Minarets

dealing through the internet sales people?

it seems this is the best way to do the no haggling way of buying. it also seems like for the most part, that the majority of the people dont do this, making it even a better route for now. i do think in a few years this will change and the majority will prolly do it that way, making it just as hard as before

anyway, carsdirect.com seems to be another very useful tool in buying.
send out a price to dealers you are willing to go to to purchase, and just wait that someone responds and accepts? isnt that basically it?

mn2trance

I think that's the only way to deal. Some people get intimidated by salesmen so it's best to negotiate where everyone is at ease. Also, http://www.carbuyingtips.com has a lot of great info on purchasing vehicles via the Internet, how to deal with shady salesmen, and much more.

luniz97

i used cardirect as my pricing guide and then i go in there and get a lower price...all carsdirect does is refer you to a dealer which is pointless. So i look at the prices and i got my tl AT with navi wheel locks and 2 full details and free car washes till the end of the year for 32500 + TTL...35500 out the door because california taxes are so freakn high at 8.5%

wck3

fightingchance.com

te3point5

The internet is the best way to research, but going in and talking face to face is the best way to close the deal.

avs007

Depends on the dealer... When I bought my G35, talking face to face, would only net me a best price of about a grand over msrp. I went online, and bought my Coupe fully loaded from the other coast, for a couple hundred over invoice...

When I got my wife's TL, we did it in person. It was kind of funny. While negotiating, they told me I was being rediculous on the price. Best offer was basically MSRP. While the wife was talking about something to the salesman, I used my iPaq, and the free WiFi they had, and pulled up this very website I pulled up an email, with a price quote from an out-of-state dealership. They matched the price, and we drove home in an ABP TL/Navi.

Ania

i also agree. The internet is a great tool for research. As far as buying a car i know several people who have bought cars right off the net with out seeing them but i think thats taking a big risk. As far as internet sales over the net through dealerships where they send you out a price i think thats a great tool becuase normally they are cheaper then what you would get if you walked in to the dealership. You can always walk in with a quote from another dealer and ask them to match it. That is how we bought a 2005 accord.

Doctored5

I intended to use the internet to do the research, but found it the best way to start the negotiations too. Unless you like spending your weekends dealing with car salesmen it doesn't make sense to go in to meet with them unless you have a pretty good idea they'll give you a competitive price. I was able to get $2,600 off list price on an '05 navi in October when other dealers wouldn't talk to you about less than list price.

You get a price quote on the internet & uses faxes, email & credit cards to close the deal.

jkeith72

When I buy a new car, after much research on the web (as was mentioned many times), a call directly to the sales manager is the only way to buy. In most cases the sales manager doesnt want to work hard for the most profit (he has cronies for that). I sold cars for over a year and the easiest made deals for the best prices were made by people on the phone talking directly to whoever was in charge for the day.....and telling them what they would pay. Hope that helps....Jason

Bmerc89

I think buying thru the internet can be pretty effective. When I was looking for parts for our accord, I got "quotes" from several dealers and then sent the lowest quote to the rest of the dealers asking if they'll match it...I kept doing that until I got it down to what I wanted to pay--I think that this same thing can happen when buying the whole car too. I haven't tried it yet tho, but as long as you are well researched and willing to wait for dealer responses, I think it's the only way to go...


And I think that some internet managers tend to give lower prices so that they can get you into the showroom...I've had a few tho that have highballed them.

my .02

empathy

can someone post the information about the 2% overhead and the 1.5% upkeep..it's something about how much they earn for every car they sell u..i saw it earlier, but i've been looking and i cant find it anymore

UPSCWRU

This time around, I went to the web to make my first contact with the dealer. He very studiously didn't talk price by e-mail, however, instead telling me about the great service the dealership offers after purchase. There really only being one feasible dealer near me (and the fact that this was the 2nd guy to tell me that they WILL treat buyers worse (no loaners, for one) who buy elsewhere and then service with them), I ended up going in to negotiate, but took the Edmunds.com market value report.

He started the negotiations below MSRP, which I thought was good (I waited and waited for him to get to the pricing phase, as he kept hemming and hawing about irrelevant things like financing (I had mine arranged through the credit union)). He said he based that price on the capitalization price of a lease offer they had on TLs right now. I said that I was looking for about $1000 less. He said he'd check what the Edmunds.com average selling price was in our area, and I pulled it out of my purse. It was basically what he'd first offered. I then told him that that number is, of course, an average, not a price. He came down $800 from his first price, and we had a deal.

I don't know if it went so fast because we started on internet. I don't think they've been having problems selling TLs, though near the end of the model year, they may be trying to clear out inventory in the system.

On my last car, I bought a 2002 Jetta GLX new. I ended up going to the next city over because a salesguy on the VW equivalent of this acurazine site offered me a better deal than the local dealer. But the price the local dealer offered me from my first internet contact was pretty darned good: 2% over invoice. As our econ professors told us, it's all about supply and demand. But if you can get more information about either side of the equation, you'll have less chance of being hosed in the process.

scrb09

I think online is the way to go although I belive in emailing the internet sales managers of acura dealerships and getting their quotes...I dont have much run-ins with carsdirect or similar website.

Although one of my friends (in Charlotte, NC) who just bought his TL past weekend, sent an inquiry to a Leith Acura in Cary, NC and the internet sales manager replied back saying he does not give quotes out to people if they have a Acura dealership closer to them...I was like WTF...why the hell wouldnt a dealer want to sell his car to someone who is interested? what does he care where you live?

JohnDoe2

First create a dummy email alias. Every dealer/site you contact will put you on their mailing list

I was never able to get a quote. They all wanted my name/address/phone so they could contact me....I don't think so.

I found the phone worked best. I called each dealer, told them what I wanted and asked for a bottom line figure (the amount the check would be written for).

I even called some out of state dealers to see if I could dodge the sales tax, but the states have ways of making us pay.

UPSCWRU

Oh yeah - they all know about the sales tax revenues from cars and make absolutely certain you don't dodge that! In fact, you can't even go to the next county over to get a lower tax - they base it on where you live. I considered buying my home in the next county over, which has tax rates .5-1% lower (I forget which) to save on real estate and car taxes, but didn't follow through...

avs007

That's not how it works. I've gotten 3 cars out of state. The state that sells you the car never charges you sales tax. (They didn't for me, and I bought from two different states).

However, when you go to register your car, in your home state, the DMV will collect sales tax from you, based on your purchase price, before they will give you your tags and plates.

JohnDoe2

Right, you cannot dodge the sales tax (that's what I originally said).