Since 2012 I've bought 4 new cars and I've used this method each time. I go to autotrader.com and just above 'search' click on 'advanced search' and select however far you're willing to drive. I usually select 75 miles, the four purchases I made were in Winter Haven, Clermont, Leesburg and Sanford. This way your getting dealer prices from leesburg, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa/St. Pete and everywhere in between.
Select the brand, model, new or used, if used how many miles, transmission, the colors you prefer, engine size, and options like leather, etc. Then hit search and you'll see your choices with the prices. Generally a dealer will have an online salesman who photo will pop up and you can talk to him.
The first one I bought this way was a 2013 Hyundai Veloster Turbo with automatic in October 2012 from Red Hoagland Hyundai in Winter Haven, about a 90 minute drive. The list price was $23,925. Next I go to Kelly Blue Book KBB.com and see how much I should pay. I then also enter my trade to see how much I should get.
Now armed with this info, I spoke to the online salesman on the website about the Veloster. He took the phone and walked out to the car and answered any questions I had. I told him I'll be there in less than 2 hours and to hold it, if possible.
When I got there, I took a test drive and then asked the salesman what was his best price, he said 23,000, I told him I wasn't paying more than $22,600 that was the KBB price. Then I asked about my car since the appraiser had driven it, and they said they would give me $16,000. I told them, I wanted $16,500 and we have a deal, five minutes later he said, you have a deal.
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Kelley Blue Book | New and Used Car Price Values, Expert Car Reviews
Here was the car, it was a great little car. I kept it 4-1/2 years and 30,000 miles. It was 201 HP Turbo, of which most Velosters on the road are not turbos, but the sluggish 138 hp engine. That's one reason I had to search, Jenkins of Ocala called a week after I bought the car to say they had a turbo in stock but wanted almost $25,000 for it.
The last car I bought was a 2018 Hyundai Kona, and after I found the car I wanted on autotrader.com, I then went to the dealer's website, Hyundai of Central Florida in Clermont. Their much more aggressive and list their best prices on their website with no dealer fees, no prep fees, no dealer accessories. I stopped at Jenkins in Leesburg, simply because they were on the way and wanted to see a Kona in person since they were new. While there I got their best price and went onto Clermont. The difference by driving to Clermont was $3400 cheaper. It's the out the door price that matters. Even though Jenkins offered $500 more for my trade and gave me a veterans discount, their price plus my trade-in was $3600. In Clermont their price with my trade was only $200 out of my pocket and since sales tax is calculated on the difference, that was much cheaper, only $14 for sales tax.
