Buting a new car

[ADMIRALSTOCKDALE]

what is the rule of thumb in negotiating a new car purchase, no trade in. is there a 'sticker minus x' formula?
it would seem sellers are at the mercy of buyers these days, but i wanted to hear some strategy from you a-holes...

 

[riloh05]

I have helped several posters negotiate their car deal and they seem pretty pleased with my results. If you would like feel free to email me [email protected]

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Don't negotiate from the sticker price at all. Use the cost to the dealer and work your way up.

 

[ADMIRALSTOCKDALE]

great - i'll email you...

how do you find out the cost to the dealer?

 

[riloh05]

I work indirectly with the automotive industry and know the margines and costs of cars. I am usually able to save 1k-5k more than a seasoned car buyer depending on make and model.

 

[KS1866]

I'm curious - some of my friends in the car business told me that employee pricing was about as good as you can expect to do. True?

 

[brntorng]

Consumer Reports offers an inexpensive new car buying service that will provide you with the dealer cost, etc, so you know exactly what your baseline negotiating position needs to be.

 

[riloh05]

no- to the employee pricing.

 

[HornBud]

edmunds.com is a great way to find dealer cost.

The reason you never negotiate from sticker down is that many dealers attach addendum stickers on the car bumping the MSRP from a grand to even much higher for new hot vehicles.

 

[Hou-Tex Horn]

Let me simplify, I bought a new suburban in March (should have waited a few months...wish I had a crystal ball). I looked up the invoice price on kbb.com and then found one at a dealership via chevy.com with the options I wanted. I then called and asked to talk to a sales manager. I told him which suburban from his inventory I wanted and what I would pay...

Invoice was 47000
Dealer Holdback was -1500
Dealer Profit was +300
Price was the sum total.

He accepted on the phone and I picked it up that afternoon. I understand that this type of car may have a different outcome than another, but my rule of thumb for a car (note: I've only ever bought american) is that you should never pay more than a few hundred dollars north or south of the invoice price.

 

[riloh05]

Dealers may have more than one invoice... I know a dealer that has 3 invoices- the one you see, the one his sales people see, and the one from the factory.

 

[HornBud]

^^ That's why you use Edmunds

 

[EuroHorn]

I used this site and it was very good. Even has a spreadsheet to download to figure out true cost. Just go to the buying new car section and read the chapters.
The Link

 

[TheFied]

We just bought a new Honda CRV last week. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is be willing to shop in bigger markets (San Antonio, Houston, Dallas). Austin is more of a sellers market based on our experience with Howdy Honda vs. Gunn Honda in SA (which is where we bought it).

 

[zzzz]

I'm pretty sure there's a hefty fine if you get caught buting a new car.