The Nonconfrontational Path to Car Buying

Edmunds.com

The Nonconfrontational Path to Car Buying

Edmunds.com compares the aggressive game theory approach to buying a new car with a less confrontational method.

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indiana_bob1

I went with an Uncle (horse trader from eastern Kentucky) who at a dealership asked the Rep for some cards to give to friends. In the car he wrote down a MUCH lower price on the card and went to another dealer and asked them to match; they did.

Also, while the internet is good to do research, I also go to dealers on Sunday when they are closed and you can see the cars in person.

thfrazer

C'mon Edmunds! If you're going to educate the masses then at least provide more options than your own. I suggest people look at the Fighting Chance concept. I've used it and it worked very well with no time spent at the dealerships. I'll leave it to the reader to find this on the internet.

manoja

I would add a few changes to this approach:

1. Contact dealers by email instead of phone calls. emails take less time and you get it clear and in writing from dealer.

2. Ask the dealer to send you the invoice of the car, to avoid any confusions. Ask for the documentation, DMV and any other fees.

3. Once you get the best price, give other dealers a chance to beat that by letting them know the best price you have got.

ivank2139

I can count the number of times I had a positive experience buying a car on one hand. This guide will help a lot in making my future efforts less painful.

My last mistake was not going back to the same guys that did give me a good deal on a car I bought for my wife. I ended up paying more for my truck at another dealer when the the previous guys would have offered up a much better deal.

hydiesel

I have tried several times to get a price on a Toyota Prius. Never have they threw me a price. I think if they can't give me a price, I will just skip their product. My last GMC truck was a done deal before I set foot in the dealer showroom.

jayrobert

I've been on both sides buying a car and working for dealers and brokers (internet sales). There's a couple of good tips but from a realistic POV this is the way to go.

Decide on the exact car you want.
Compute how much your time is worth. Best customers range from plumbers, electricians, doctors, attorneys and everything in between.

Go to the national site for the manufacturer (Amer. Honda, Volvo North America etc). Check out the specials they are running.
Read the fine print.

Do the same thing for your local dealer as they may have better
specials. If you're leasing or financing, submit the credit appl through their site and see if you're approved and what rate.
Tier One 720 - 765 qnd up; Tier two 650- 720 etc. Do it with one dealer only, otherwise your credit gets dinged every time it's run.

The way to get the best deal is on the financing or leasing.
If the dealers loan is competitive or $3.00 more per month go with them. Paying cash for a car means nothing and will work against you.

Once you know you qualify on the dealer or the national specials
Speak with the fleet or internet manager. Confirm that the car is there and get the VIN. Now the hard concept... put a deposit
down to hold that car. Most states it's refundable. Get to the dealer asap.

Another hard concept...you now have the car on hold with the
finance special in place, do not nickel and dime them. Go there and buy the car. "Sometimes the cheapest deal is not the best deal."

It is OK for the salesman to make a commission and support his family.

Do it the above way, get to the dealer and get out in 90 mins or less. Done. No aggravation. No back and forth. And don't let your idiot neighbor, cousin, friend, whatever tell you that he could have gotten it cheaper if you just drove two hours.

I started by saying figure what your time is worth. The more time you waste calling all over, running around, trying to save one hundred dollars on a $25,000 car, the less valuable your time is worth.

Once you call in your deposit on that special deal and get the VIN number, show up and... another hard concept...don't nickel and dime them because that special quote is now gone.

FYI I don't play games. When I'm selling cars, in the fleet or the internet dept, the price I quote is the lowest and firm and I don't negotiate. My time is too valuable to do it any other way.

jessamyn

I am a car sales person who is just trying to make a living. I just want to do my job. If you want a hassle free car buying experience try being nice to a salesman, and find a sales person you can trust to do what is in your best interests- both of your best interests.

Some of us are good people who are just trying to do our job, support our families, and pay our bills. Please, give me a chance to prove myself instead of hating me the instant I say hello.

The definition of a good deal is making both sides of the table happy.

moemoe455

@Jessamyn, I totally agree with you. Don't let all the bad things that you read on the internet make you automatically hate the Sales Person. We all have a job and a family to support. Give that person a chance before hating him or her.

cz_75

I just spent my time playing dealers against each other until I got as low as I thought I could get from three different dealers and took the two closest to me to check out their deals in person on the Honda I wanted.

One rubbed me the wrong way and low-balled me on my trade (also rubbing me wrong) as well as having the vehicle I wanted with a bunch of add-ons I didn't want and told them to remove (sunroof visor, pin stripes) as well as having a couple hundred miles on the odometer. The other also wanted to low-ball me on trade, but capitulated on the offer, had two of what I wanted w/ no gimmicks added and got the sale.

I might have done a few hundred better even, had I wanted to play harder, since the previous dealer called back a couple days later wanting to make a deal, but I didn't trust them, didn't want to drive back 25 miles and thought their car was a little rough for my taste versus getting one that had 4 miles on the odometer when I test drove it.

I will never go to the dealer in person to do my negotiations when I can get 95% of the deal done at home. I also learned that having finance before you go is good piece of mind and helps get the dealer to try to find a better offer, though I would only take finance offered through the manufacturer to avoid possible gotchas from 3rd party finance companies and the dealers who are benefiting from steering you toward them.

tom34491

Ihave used a form of this for years with great success. In my last purchase I needed a four wheel drive Honda Pilot. Not having much success in Florida I called and E-mailed competing dealers in Kansas City where I visit several times a year. Worked like a charm.
Know exactly what you want and have all the KBB info on your trade for the area you are shopping in printed, current, and in hand.
Watch to see what cars are going into rental fleets as this usually means that model is not selling too well and much larger factory incentive are available to the dealers.
Tom Hartman