Tried this years ago on a new car purchase: Wrote down exactly what I wanted on a sheet of paper and made several copies. Went to competing car dealers and had them write their best and final quote on the paper and put it in a envelope. Did not open the envelope or discuss the price while at the dealer, letting them know that I would be doing the same at their competition. When I got all the quotes together, I opened them and went with the low bidder. There was a least a thousand dollar difference between the lowest and highest quote. "Sales skills" never came into play. They had one shot to make the deal.

With all due respect, in my opinion, asking a dealer to write down their best price will never get you their lowest price. They will not compete with other dealers in that way. You need to make the dealer a firm, take it or leave it offer, and convince them that you are leaving forever if they don't accept it. A thousand dollar difference in prices is not enough. Most vehicles can be purchased for $2,000 to $4,000 less than what an uninformed buyer will usually pay.

If I'm in the market for a car, it's because - I need a car. They have what I need, they have the House advantage. They don't need MY money - another customer will come along and buy the car, and they don't have to go anywhere to get the customer. If I try playing games too hard with a dealer, they'll just say no, and then I have to waste time and energy and try my patience going to another dealership, and start the process all over again, at my expense.

I'll -probably- end up getting my replacement car in Ocala, because dealerships near The Villages have pretty much a monopoly and can "fee" you to death and there's nothing you can do about it. Except to drive far away to a dealership that doesn't have a monopoly.

True. If you need a car, you probably won't get a good deal. It's best to buy a car before you actually need a car, unless you can convince the dealer that you don't need a car. It's easy to deal with the fees, just say no. That is why I set the price, not the dealer. They can take it or leave it. When you do it that way, there are no bogus fees because you don't even discuss them. But, I don't agree that another customer will buy the car. The dealer can always replace the car to sell to another customer.

I agree with this. The salesman knows that making the deal with someone already in the store is much easier than making a deal with an, as yet, non-existent customer.

Years ago, when internet was fairly new, some dealers started adding online sales reps. These guys sold by volume, not commission. You could go online, get the best price very quickly and be done with it. This model didn't last long. I helped my mom buy a car this way. I was expecting that to be the end of the dealership model. Unfortunately, the next time I went to buy a car, the internet sales model was gone. I did make a deal online, but when I got the the stealership they still tried to pull a bunch of crap and take away discounts I had been offered online.

What fascinates me the most about these ridiculous threads about the "techniques" used by TV's all knowing experts on how to buy an automobile, seems to fly right out the window, when it comes to discussing how to buy a golf cart.

Everyone seems so quick to defend the on-campus golf cart sellers, because they're convenient and will provide "after the sale support" and then go on to justify the $4000-$5000 premium you have to pay for that convenience.

Folks will spend weeks, trying to find a way to save $500 when they buy a $50,000 automobile (1%), but they're perfectly willing to "do business locally" and pay $22,000 for a $17,000 golf cart, because of the "convenience factor" of buying on campus.

The next time one you experts needs service on your golf cart or need to buy a new cart, try your "system" at Village Golf Carts and see how it works out for you.

Everyone seems to understand the supply & demand dynamic and the realities of "services" when it comes to golf carts, but common sense flies right out the window when talking about automobiles.

I don't know about years ago, but, most dealers have an internet sales department. But, it is mostly a scam. The first thing they want is your phone number so they can call you and ask you to come in to test drive a car. Most of them won't give you an "out-the-door" price over the internet. So, you really cannot close the deal. It is mostly a way to get potential buyers to visit the dealership.

I don't know much about buying a golf cart, but when buying an automobile, an uninformed buyer will typically pay about $3,000 to $4,000 more than an informed buyer. I highly recommend researching the vehicle's fair value on KBB.com and Edmunds.com before visiting a dealership. And, be aware of bogus dealer fees and add-ons that all dealers try to con you into paying for.

My guess is those same people you referenced will be the same people attending the Travel Show at Brownwood!

If I could afford to get a car before I needed one, I wouldn't waste a moment haggling. I'd pick out the car, tell them "wrap it up, here's the check" and drive on out with it. Time is money. The more time I take in the process of acquiring what I want, the more money I've already spent before ever acquiring it.

I tell them what I'm looking for. I tell them what I have available to spend. They can match me up with a car I want in the budget I set, or they can say they don't have such a thing on their lot. That way no one is wasting anyone's time.

Classic example of one playing chess and the other playing checkers. I can guarantee that any dealer or salesperson that is reading this ......is reacting to it the same way they react to a Sebastian Maniscalco comedy special on Netflix. Please post a YouTube video next time you go to a dealer and.....A. ‘Convince the dealer you’re there...but don’t really need a car’ B. Tell them , ‘that’s the price...take it or leave it’. I guarantee the responses will go viral! Smh

FWIW, three years ago, I had what I consider a good experience that started with contacting dealers over the internet. In today's world, I don't know what would happen, but I'd try it again. I posted about it here... Talk of The Villages post... click here.

P.S. I'm still driving my 2010 Scion.

No, Herb is about 25th in the USA. We're Top 100, but not in Herb's world.

You’re client is clearly proof that patterns described here of....potential clients walking out or telling their sales team to ‘take it or leave it’....wouldn’t be on the path to 30M upgrades. The days of ‘what’s it gonna take to put you behind the wheel of this car today’ sales people are memorialized in Robin Williams movies

So I also watched the complete video and they talked about his car he's presently driving but nothing about trade.:shrug:

He didn't say, but maybe he'll sell it himself.

Another thing to remember.
The price you want to spend for the car you want, you better be dam sure that price is possibly for any dealer to meet.
To do that takes a lot of research on your part.