How to Buy a New Car- I might save you money (2 Viewers)

[AcerFC]

Ok, so someone in the Honda Pilot thread suggested I start a new thread about this. That thread is here

I use a site called Fighting Chance (fightingchance.com)

Here is the basic premise (stolen from other thread)

Why not just provide the bulletpoints of what's in the plan? Or is it Mike Damone "Men have died trying to obtain this information" top secret?

im going to be completly honest, despite the guy above, it is one of the best and cheapest things you will buy to negotiate the price of a vehicle. Out of respect for that, ill paraphrase the general idea. You will want to pay the money for specific vehicle related things anyway

Most car dealerships recieve bonuses for cars that they sell. Some of these bonuses are in the millions. So the idea is to contact 10-15 dealerships by phone. Be straight up with them and tell them you will be buying a vehicle by Friday. However, you are contacting a limited number of dealers and would they like to be included. Most will say yes based on past experiences. You finish up with great, ill send you.an email later today. You then send every email contact the same letter telling them you will be buying from the lowest offer and will give each dealer one chance to beat it. The price must be an out the door price will all sales tax and charges included. So if you brought cash, you would bring exact change. They will either email you a price or call. You go with the lowest one without ever stepping into a store

Like I said, I did this and got close to 3,000 under invoice. One dealer said there was zero way I was geting.it for that price and said it was a lemon. 9 years and 150,000 miles later says otherwise. When we asked the guy we bought from, he said it was worth the loss for him. Never have an anount the bonus was, but Im sure it was at least 50,000.

So there it is in a nutshell. I'm starting my "attack" on wednesday. Maybe.ill keep this updated for my GMC Acadia.

I started my attack on Wednesday calling six dealerships all within an hour drive of my house. I could have added more, but that means fielding more responses and I am a little short for time these days. Maybe I cost myself a better deal, but I was content with six

Just sent out my email to 6 dealerships. Never stepped foot into one of them and I expect to have 6 offers by the end of tomorrow

One guy admitted that he needed two more cars for a huge month and was very aggressive in his questions. Not rudely, but you could tell he wants to sell the car. He said he would come in as the lowest. I guess we will see

I messed up in my initial email blast and noticed quickly that all the dealers were sending me the same two or three cars. That is not what you want so I changed my options real quick. I admitted that I was embarrassed but made a mistake and hoped that they would still be willing to work with me. They all did and went as far as to say it was no issue.

After receiving the new specs, I had an offer from all 6. They were comparable with no one knocking my socks off, but you cant always expect a $3,000 under invoice price like I got last time. I got one price that was about $800 cheaper than the next. It did not have the heated seats as the other did but I didnt mention that at first for the second round of negotiations.

I notified each dealer starting with the most expensive offer that I was going to go with the lowest price. Then they started coming back with lower offers. One dealer cut his price $1,000. There was one salesman who I really thought was working extremely hard to get the sale. I liked him because it seemed like he was making every effort to make me happy. He was texting and calling as well as email. Of course, that is his job but he was doing it well. I really wanted to give him the business but he was $400 off the best price. He came down an extra $200 so the price was $200 off. I could have just gone with him for the $200 but I did tell them that I would go with the lowest price. We negotiated a bit back and forth an I wound up getting him to beat the price by a penny and including all weather mats. The tipping point for me was that the ratings for the two were vastly different. One had a ton of negative ratings while the one I went with was stellar.

The losing salesman called me last night before he checked his email where I thanked him but told him I would not be buying with him. He was bummed because he really gave a great price. He asked why I chose to go with the other dealer at the same price. I was honest and told him while looking at the Internet at reviews, his dealership did not have good ones and we felt more comfortable with the reviews from the dealer we bought from

So I got the 2015 GMC Acadia SLE model with heated seats, AWD and all weather mats for $40,199.99. I have not done an exact cost analysis yet, but I believe it will be about $500-700 or so off invoice.

I never entered a store, I didnt go back and forth on price except with the guy I bought from because I thought he deserved a few chances for his hard work. It took maybe an hour of my time (max 90 minutes and I dont think it was that much) and I did it all from my computer outside of using the phone to make calls. 4/6 dealers never spoke with me again after getting their email.

So I hope people can use this. The one thing I have learned is that you never, never, never want to give them a price. In order to get the best deal, have them compete. Maybe I could have gotten a better deal if I would have chose a different time to purchase, but you cant have remorse like that. I wound up getting the vehicle under invoice and that is all I wanted from the start

 

[FUBAR]

Would this work for used cars as well? Seems there's a greater need to check used cars in person.

 

[AcerFC]

Would this work for used cars as well? Seems there's a greater need to check used cars in person.

same question came up in the Honda thread. Unfortunately it probably does not work for used cars. You can use the same concept, but prices would be all over the place.

You can use it for leasing though

 

[odin33]

When you say invoice, are you talking MSRP (assuming that's what they call the window sticker they put on the car) or the dealerships invoice price (cost to them from manufacturer). If the latter, how did you find this info out?

I know I didn't make the best long term decision when we purchased our last one, and I'd like to not repeat it when I do this again. That and not spend an entire day at the damn dealership. Good lord that was frustrating.

TIA

 

[AcerFC]

When you say invoice, are you talking MSRP (assuming that's what they call the window sticker they put on the car) or the dealerships invoice price (cost to them from manufacturer). If the latter, how did you find this info out?

I know I didn't make the best long term decision when we purchased our last one, and I'd like to not repeat it when I do this again. That and not spend an entire day at the damn dealership. Good lord that was frustrating.

TIA

The invoice and MSRP are different. You are correct above. I found out the information when I purchased the fighting chance package.

 

[odin33]

Nice. Now I see why it's worth dropping the $. Hundreds and sometimes thousands to be saved in that info alone.

Not to give away too much of the purchased sites info, but does the manufacturer sell a particular make/model of car to all dealerships (within a reasonable area) at the same price? I'd have to think the answer is yes, which is the reason for the entire rebate/bonus program. The fat cats get fatter via bonuses by selling more cars and hitting the higher tiered bonuses.

 

[AcerFC]

Nice. Now I see why it's worth dropping the $. Hundreds and sometimes thousands to be saved in that info alone.

Not to give away too much of the purchased sites info, but does the manufacturer sell a particular make/model of car to all dealerships (within a reasonable area) at the same price? I'd have to think the answer is yes, which is the reason for the entire rebate/bonus program. The fat cats get fatter via bonuses by selling more cars and hitting the higher tiered bonuses.

Exactly correct

And that is why you can save huge if a dealer is shooting for a huge bonus. They will sometimes take a loss like in my Subaru example

 

[Nugget]

How do you handle a trade-in with this system?

 

[Tiger Fan]

I've purchased 2 cars using fighting chance, as has a good friend of mine. Fully endorse!

FWIW, someone on the old boards recommended this, and there was a big thread on it...but i'm sure that's gone by now. Someone with good searching skillz might be able to find it and link it

 

[Spin]

TrueCar gives you the factory invoice number for free. Not sure what options you went with/packages etc, but I went through and built what I thought would be close to what options you listed:All weather floormats, towing package, sunroof, heated seats.

And it's listing a factory invoice for $40,551. Can you say if that's close to what the paid website's number was?

TrueCar Link.

 

[RUSF18]

TrueCar gives you the factory invoice number for free. Not sure what options you went with/packages etc, but I went through and built what I thought would be close to what options you listed:All weather floormats, towing package, sunroof, heated seats.

And it's listing a factory invoice for $40,551. Can you say if that's close to what the paid website's number was?

TrueCar Link.

I paid $1500 under what TrueCar reported as the factory invoice on my CR-V, back around the first of the year.

edit: FWIW, I think the price Acer quoted is a total price out the door which isn't the same as what TrueCar gives you.

 

[thecatch]

I recently did the email blast thing and ended up a price on the exact car I wanted at a price no other dealership would touch. Not sure exactly how much off invoice that was but I'm guessing I got a pretty good deal based on the universal lack of interest on matching it. I did the whole thing myself and the entire process took maybe two hours over a week span. If people are paying for a service to do the same thing I'm not sure why.

Used cars are a different story. It's really hard to get an apples to apples price comparison so you sort of need to get into the mud going back and forth with the sales person in my experience.

 

[Das Boot]

:blackcardot:

 

[Nugget]

TrueCar gives you the factory invoice number for free. Not sure what options you went with/packages etc, but I went through and built what I thought would be close to what options you listed:All weather floormats, towing package, sunroof, heated seats.

And it's listing a factory invoice for $40,551. Can you say if that's close to what the paid website's number was?

TrueCar Link.

I just built the Ford Edge I am getting next month. The MSRP was the same and the invoice price was off by $10.24. I'd say it is pretty close - at least for Ford.

 

[AcerFC]

TrueCar gives you the factory invoice number for free. Not sure what options you went with/packages etc, but I went through and built what I thought would be close to what options you listed:All weather floormats, towing package, sunroof, heated seats.

And it's listing a factory invoice for $40,551. Can you say if that's close to what the paid website's number was?

TrueCar Link.

I see rusf said it, but my price of 40,199 was after taxes, fees and DMV stuff added in. So I got the actual car for around high 36,000

 

[AcerFC]

It was worth the $40 for me to get the form letter and exact numbers. If you feel confident without it, awesome.

 

[AcerFC]

I got three emails back saying how informed I was.

 

[Spin]

TrueCar gives you the factory invoice number for free. Not sure what options you went with/packages etc, but I went through and built what I thought would be close to what options you listed:All weather floormats, towing package, sunroof, heated seats.

And it's listing a factory invoice for $40,551. Can you say if that's close to what the paid website's number was?

TrueCar Link.

I see rusf said it, but my price of 40,199 was after taxes, fees and DMV stuff added in. So I got the actual car for around high 36,000

It seems worth it alone just for the hour(s) saved sitting at the dealership.

 

[[icon]]

My folks did this with a Lexus LS430.... ended up buying from Atlanta (they live in Memphis) and had the car shipped up for a price that was thousands less than what the local dealer could touch. He was quite an ### about the whole process, saying there was no way they'd get the car for that price, talking trash about the other dealiership..etc.

 

[17seconds]

Should you time the emails for a certain time of the month or year?

 

[AcerFC]

My folks did this with a Lexus LS430.... ended up buying from Atlanta (they live in Memphis) and had the car shipped up for a price that was thousands less than what the local dealer could touch. He was quite an ### about the whole process, saying there was no way they'd get the car for that price, talking trash about the other dealiership..etc.

same exact thing happened with my subaru.

 

[AcerFC]

Should you time the emails for a certain time of the month or year?

yes, they talk about it in the package. You want to avoid weekends and do it with a few days left in the month. Tigerfan says end of the year is a good time as well.

 

[Spin]

I always heard that end of May was the best time. So buy now.

 

[FUBAR]

When you say invoice, are you talking MSRP (assuming that's what they call the window sticker they put on the car) or the dealerships invoice price (cost to them from manufacturer). If the latter, how did you find this info out?

I know I didn't make the best long term decision when we purchased our last one, and I'd like to not repeat it when I do this again. That and not spend an entire day at the damn dealership. Good lord that was frustrating.

TIA

Same. We were new in the area, wife really wanted a new mini-van, had an exact make and model, and it had to be the current year. Of course, it was hard to find that exact MV in the timeline she wanted (I was about to leave for a while). Then we took the four kids to the dealership where she dealt with the kids after saying in front of the salesman "I really want that car!" we basically did everything wrong and gave the dealership all of the power.

They of course pull the "we don't have the exact extras she wants but we have this one vehicle now" line (she wanted a DVD player and a few other things). We had done the research and knew the price we should pay, so we didn't get completely fleeced but we didn't get the best deal. any attempt to negotiate / walk away was either a bluff or going to get me in trouble with the wife.

We'll never do that again.

We won't be buying another car for a few years, probably 3-4, when my oldest turns 16. He'll get my highlander which will probably have over 175k miles on it, and I'll get a mid-life crisis convertible.

 

[FUBAR]

Should you time the emails for a certain time of the month or year?

yes, they talk about it in the package. You want to avoid weekends and do it with a few days left in the month. Tigerfan says end of the year is a good time as well.

do most dealerships work on the calendar year or a different fiscal year?

 

[Nugget]

Calendar year. Week between Christmas and New Years is traditionally the best.

 

[Payne]

Wait, there are still people who DON'T do this?? This is the way to go without question.

As far as trading in a vehicle. I handle that aspect AFTER the new car is agreed upon.

My dad taught me that back in the early 90's. NEVER bring up a trade until after you negotiate the new vehicle.

Tell them you're going to sell it. Then, after new vehicle is agreed upon, change your mind.

However, now that you can use this method, you can use a trade as a negotiation tool.

But I would only suggest doing so when you're near the end of finalizing the new vehicle.

One dealer may offer $1,000 more and that could be the difference maker.

 

[Brony]

Those buying used might want to check out beepi.com. They are new start-up and act as a matchmaker between buyer and seller and sell everything virtually. They have a mechanic do a certification of any used vehicle and it gets delivered to your house. As they have no salespeople or physical presence, their cost structure is much much lower than traditional B&M.

 

[higgins]

 

[Dentist]

Wait, there are still people who DON'T do this?? This is the way to go without question.

you're joking right? I'd say maybe 1-2% of people do it like this.

The other 98% either aren't savvy, don't care, won't bother, or don't even know what type of a car they want when they goto the lot.

Or they are forced into buying a car quickly (thus losing a lot of negotiation power) due to a wreck, theft, or unforseen incident.

Now, i think consumers are slowly getting better and adopting things like the Costco auto program or Truecar... so the word is getting out, but it's very slow.

It's no different than the raping that 98% of people take from the financial services industry because they won't bother reading a couple books on personal finance and investing.

If doing something requires either effort or reading or math.. most people aren't going to do it.

 

[Ned]

Those buying used might want to check out beepi.com. They are new start-up and act as a matchmaker between buyer and seller and sell everything virtually. They have a mechanic do a certification of any used vehicle and it gets delivered to your house. As they have no salespeople or physical presence, their cost structure is much much lower than traditional B&M.

 

[belljr]

Do you guys at least drive the cars before you buy them?

 

[fasteddie_21]

 

[Tiger Fan]

Do you guys at least drive the cars before you buy them?

Yes - the step outlined in the OP is after you know which make/model you want. Presumably you have driven the make/model before deciding.

 

[belljr]

You can get good deals also in September if you buy the current year model as the new ones are now out

 

[Johnny Rock]

Dealer Invoice doesn't mean what it used to mean but pitting dealers against each other to "give me your lowest price" for an apples to apples comparison is how I do it too.

 

[krista4]

Those buying used might want to check out beepi.com. They are new start-up and act as a matchmaker between buyer and seller and sell everything virtually. They have a mechanic do a certification of any used vehicle and it gets delivered to your house. As they have no salespeople or physical presence, their cost structure is much much lower than traditional B&M.

Anyone here used this? I'm intrigued. We need a high-clearance car I can beat up on the way to trailheads, so I'm looking for used and am at a bit of a loss on how best to approach it.

 

[VA703]

Those buying used might want to check out beepi.com. They are new start-up and act as a matchmaker between buyer and seller and sell everything virtually. They have a mechanic do a certification of any used vehicle and it gets delivered to your house. As they have no salespeople or physical presence, their cost structure is much much lower than traditional B&M.

Anyone here used this? I'm intrigued. We need a high-clearance car I can beat up on the way to trailheads, so I'm looking for used and am at a bit of a loss on how best to approach it.

Just checked it out. It's only in limited areas west coast iirc

 

[krista4]

Those buying used might want to check out beepi.com. They are new start-up and act as a matchmaker between buyer and seller and sell everything virtually. They have a mechanic do a certification of any used vehicle and it gets delivered to your house. As they have no salespeople or physical presence, their cost structure is much much lower than traditional B&M.

Anyone here used this? I'm intrigued. We need a high-clearance car I can beat up on the way to trailheads, so I'm looking for used and am at a bit of a loss on how best to approach it.

Just checked it out. It's only in limited areas west coast iirc

Yeah, just chatted with them. Would work for me but not a lot of people. They will deliver for free in CA, TX and AZ and for $999 in WA, OR and NV.

 

[squidrope]

:blackcardot:

 

[chauncey]

Those buying used might want to check out beepi.com. They are new start-up and act as a matchmaker between buyer and seller and sell everything virtually. They have a mechanic do a certification of any used vehicle and it gets delivered to your house. As they have no salespeople or physical presence, their cost structure is much much lower than traditional B&M.

They have a nice selection of late model low mileage cars. Are they cars that were leased previously?

That Alpina B7 is sick. I was behind an older Alpina today and wasn't sure what I was looking at, had never heard of them before.

 

[cstu]

Those buying used might want to check out beepi.com. They are new start-up and act as a matchmaker between buyer and seller and sell everything virtually. They have a mechanic do a certification of any used vehicle and it gets delivered to your house. As they have no salespeople or physical presence, their cost structure is much much lower than traditional B&M.

They have a nice selection of late model low mileage cars. Are they cars that were leased previously?

That Alpina B7 is sick. I was behind an older Alpina today and wasn't sure what I was looking at, had never heard of them before.

I like that B7 but 44k miles is a lot for a 2012.

You can get a 2011 with only 6,700 miles for $63k.

 

[skol asylum]

 

[Doctor Detroit]

:se####inghorn:

 

[AcerFC]

No one buy a new car on the same day you want your favorite team to win a game 7. It does not bring luck, especially if you drive said vehicle to the game

 

[BobBobby]

Anyone want to rate how I did.

I used this strategy over the weekend and bought a brand new kia optima turbo sxl for 29,000(trade in included) off the lot price.

I was able to get 4,000 trade in for my 2002 camero. Car max offered me 500 and the most I could get from any competing dealers was 1,000.

Msrp on the car is 36,000

Dealer invoice was 33,000

The second best offer was 30,500(trade in included) off the lot pricr for the sx turbo with nav and sun roof.

 

[AcerFC]

Sounds like you got it exactly at invoice so good deal

Did you buy the package? How many dealers did you contact?

 

[BobBobby]

I did not buy the package. Was able to find that info online. I called around 8-10. Only 4 were willing to negotiate seriously.

 

[Mr. Ected]

Ok, so someone in the Honda Pilot thread suggested I start a new thread about this. That thread is here

I use a site called Fighting Chance (fightingchance.com)

Here is the basic premise (stolen from other thread)

...

So I hope people can use this. The one thing I have learned is that you never, never, never want to give them a price. In order to get the best deal, have them compete. Maybe I could have gotten a better deal if I would have chose a different time to purchase, but you cant have remorse like that. I wound up getting the vehicle under invoice and that is all I wanted from the start

What do you do if you are unsure of what make/model that you want to buy? You need to go around and do some test drives. My father is going to buy a car, and he has a hard time getting past the 'pushiness' of the sales guys. When he bought his last car, it was used and they used the 'this is the last one we have, you better buy it now' approach, and he bought it without looking around much. This time he is going new, so he should be able to walk away easier and do the rest remotely.

 

[AcerFC]

Ok, so someone in the Honda Pilot thread suggested I start a new thread about this. That thread is here

I use a site called Fighting Chance (fightingchance.com)

Here is the basic premise (stolen from other thread)

...

So I hope people can use this. The one thing I have learned is that you never, never, never want to give them a price. In order to get the best deal, have them compete. Maybe I could have gotten a better deal if I would have chose a different time to purchase, but you cant have remorse like that. I wound up getting the vehicle under invoice and that is all I wanted from the start

What do you do if you are unsure of what make/model that you want to buy? You need to go around and do some test drives. My father is going to buy a car, and he has a hard time getting past the 'pushiness' of the sales guys. When he bought his last car, it was used and they used the 'this is the last one we have, you better buy it now' approach, and he bought it without looking around much. This time he is going new, so he should be able to walk away easier and do the rest remotely.

Yes, test driving would be your best bet. They actually talk about how to deal with the test drive in the material they send over.