So I’m about to drive a long way to get a car tomorrow. They said they don’t settle on final price over the phone but gave me a highball estimate of $56K, telling me there’s room to negotiate. I said thanks, I might call you back and hung up. Then a different person called me back acting like they didn’t know I already called like they got it through the website I was perusing. Who knows. So I think they do wanna sell this car.
The MSRP of this car is I believe $44K something and the invoice price $42K something, but you know, its a highly desirable car, and pandemic and all that, blah blah, so I guess these places figure they mark these cars high and try to take you for all your worth.
What I’d like to know is, since they already know I drove a long way for a $56K highball offer, how much should I initially counter offer? I know I could go down but I don’t know how far. Is there any “rule” to how low they’d probably go? Truth be told I probably would pay $50K or thereabouts for the car, but if I can do any better than that, I would like it of course. When should I walk? Since it’s a long ways a way, if I do walk, I won’t be coming back. What strategies should I use?
Are we talking about a dealership? The last 3 times I bought a new car, I had a firm price by email before I set foot in the dealership. I wouldn’t make the trip if they won’t give you a price.
My strategy, such as it is, is not to do business with people who won’t answer simple questions with straightforward answers and who do jerkish things like have multiple people ‘cold calling’ to supposedly give you a better deal than the last guy. If this is the kind of nonsense they’re pulling on you over the phone, imagine what they will do when you’ve driven “a long way” and are highly motivated to make a deal even if it isn’t most favorable to you.
Also, are they really giving you a “highball estimate” that is nearly 30% over MSRP? Do they think you are terminally stupid or just pathetically gullible? That is a serious question because anyone could do as you have clearly done and do the basic research to figure out what the MSRP and ‘list price’ (which I am morally certain is not what the dealer is actually paying), realizing that these people are expecting to let someone negotiate them down to a ‘deal’ that is still many thousands over list. Even if this particular vehicle is selling over list, they should at least expect that you can do the research to figure out what a ‘fair market’ price is and come in just enough above it that you can nibble down a bit, not >$5k over.
Then you have to wonder what kind of nonsensical horseshit they are going to pull on you once you’re in the store or after you’ve agreed to purchase the car to convince you to part with more cash just to get on the road because I can almost guarantee they’ll run them “Oh, the car doesn’t come with floor mats or windshield wipers; those are another dealer option that you’ll have to pay through the nose for.”
Fuck these people. Don’t give their shitty sales-scamming behavior your business. Buy somewhere else that doesn’t piss on your head and try to convince you that it is raining.
They will know they have you over the barrel and they will pull a "four square
on you.
How the 4 Square Method Works
The 4-Square method is a negotiation technique that is designed to confuse car buyers by mixing the price of the car, down payment, trade-in value, and monthly payment into one sheet of paper as seen below…By mixing these all together, the salesman can easily move around the numbers to make it seem like you’re getting a good deal when in fact, you’re getting ripped off.
Most clueless car shoppers focus on the monthly payment which is exactly what they want since it’s the easiest to manipulate.
The salesman knows if they can get you to focus on one square of the worksheet, they can rip you off on the other 3 squares.
Tell them to give you a final price or you are not coming out. I assume you have financing? If you do, or you will pay in cash, do NOT mention either. Let them think you will get financing from you.
Ask them, "and with that price, what kind of financing can you offer? "
They will have to see your trade in, and they will screw you there.
If they won’t make you a firm price by email/phone, don’t go. If you like, you can say "I wont pay anything over 48K out the door, all taxes fees, etc included. " If they then say “Sorry, 50K is the best we can do” then fine, but make sure that is the total price.
When should you walk? Now. Today. Before you get there.
Cars are going considerably over sticker price right now because of parts shortages I would arm myself with some quotes from other dealers and just like was said above, if they don’t give you straight answers walk away and let them know why you are going to walk away.
And the “Protection Plus Glass Etching” for $299, as if having the VIN etched in easily replaced door window glass is going to prevent someone from stealing your car and stripping it down to the frame.
I’m not driving a long way to see a car without knowing the price. If they want, they can travel to where I am and then we’ll sit down and negotiate, Tell me the number on the phone and I’ll make your job a lot easier.
I’m not sure it differs appreciably from any other time in the car-buying game.
Ideally, you’ll get … say, three … dealerships in a bidding war, with you as the intermediary.
You can be honest and up front – without telling them who they’re competing against, but basically tell them they get one shot at giving you their best price on this car – fixed, out the door, this-is-how-much-the-check-must-be-made-out-for (so they can’t ‘upcharge, fixed fee, triple protection, alarm system, extended warranty, and other bullshit that Finance & Insurance goons do’ you to death on arrival).
And tell them that you’re asking the same thing from two of their competitors.
I agree with the others: anybody that doesn’t want to take one good faith shot at giving me a decent offer … wouldn’t get my business.
If you’re truly in a dire predicament vis-a-vis wheels, and can’t really afford to limit your options, then ready yourself to bend over. Bring knee pads.
They are scamming you. They assume that if you will travel a distance to get the new car, you will agree to their price because you must be desperate. Don’t use the dealership and tell friends to steer clear of the dealership too.
(Slight hijack, please forgive me): I had a deliciously similar experience with simply not playing into a saleperson’s game. I was looking for an apartment to rent, and an agent called me to use the “take away close” on me, where the salesperson tells you that someone else wants the item and if you don’t buy it now, it will be gone.
In truth, I had already decided I didn’t want the apartment, but I was so pissed at the baldness of the take-away close that I played along:
ME: “oh really? Someone else is interested too?”
AGENT: “Yeah, it’s a young couple, the wife is pregnant and they want to get settled quickly. I told them I had to check with one other person who saw the place before they did, and if you don’t commit to it now, I’ll call them and tell them the place is yours.”
ME (inhaling sharply): Oh my, that changes things. I was fairly interested, but hey, I’m in no rush - I have plenty of time to keep looking. The last thing I want to do is stress a pregnant woman. Please, call the couple and tell them the good news - the place is theirs!"
Back when I dealt with dealers*, I always got the best prices from their “Online Sales Guy”.
One time, I narrowed my purchase down to a particular dealer, but got ambushed there by an old school salesman (such a cliché: old dude in a polyester suit with a clip-on tie, full of outdated advice and “women driver” jokes), so I asked for their Internet Sales Department.
Which was Ryan.
Ryan was great. Gave me solid answers, a firm price, and let me do test drives of a couple different versions (we agreed that the automatic transmission was boring, so he called around and found a stick shift at another lot that they let us drive… MUCH more peppy! So that’s what I ordered).
.
*Now that I’ve bought a couple of sporty, dependable cars on Craigslist for less than $4000, it feels silly to pay ten times that much…