[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by geofitz13

Allow me to play devil's advocate. People refer to "sticker price." It is actually "Manufacturer's SUGGESTED Retail Price." It is also called the "Monroney sticker", after the legislator who introduced the law in congress. The idea was to attempt to level the playing field, where a standard price for each model is shown, as a starting point. Before the Monroney law, sellers could quote any price that popped into their heads. Note that is it a suggested price. Why is it acceptable for a consumer to demand a discount, but condemn a dealer who asks for more? It is all based on supply and demand. Pick the car you want. Determine what you want to pay, including all taxes, registration and any accessories or add ons. If you can swing the deal, good for you. If you cannot, it's obviously because your price was too low. Dealers do not walk away from deals if there is a profit. Do not take it personally, it is a transaction, and if it is good for both parties, it will be completed. If it does not satisfy both parties, there is no deal.

I agree with most of what you say, except that the sticker price law has been compromised by manufacturers using rebates. When a car has a rebate, they have effectively changed the MSRP. Almost all cars sold now have some kind of rebate, so you cannot really compare car prices by just looking at the window sticker.