New Car Buying

[NeekReevers]

Is it just me or do all of the online car pricing guides appear to be full of crap? There's a couple of reasons I think this. The last used vehicle I bought was a certified Toyota Sienna for my wife. My wife found the one she liked, I checked the advertised price versus the various online pricing guides and it was listed under all of them. How can those pricing guides be accurate if the vehicle is listed underneath the pricing?

I am now in the market for another vehicle, a new one this time. One dealership in OKC and one in Dallas actually list sale prices online which are about 6.5% below the MSRP. I go to multiple online pricing sites and they list the average price paid at about 3% below MSRP. How can this be when I can find 2 online without even attempting to negotiate that are listed for less? It just makes it seem to me that those sites pump the prices up to reduce your leverage when negotiating.

The only time I have ever felt like I got an actual good deal was negotiating with 2 dealerships at the same time and making them work against one another. Anyone have any advice on how to find what is a fair price and how to go about getting it?

 

[inspoke]

The used car online guides are just guides. Most used cars don't sell for the retail price mentioned in the used car guidelines. When I buy a used car, I get the trade-in price from all 3 major guides (NADA, KBB and Edmunds). The price I pay has to be below trade-in on all 3 guides. Otherwise, I move on. Sometimes, it takes awhile to find what I am looking for.

Also, if you haven't noticed, Oklahoma has some of the most expensive used vehicles in the country. When you do a search on autotrader.com, the cheapest vehicles are almost always on the left or right coast. Dallas and Houston are also quite a bit less expensive than Oklahoma.

Last time I bought a new car in OK, about 5 years ago, I found the exact same vehicle in Maryland for several thousand dollars below advertised prices in OK. Took the ad to the local dealership and, after much whining and complaining on their part, they came close to the price in Maryland. Close enough to make me forget about traveling to Maryland to get it. When they started their complaining, I just said "no one is forcing you to sell the car this cheap. If you are going to lose money, just tell me you can't afford to sell it that cheap and we can both move on. No hard feelings." That line has never failed to get them moving in my direction.

 

[poke2001]

The online guides may not be showing rebates and dealer incentives. I've found Truecar to be a decent source, but it depends largely on the dealer as well.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[Chillwell]

Over the last few years, I've purchased two new cars, a Lexus & Subaru. I guess I'm lucky in a way because I live in Los Angeles and within two to three hours of me are 20+ Lexus & Subaru dealerships. So I've been able to use this fact to my advantage and received great deals each time.

First, my wife and I decide the car (model & color) we want...take some test drives, etc. Then I e-mail the sales mangers of all the dealerships with the specific car we've wanted. With the Lexus we had 6 dealerships respond to us with the car we wanted. With the Subaru, we had four. I basically then bid the dealerships against one another. It's worked great each time. I never even go to the dealership until the deal is done.

Also, do this at the end of the month. Most dealerships are most likely trying to achieve some sales quota, often if they reach certain marks, the dealership will get a bonus or some such from the manufacturer. Under perfect circumstances, a dealer may even take a break even sale, if it means them achieving their monthly quota and earning some bonus.

 

[Marshal Jim Duncan]

I think Edmund's is great.

 

[CowboyPT]

Fighting chance.com. Used it multiple times and saved a lot of $.

 

[Headhunter]

The online prices for new cars are listed with max rebates and incentives.

Most people don't qualify for 100% of the possible rebates or incentives.

Just tell the dealer you will buy the vehicle for supplier pricing (make them show you the invoice) less all eligible rebates and incentives and you should get a very fair deal on the price of the new vehicle.

Trade-ins are a whole other ballgame. Good luck with that.