I want a 2009 Pontiac Vibe with Sunroof , Cargo cover and 5 Speed Automatic Transmission. I see them at the dealers for around 22,000 but can’t get them to budge off the price.
They claim the demand is high for them. Any suggestions to get a better deal?
Go there, and select the exact configuration of the car you want. It will tell you exactly how much the dealer paid for the car - the “invoice price”.
You can then go to the dealer and say, “I will pay you ${invoice+X} for the car - $X is a nice, healthy profit, don’t you think?” I can’t imagine there is enormous demand for any car, in this economy. Especially brand-new American ones. A good value for X was $900 when I was shopping for cars a year or two ago, but perhaps people can suggest other values. If the dealer sniffs at $900 in profit, find someone else. The economy is tanking, and you’re looking to buy a new car - you have the upper hand.
And of the course, the usual negotiating tactics apply - discuss the price, not the monthly payments. Get financing from your bank or credit union if you can, not the dealer. Don’t trade your existing car in, sell it yourself. Etc.
Oh, I see, it’s a new model for 2009. I suppose people could really be clamoring for them, but I still think the dealer is just playing you.
This is the correct link for the 2009:
Well there is no trade, the insurance company took care of that.
According to Edmunds the TMV of the car with the Alam System, Subroof and cargo cover is 21825 and if the dealer is offering 21900 I guess it’s not too bad
Edmunds New TMV® Pricing:
National Base Price $19,106
Regional Adjustment $54
Optional Equipment $2,066
Color Adjustment $14
Destination Charge $585
Total with Options $21,825
TMV® pricing represents estimated
market transaction values. Prices as of:
4/08
Edmunds.com Official Pricing
Standard Equipment:
• 1 one-touch power windows • 1 subwoofer(s)
• 12V and 115V front power outlet(s) • 158 hp @ 6000 rpm
• 16 valves • 162 ft-lbs. @ 4000 rpm
• 18 in. wheels • 2 front headrests
• 2.4L displacement • 3 rear headrests
• 320 watts stereo output • 4-wheel ABS
• 5 person total seating capacity • 5-speed manual transmission
• 7 total speakers • air conditioning
• all season tires • AM/FM in-dash single CD player with CD MP3 Playback stereo
• audio controls on steering wheel • auto delay off headlamps
• bench rear seat • cargo area light
• cargo tie downs • child seat anchors
• clock • cruise control
• daytime running lights • double overhead cam (DOHC)
• double wishbone rear suspension • driver head restraint whiplash protection system
• dual front side-mounted airbags • dual vanity mirrors
• dusk sensing headlamps • electronic brakeforce distribution
• external temperature display • fold flat passenger seat
• front and rear cupholders • front and rear floor mats
• front and rear head airbags • front and rear stabilizer bar
• front console with storage • front door pockets
• front fog/driving lights • front independent suspension
• front reading lights • front seatback storage
• front seatbelt pretensioners • front wheel drive
• gas engine • hands free phone
• height adjustable driver seat • height adjustable headrests
• height adjustable headrests • inline 4 cylinder configuration
• inside mounted spare tire • interior air filtration
• intermittent rear wiper • leather trim on shift knob
• leather-wrapped steering wheel • leather/cloth upholstery
• low fuel level warning • MacPherson strut front suspension
• mast antenna • Monsoon premium brand speakers
• OnStar telecommunications service • P215/45R18 tires
• passenger airbag occupant sensing deactivation • passenger head restraint whiplash protection system
• polished alloy wheels • power mirrors
• power steering • power windows
• radio data system • rear center 3-point belt
• rear defogger • rear door child safety locks
• rear spoiler • rear ventilation ducts
• regular unleaded • remote power door locks
• remote trunk release • split-folding rear seatback
• sport front seats • stability control
• steel spare wheel • tachometer
• temporary spare tire • tilt and telescopic steering wheel
• tire pressure monitoring • variable intermittent wipers
• variable valve timing • ventilated front disc / solid rear disc brakes
• XM satellite radio
Optional Equipment:
• 5-Speed Automatic Transmission • Front License Plate Bracket
• Power Sunroof • Rear Cargo Cover
• Theft-Deterrent Alarm System
Get your financing arranged from an outside source, but tell the dealer and let them beat it for you. Seriously. Unless you like paying more money. I’m a finance manager at a dealership. I can beat every credit union and bank. Every single one. I can probably get you a better deal at your bank than you can. It’s fine to have your financing arranged so you have some negotiating leverage, but please don’t fall into the trap that your bank is always a better deal for you. It most definitely is not.
Otherwise the above is pretty good advice. Except that the economy isn’t tanking and new car sales are doing fine. If the model you want is in high demand you won’t get a better deal on it than sticker.
I have posted about this philosophy before but it is extremely rare that I will absolutely not negotiate for anything even for things like car prices, housing prices, or even work pay or conditions. I will drop the whole deal in .2 milliseconds after a first warning if that behavior continues. I do my own research and then I just tell rather than haggle. I trust myself more than anyone else after all.
The way that this works out for cars is that I test drive until I find the car that I want, do the research on prices, and then make a take it or leave it deal on one piece of paper that is non-negotiable. It seems to work great and I have never had an offer rejected. More importantly, I have never felt screwed because I am the one in the driver’s seat the whole time even if I made a mistake (never happened).
This philosophy can only go slightly wrong in a few ways. One is for very popular cars like the Prius hybrid once was was but real research would still reveal what a current fair offer is. I don’t understand why any semi-informed person would ever listen to anything but the most basic facts from a salesperson.
I detest predatory sales of all types including real estate, cars, electronics, Sierra Club donations, or home siding for just a few examples. I have no idea why people listen to salespeople at all unless they add education and value. Why doesn’t the general public take a “I will tell stance” rather than a predatory salesmanship stance as a general rule? The mind boggles.
You use to be able to buy books that gave you the markup. There is one markup for the base price and there is a different markup for options. It shouldn’t matter if the options are bundled or sold individually the markup should be the same. If you can find these 2 numbers than you can calculate the base price of any vehicle you look at on the lot.
Ex: base price: 18,000 option total: 3,000
if the base markup is 20% then you would divide the base price by 1.2 ($15,000)
if the option markup is 30% then you would divide the options by 1.3 ($2,307.69)
in this example a $21,000 car cost the dealer $17,307.69. You have to add in transportation. to this figure.
I haven’t followed new cars lately but I would be surprised if Vibes are flying off the dealer lot given the sluggish car market. You should also be able to find the appropriate markup either on-line or in books. $900 sounds high to me but the last new car I bought was in 85 and I paid $150 over invoice. Based on the price range of your vehicle I would guess closer to $450.
What I found interesting was the attitude of different dealers. I asked one salesman how much markup he wanted and he came right out and told me. No dancing around, no bullcrap. It was the number I was expecting and I bought the car right there. The guy didn’t even ride with me on the test ride. I walked in and asked for car-X with a,b,c options, and he handed me the keys.
And then there are the other dealers…
I’ll tell you the only negotiating strategy that ever worked for me. Walk away.
I don’t mean walk away in a huff of righteous indignation. Simply say, “I’m sorry, I can’t go higher than X” (and be specific about what X is.)
Now, here’s where the negotiation comes in. Leave the door open a crack by adding, “If (manufacturer) comes up with some rebate or other incentive program so that you can still make money by selling the car to me for X, give me a call.” Then leave.
Chances are good that by the end of the month, when sales quotas need to be reached and commission checks are being cut, by some magic a “buyer’s incentive” will appear that lets the dealer sell you the car for X.
And if it doesn’t appear, whaddya know! At least you found an honest dealer.
Abso-fucking-lutely. Same sort of tactics I employ. The power dynamic is, and should always be, you have the money and they want it. They have to make YOU happy to get the money.
Hell, I bought a car a few months ago after letting the salesmen dangle on the hook for three months before I pulled the trigger. Three days prior to the end of each month he’d give me a call and make me a slightly better offer. Eventually he got there.
I recently used the internet/fleet manager salesman to purchase a new Subaru. He was referred to me by two friends who had bought from him. You e-mail him what you want, he tells you the price and you set up a meeting. Took all of about 1 hour (he made us test drive before we could sign).
The price he quoted me was below what all sources said I should start negotiating at.
I’ll go back to him, and refer people to him in a second.
A lot of times, the last day of the month/ quarter is the best time to buy. Quotas must be met, etc.
I always thought it would be fun to send a blanket email.
To: salesmgr@ libertypontiac. com; sales @ lakesidepontiac .com (etc…have about 20 of these addresses. Let them see their competition).
Dear sir or madam:
I’m interested in buying a 2009 Pontiac Vibe with sunroof (full description, including acceptable colors etc.)
I’m willing to pay $X, today. This price includes…(TT&L? Dealer prep? Be absolutely specific).
I have already secured financing.
Would any of you like to sell me this car at this price today?
A good resource would be a message board dedicated to that vehicle. When we bought a Honda Element, I researched on a forum what people had paid for their car out the door. I then called around to about ten dealers and told them what I wanted and the options and told them to give me their best price. We found one close by whose price was reasonable and was about what it should be according to that website.
We went there and I let my wife finish haggling. My wife loves to haggle. I’ve seen her spend a half hour haggling just for the pleasure of it. She spent another hour and a half haggling with the salesman. My wife is from a culture with bazaars and is used to haggling on everything, the salesman was Afghani and was also familiar with haggling. At some point, I tuned out since they were clearly following some sort of haggling ritual. He actually said" You are taking food from my children’s mouth". My wife responded " What about my children?". She also threw in a line about it being evening and the evening bazaar to which he laughed and commented on that being universal. While this was going on, they were both laughing. We got them to throw in a few options and we drove away with the car. The funny part is that they were haggling over a few hundred dollars.
I detest the whole car salesman thing, too. I echo the fleet sales advice. Call 'em up, tell 'em what you want, and ask for a quote. If they can’t offer you the price you want, move on to your next choice.
You’re funny.
Of course, I always find people who make absolute statements funny.
That sounds like one of my customers. One day her daughter walked in the front door and spotted me one day. She asked me how much a case of something or other was. I told her it was $35. She said “Okay, hold on it’s for my mom, she’s still in the car let me go tell her.” Upon hearing that, I told her to tell mom it’s $37.50, that way when she complains about the price I can knock $2.50 off and we’ll all be happy (I still get my $35, she saves money). She thanked me for that. She get’s embarressed becuase her mom haggles with EVERY price EVERY where. I could have told her (the mom) that the item was $12 and we still would have argued over the price.
I know what you’re saying about absolute statements here, but my money is on Hockey Monkey. Ok, maybe not every single one, but speaking as an ex-dealership employee, a finance manager that is good at their job is pretty much worth their weight in gold.
And while I’m on the subject… Reading this thread makes me extremely thankful that the family of dealerships that I worked for didn’t negotiate. Strictly one price sales based on the Saturn model of business. And I’m also glad that when I bought my 08 xB that Scion does the same thing too.
Maybe that’s your experience, but it’s not true for all finance managers in all places. I just bought a new car, and I ran into a case where the finance manager could not do better than my self-arranged financing. And I know it wasn’t a case of being scammed or lied to, as I’m “family” at this dealership. I don’t mean they treat me like family…I’m the son of a long-time employee, and I get the benefit of having the BS cut through right away. That includes getting a great price barely over invoice without having to negotiate. That’s why I drive a few hours to give them my business.
Anyway, I saw that my local credit union had great new car rates. I asked the finance manager how he felt about me bringing my own financing…because I didn’t want to cut him out of the loop and harm our long-time relationship over a quarter point here or there.
FM: Are you sure it’s worth the extra hassle? We can make it so much easier on you. What kind of rate are they offering?
Me: X.XX%
FM: Oh. I can’t touch that…not within a whole percent. You should go there.
He had no magic strings he could pull, and he was very up-front about that. If he thought for a split second he could beat my CU’s rate, he absolutely would have done it for me.
Excuse me for butting in but I have to ask:
**Color Adjustment $14 **
What the hell is this? Every vehicle is some color.