First of all Merry Christmas for everyone and your families!

Can you guys give me some tips on what to say to dealerships when I am sending emails to them so they get me the best price? Even better, can some of you paste some e-mails you have sent out to some dealerships before? I am looking to buy a 2006 6MT w/ Navi this week and I want to get it for $33,000 OTD

 

Exactly what you just wrote here, and make sure to add that if they can't do it, don't bother to reply, because you will not pay a penny more.

 

" I am looking to buy a 2006 6MT w/ Navi this week and I want to get it for $33,000 OTD"

That is exactly what you should tell them after introducing yourself. Include the exterior/interior color combination you desire and also provide a backup choice. Additionally, tell the dealer what type of tranny you want and whether or not you will be leasing/ financing or buying outright. Lastly, I would advise the dealer on whether or not you are trading in a vehicle.

Good luck.

 

It wont matter what you email to them, they will tell you they can do it to get you to the dealership, then once you are there will haggle with you.

 

that's what I was thinking too.. I thought maybe I could avoid that problem somehow by e-mailing and saying specific things.

 

It worked for me, I emailed my closest dealer for quotes, and after around 2 weeks of communication, I was able to get my Alabaster Silver Metalic/Ebony interior/5AT/Navi/ 6 Miles on the Odo. for $33,000 O.T.D. on Dec. 18, 2006. I know for a FACT that I could've had it for around $32,000, but was tired of haggling, and thought that I should give the salesman a break, since it's holiday season and all. I wish you great success.

P.S. It won't be at your advantage to inform the dealer about trading or not.

 

that is a long time of communicating but it worked to your best advantage and i see you are happy with your purchase! I am looking to buy one within next few days and I will send out e-mails today, luckily they respond in a timely manner

so pretty much you just told them what you want and asked them for quotes? what did you do then once they all sent you quotes... emailed all of the dealerships and informed them what is the lowest quote you have received and if they can beat that?

 

Regardless what you tell them, make sure you request the quotes from all the Acura/honda dealerships in 50 miles radius. Then look for the best deal and then fwd emails with best deals to your dealership. They will match the price if they know what's good for them. Play around a little. Most of them will want to beat the other guys for few hundred bucks to win your business. Do this until you get what you are looking for. It might take few weeks but I got my 05 non-navi 6MT for $30.340 . Under Edmund's national average and little over invoice. I'm buying all my future cars over the internet.

Once you happy with the price print out the email and go pick the colors for your new car.

PS> BTW I did the same thing with my last car. 03 Mitsu Eclipse. I got it $600 over invoice. I did have to drive 100 mills to get it, but it was worth the savings.

 

in your communication with dealer, ask to ask to provide VIN number of the car they are quoting, and ask to describe the color combo, and navi or non-navi.


It actually is hard to protect yourself from being fooled by a dealer, so if you're car shopping, just prepare to work a little to get what you want. Always read what you're signing, and don't hesitate to walk out on them if dont like the deal.

 

Let's say tha Dealership A,B and C all emailed my their quotes, and Dealership B is the lowest. So, now, I email Dealership B's price to Dealership A, and C, ask them if they will beat. At the same time, I play a little "hard-to-get" game with Dealership B, see if Dealership B will drop more in price. Just kinda manipulate them and make them work for your best interest.

Btw, Yeah, my buying process was kind of long, but also see how much I've saved. I basicaly got my 06 5AT/Navi for 29,500+T.T.L.

 

Check the threads here on purchasing and pricing.

People are getting 2006s for a lot less than that.

You should be able to score a 2006, 6MT with Navi for close to $ 30,000, especially the last week of the year- no problem. There are factory incentives to get rid of the leftovers. Many dealers have LOTS of 2006s still on the back lot. They need to move them out. They can't get the same price for '06s as they can for '07s and you can get an '07 with Navi for around $33-34,000 (base model).

Instead of YOU telling them what YOU will pay, ask them for their lowest price. If you give them your desired price as openers, you have no room to negotiate.

If anything, hit them back with a price a couple thousand LOWER than you are willing to pay and let them pull you up a little at a time.

They are hungry this week to meet their year end quotas and will do surprising things to move cars out!

Include Rick Case Acura in Plantation, Florida on your email list and you will see what I'm talking about. They are the world's larges Acura dealer and will bend over backwards this time of year to stay that way.

 

You may very well be correct about Rick Case. However, when I was in the market back in 05, Rick Case would not come close to Acura of South Florida's quote.

 

Wow, are you talking about 06 TL/Navi O.T.D. for $30,000?

 

It's all about the timing.

They are tough negotiators at Rick Case Acura but they are highly motivated at this time of year to maintain their standing. You can work with them.

I repeat my suggestion: Hit them VERY low and let them pull you up, bit by bit, until you have a deal.

I know they have LOST money on a deal on the last day of the month/year just to meet a sales goal.

 

No. I am not talking Out The Door which price includes 6% sales tax. I am talking about the car price, including all charges and freight but NOT including Sales Tax and state licensing fees as I have no way of knowing what they would be in your case.

It's a realistic target price but you will have to fight for it. Your chances are never better than at this time of year. Specifically: this week.

Here is one person's reported experience and info: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/dir.../.ef1765b/7332

Have a look.

 

Another Caveat:

Make sure and tell the Dealer that, when he quotes, to INCLUDE all freight and delivery charges, AND ALSO all "Dealer Fees" or "Document Fees" in his figure.

It is a common dodge among dealers to spring these bullshit "fees" on buyers at the last minute.

Refuse to pay them if they have not been included in your quote and stated up front. In fact, I don't pay them at all. They are a scam.

Recently, in South Florida, several dealers are starting to brag in their TV commercials that they don't charge "Dealer Fees" like many dealers do. There is no honor among these canibalistic theives. The dealers that are advertising are the same ones who started this scam.

 

Xpditor thank you so much for long replies!

I have e-mailed 4 dealerships yesterday and 2 that had the 6MT cars did not respond yet, but the other 2 with 5ATs did :\ one of them quoted me this price for 06 5AT NBP/quartz

$32,660 plus Tax, Tag, Title and Delivery Fee of $399.00.

which will be brought down of course... but what are actual dealer's holdbacks and incentives at this time of the year so i know exactly what i am talking about and i want to know real dealer's profit at certain price for the vehicle. what do i go from to reduce the price once i get the quote? can you please help me out as I am leaving out of state on Friday morning and want to purchase a car on Thursday if possible. my AIM sn is : "dontdoubtme85" and I can leave you my work number on private msg to get some more info as soon as possible... thank you

 

Here is a quote from the exchange at TownHall on Edmunds.com referred to in the above link:

"Remember dealer hold back is 3% of the base MSRP. So 3% of $33325 is ~$1000. So add that to the $2000 (factory to dealer leftover model) incentive = ~$3000.

So TL w/ Nav invoice is $32,205 - $3000 = $29205.

So at $30900 the dealership is still making ~$1695.
At $29705 -> ~$500
At $29650 -> ~$445"

I believe these numbers are fairly accurate.

Remember again that the $399 "Dealer Fees" is a bogus number they just pull out of their ass to increase their profit.

I maintain that the $30,000 price (including all fees except sales tax and state fees) is attainable with some negotiating at this time of year. They are still making money.

Don't worry about how much profit they may or may not be making. That's not your concern. Your job is to get the lowest price possible and you aren't going to lose sleep if this million dollar dealer loses a couple hundred on your particular deal. Any price that you both accept is a good one. Good luck.

 

Those are great numbers Xpditor. ninor, just keep your email short and on topic and you'll do fine. Also add in "At this point, please reply via email with your contact information and I'll promptly call you on this matter." Most if not all, dealerships now have these "internet" departments that handle soliciting emails. G/L!

 

When you go, in person, to dealership, have a checkbook obvious in your shirt pocket so they know you're a serious buyer.

Offer them $28,000 on a clean deal, including ALL fees except sales tax and license. Then, give them a $500 deposit on your CREDIT CARD (easy to reverse if they play games).

Of course, they will piss and moan that they are losing money, the car costs them more than that, etc. etc. Let them come back to you with a counter-offer. They will. It will be a little lower than their quote.

Then, it's your turn to come up a little. Maybe $28,500. That will tell them you are still negotiating and they still have the possiblity of selling you the car. It's good to have a specific car in stock that you are talking about and that you have seen. They will moan some more and maybe even call in the sales mgr. Just be firm until they come down some more. They may come to (for instance) $31,500.

Slowly, you come up to $29,000; they go down to $31,000; you come up to $29,500; they come down to $30,500 and, hopefully, with a lot of back and forth, you settle on $30,000.

That's how the dance works and the dealer is an excellent, experienced dancer. He loves the dance. And he's better at it than you are so be careful. He does it several times a day and you only do it once every several years.

Once you have agreed on the price, it's not over. You then face the Finance Manager (also called the F&I guy). He will want to sell you extended warranties, "Protection Packages", paint sealant, etc. Not to mention, they want to do the financing. JUST SAY NO to all the bullshit. You can get the extended warrany at any time in the first year of ownership and at better prices on the Internet- even from Acura Care. The dealer's price to you for this is marked up about $500. But, they will even deal on that. There are several Acura dealers who sell the extended warranty a la carte on the Internet at a discount. Search EXTENDED WARRANTY on this forum.

If they want your financing, make them bid for it. Tell them you have 4% or so and ask if they will beat it. They can be pretty competetive with rates if you insist on it but they will try and get you at a higher rate first. Deal with that like you did the car. Fight for it. Don't let them know you are all out of time or that it's your last day. They will use that against you. Good luck.