks, loyalty rebates and volume sales breaks, meaning ultimately they have the ability to sell you a car for under invoice without losing money. Shoot low and then work your way up. If an invoice is 38k, offer up something you KNOW they can't do...say 34k (although possible on SOME last deal cars of the year), and work your way up - "well, I'd like the car for 34k, but I know you guys can't do that"..."so what can you do for me?" At this point, it's probably best for you to try another dealer. Good luck my friend!!!

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

whats the spec on the car that you offered 25k on? if you didn't look serious they prob didn't want to waste their time on you...

01tl4tl

did you make it past the salesman?, was the offer on a contract and taken to the Sales Manager with a deposit ck or letter of credit from your bank?
Did you say you have your own finance or did they run you and didnt think they can qualify you?

ALWAYS take a friend with you- when the going gets tough- friend takes you out!!
Sales Managers want to make sales,, and if one leaves they jump in front of the door to stop you --What can we do to make this deal today????????????
TODAY is what they care about

try the dealers internet dept. can be a lot easier, less commissions to pay along the line
Every person you talk to raises the price of the car

01tl4tl

try internet search for buying a car- how to negotiate
use consumer reports pricing service to get the dealer `actual cost` and go from there, not down from sticker

AckRite5TL

Watch PAWN STARS on the history channel. I bought my 05TLw/NAVI just a couple of months ago. The sticker was 15,500 and I walked out the door at 12,900.

Pretty killer deal. It's in amazing condition too.

killersrt

Show up with money or check in hand with what YOU are willing to pay. If they don't accept your terms, shake his hand and walk away. Be sure they have your contact info though :giggle: I used to help out my friends and go to the dealership with them. I would point out all the problems in front of the salesman or I would ask for a minute alone to talk it over, knowing that we would take the offer, and just talk about how our day went or something, go back in and continue

erdoc48

Year, mileage, condition, navi or not, Type-S or not: these are all variables you didn't state, therefore we don't know if 25K is a lot or not for the car.

WayneJay

In addition to what the others said... I say know the amount you're willing to spend. Of course it needs to be reasonable, but don't fall for their tactics. They don't want to be your friend, no matter how much they smile and try to make nice. They simply want to sell you as much as possible.

When I bought my '06 3G, I asked for quotes online from several area dealers. I got some attempted BS from some, but I was able to get my price from Chevy Chase Acura in just 3 e-mails. At that point I went to the dealership with my check in-hand and signed on the dotted line.

A year later when I bought my CPO '03 Civic I went to the dealership in-person as I needed to see and drive the car. Again, I had my check in-hand and wouldn't fall for their crap, including the aftermarket lady and the finanace guy.

Did the same for a friend when she was buying her '08 TSX. If you're firm and they realize you're not going to fall for their BS, then they'll start to get serious. If they know you're ready to buy they will do all they can to not let you walk out without make a deal. You need to be ready to walk out and if necessary.. do it. If they have your number, they're guaranteed to call to try to offer you a better deal. My feeling is that they need me and my $$$, so I'm not going to play their game.

good luck.

Bucktail

Three angles of attack when negotiating for a car...

A dealer will try to get you on one or ALL of the following.

1. Price of Car itself
2. Your trade-in
3. Financing

Your goal is to be strong on all three fronts.

1. Research car prices on the internet, Car Trader, Car Max, Edmunds, etc... See what others are paying in your area.

2. Again, research what your car is worth. Trade in value can be very subjective, and a lot of times borders in the grey area of what you think it is worth and what the dealer thinks its worth. This is also the area where a dealer can make more money off of selling your car than they do on new car sales.

3. Financing - This is a area that you the consumer can have total control over if your credit is solid.

So, looking at the three, I would say that the dealer has the biggest negotiating power and manuvering ability in category 2 (Your Trade-In). If you feel like this is your weak point in negotiating, it's alright, take your trade-in to Car Max. They will not negotiate on price. Seel the car to them, and then remove number 2 from negotiating at another dealership.

Just my 2 cents... Good luck, and don't fall in love with a single car, until you are driving it off the lot.

LaCostaRacer

^ Good job Bucktail! It definitely pays to be prepared by knowing your prices on all three fronts. It pays to be prepared. The internet has done wonders on buying a new car but used cars are still a different ballgame. I learned a lot just from reading those cheap paperback books of yesteryear. I still have a book called 'How to buy a car' by James R. Ross that was good and there was another written as a story of a fictional car salesman 'Killer Monsoon' that I don't remember the title of.

Anyway, what I learned is to sell my old car myself because you almost always get screwed on the tradein. If you're going to trade-in make sure it is very clean.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Try negotiating online. It's the most stress-free, and is very timely and effective.

Oswald Vater

Good tips from all. In addition, I would get at least two dealers to compete for your business. Make sure they both have the car you want in stock with comparable equipment (the larger their inventories the better chance you can score a great deal) then let THEM decide how bad they want to sell you a car. I was able to negotiate an additional $500 off on my wife's 09 Ody doing this when the first dealer was already $300 under invoice. One can always do better but I was happy.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

this.

enigmaos

iTrader: (4)

hassle free and straight to the point.

track 1

i wanted to buy a used TL through a dealership. would it be better to negotiate through the internet?

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

threads merged.

craigtl35

my best tip is never let them know how much you want the car, never get emotionally envolved unless its one of a kind there will be another car that will meet your needs, and if they cannot meet your demands than be prepared to walk out if they want to sell the car they will call you back.

big_mac65

Well working at a dealership myself for sometime, I found people got way better deals over the internet than trying to do it in person. A dealership will do whatever it takes to get someone in their store. If your already in the store they obviously already have you and will try to do as little as possible for you to buy. If you want to truly hold the cards. Do all your negotiations over the internet and be sure to save those emails. Also email a couple of other dealers and get the lowest price, then use that to allow each dealership compete with each other which they WILL do. Then after all is said and done, it should be a matter of walking in and buying the car. BEWARE though what they don't get from you in the sale price, they will try to get you with extended warranties and service contracts. Oh and make sure your negotiated price is the OTD price which includes the title and service fees. GOOD LUCK!!!

jpoole

If you've done all your research, to me your approach is the best! I've made some really good purchases doing just what you did.

WayneJay

That's exactly what I did when I bought my '06 3G. I knew exactly what I wanted (colors and so on). I had 4 dealers involved and I refused to talk to them on the phone (3 of them tried hard for phone conversations). The first time I spoke with anyone was after we'd agreed and I went in the next day with the check-in hand.

Although I had my price, it wasn't over at that point. At the dealership they tried to sell me all the BS extras like rust proofing and so on. Lastly the finance guy gets his chance to try to sell you an overpriced extended warranty and/or even some 3rd party warranty and of course LoJack. Watch out because between these things (and trade in) they'll try their best to squeeze some $$$ out of you.