[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by zendog3

Some car dealers post the price on the window. Others expect you to haggle. Florida seems to be one of these places where haggling is expected. (Don't believe you can haggle better than the dealer. They are pros at it and you are an amateur.) I believe the best way to get a fair price without the hassle of haggling is to do everything on the internet. Do the reviews and all that business first. Know the car you want. You might even go to the lot and do a test drive. But DON'T take their IF I CAN, WILL YOU... deal. Don't believe them when they tell you, you can only get this great price if you buy before you leave.

Then go home and call one or two dealers. Tell them what you want and ask them the price. They won't want to name a price, but if you tell them you are talking to another dealer and want the price before you come in, they willl name their best fair price. Then go in and don't leave paying more than the internet price you got on the phone.

I don't believe you will ever get a dealer to tell you their best price on the phone or on the internet. You need to calculate the price using a third party estimation, present it to the dealer as an out-the-door, "take it or leave it" offer, and be prepared to leave if they don't accept your offer. Even if you leave, they will probably call you back and accept it. But, a dealer will never present their lowest price to you. You need to present it to them.

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by PennBF

I screwed up in a couple of ways on this one and after buying cars for the last 60+ years you would think I would know better.

Hey, don't feel bad.

The dealers do this every day but we are amateurs who buy a car once every few years. They know all our tricks.

[LianneMigiano]

We leased our 2013 Hyundai Accent in 2012 and were charged $699. dealer fee on our printed out cost sheet. We loved the car so much that at the end of the lease we decided to buy it. They charged us the same dealer fee ALL OVER AGAIN!!!! P.S. We still have the car because we still love it.

[Art cov]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I don't believe you will ever get a dealer to tell you their best price on the phone or on the internet. You need to calculate the price using a third party estimation, present it to the dealer as an out-the-door, "take it or leave it" offer, and be prepared to leave if they don't accept your offer. Even if you leave, they will probably call you back and accept it. But, a dealer will never present their lowest price to you. You need to present it to them.

Yes sir! This was my experience, I done the 3 car lot thing, got all out the door prices. They all said absolutely this is the bottom line! I worked at it hard. Then got the phone calls from each one and the amounts got lower. As they knew I was buying. After all the haggling ( I found this to be fun) finally I went to the lowest bid after all the talk. Got cash and went straight to the General managers office and put $ 40,000 cash on his desk. He didn’t know who I was or what this was about. I told him my story and told him the salesmen came up with a price of 41500 out the door. After a few days of haggling with 3 lots involved in my purchase. 4 men standing around me at this time. I then said, are you taking that for that truck or are you making me walk? He said to one of the guys “ get his paperwork and process it through! In an hour I drove away in a new crew cab 4x4. You got to have guts to win! It took 4 days but BINGO!!! Ended up being $3000 cheaper then the other 2 lowest prices. This I’m sure wouldn’t work on a Prius or little car on that amount but it worked on a big truck. I’m now ready to do it again. Last week of December is a good time

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by Art cov

Yes sir! This was my experience, I done the 3 car lot thing, got all out the door prices. They all said absolutely this is the bottom line! I worked at it hard. Then got the phone calls from each one and the amounts got lower. As they knew I was buying. After all the haggling ( I found this to be fun) finally I went to the lowest bid after all the talk. Got cash and went straight to the General managers office and put $ 40,000 cash on his desk. He didn’t know who I was or what this was about. I told him my story and told him the salesmen came up with a price of 41500 out the door. After a few days of haggling with 3 lots involved in my purchase. 4 men standing around me at this time. I then said, are you taking that for that truck or are you making me walk? He said to one of the guys “ get his paperwork and process it through! In an hour I drove away in a new crew cab 4x4. You got to have guts to win! It took 4 days but BINGO!!! Ended up being $3000 cheaper then the other 2 lowest prices. This I’m sure wouldn’t work on a Prius or little car on that amount but it worked on a big truck. I’m now ready to do it again. Last week of December is a good time

How do you withdraw or present $40,000 cash without the Feds crawling all over you?

[jchase]

Not true retired guy, I bought a new Dodge Challenger over the Internet/phone from Greenway Dodge in Orlando. When I got there the priced never changed. $9,000 off sticker. Didn’t believe it either until the deal was done. Great people to deal with.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

How do you withdraw or present $40,000 cash without the Feds crawling all over you?

Any transaction of $10,000 or more must be reported to the IRS. But, as long as it is legal money, you shouldn't have a problem.

[Art cov]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

How do you withdraw or present $40,000 cash without the Feds crawling all over you?

I had sold a car the week before with pictures of signed title and bill of sale. The general manager counted the money right there. No problem n no questions asked. Lo it wasn’t in the freezer! If anyone can, go through the process of selling your vehicle. It’s hard sometimes to deal with but you can save thousands. That’s where dealerships make money! Used cars and the garage is what keeps them in business. Unless people don’t know the fun of haggling

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by jchase

Not true retired guy, I bought a new Dodge Challenger over the Internet/phone from Greenway Dodge in Orlando. When I got there the priced never changed. $9,000 off sticker. Didn’t believe it either until the deal was done. Great people to deal with.

I am not saying that they won't honor the price they give you on the phone. But, I think you can get the best price by presenting an offer to the dealer in person and making them believe that, if they don't accept your offer, they cannot sell you the car. When I make an offer, I am very polite, I give them 15 minutes, I refuse to sit in their office, and they know that, if they don't accept the offer, I will be gone. It's not easy for most people to do, but it has worked for me several times.

[Andyb]

Dealer prep is just another word for more profit

[txfan]

I start at invoice - not MSRP - and work from there. Any “add ons” come off. Then I ask for the “hold back” number. Every car has it. I offer to split it. That’s where they make their profit.

If both sides are happy at that point, we’ll make the deal.

Obviously timing is a huge motivator with dealers, so almost never buy a car when you need one. You must be willing to walk away, or pay more.

I once told a sales rep, “If you sell me a car, you will have earned whatever they pay you.” When I drove out in the truck, all he said was, “you were right.”

[PennBF]

Some thing. I wanted to add to this stream of great comments. I agree with the point to not buy extended warranties. Without going into detail I have significant experience in that area and in most cases the profit is about 90% when you purchase it. There are a couple of cases where it may be a good idea but car's and TV's are usually not one of them. They already have at least a year or more from the Manufacturer and how many TV's have gone bust in the first year? But they still carry a Manufacturer's Warranty for that period. In some cases the employee who is able to sell the extended warranty receives either a big thanks or allegedly a reward?

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

How do you withdraw or present $40,000 cash without the Feds crawling all over you?

$40k cash is a bigger pain for the dealer than a $40k cashier's check.

Throwing cash on a desk is not impressive.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

$40k cash is a bigger pain for the dealer than a $40k cashier's check.

Throwing cash on a desk is not impressive.

Only if the dealer follows the law. A few months ago, a friend was able to buy an expensive ring from a "reputable" Villages jeweler at a huge discount, but only if he paid in cash. I was very surprised by that.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Only if the dealer follows the law. A few months ago, a friend was able to buy an expensive ring from a "reputable" Villages jeweler at a huge discount, but only if he paid in cash. I was very surprised by that.

Some people would rather not pay taxes