Spent the weekend down in the city and came home with a new Ford Edge for my wife. We traded in our 2011 Edge SEL for a slightly upgraded 2017 SEL. Here’s the thing. We had the deal done in under three hours including a 40 minute test drive, we didn’t have to negotiate down as they gave us the invoice price on the new car, Black Book on our old one, and the financing was pretty much bang on what we expected. No hard upsells on fabric/leather protector blah blah and only a brief offer on the maintenance package and extended warranty.
It has always been my understanding that a truly good deal leaves both parties feeling like they have been given the crappy end of the stick, but it wasn’t that way at all. Aside from taking a bit longer than I would have liked, I couldn’t be happier with the process overall. What went wrong or what alternate universe have I stumbled into? 
From edmunds.com, it looks like a 2017 Edge should be selling for around $300 under invoice so you may have left a little money on the table but not enough to really matter. Sounds like you got the car you wanted at a reasonable price and a non-stressful purchasing experience. That’s a win. Congratulations on the new car.
Well, they’ll make their money on the financing so you don’t have to worry about them being able to put food on the table. Also, most manufacturers bonus dealers based on vehicles sold so there will be some extra money coming to the dealer even if they sell vehicles at dealer invoice.
Did you pay dealer prep and delivery? That’s more profit added to their bottom line.
That said, you got a nice new car for what sounds like a reasonable deal. Enjoy it, keep it shiny side up and between the ditches.
I’ve reserved a 2017 Ford Edge SEL for a trip I’m taking at the end of the month. Look forward to driving it. I think they are the nicest looking American mid size SUV. I’d consider buying one for winter driving, tbh.
Like the others said, you got the deal you wanted at the prices you were happy to pay, don’t be looking for reasons to be depressed.
I bought a new car this April and had somewhat the same experience; price was what they promised, they took my trade-in offer, and I walked out with more money in my pocket than I had budgeted.
A good deal is one that leaves both parties happy (or at least content) that they got the most important things that they wanted. If you got your end, well, good for you!
Maybe Labor Day weekend is the ideal time to buy a car, for those who don’t want hassles? Cars are moving, the dealers are solvent and there’s people lined up behind you to buy some more 
I bought my new Ford on Sept 1 last year. It was easy peasy with zero upsell but I had the A-plan and knew exactly what I want. Having the A-plan makes every day a holiday at Ford.
I assume it’s a car on the lot, it’s costing them money to keep it, they want it to move, and you may have passed up an opportunity to bargain the price down. On the other hand by skipping that you also saved yourself the extra sales pitches. Sounds like you got your money’s worth though, that’s the point where I stop bargaining anyway.
It was slightly under invoice, and they waived the dealer prep (There’s a $1000 rebate on now for that anyway) Plus $1000 Costco rebate. We traded a 2011 Edge and it is a great winter vehicle, especially when it was equipped with studded winter tires. I’m just thinking about the ordeal I had to go through when I bought my Subaru and how different the experiences were. I went in knowing what my trade was worth and what the new one’s invoice was which made negotiations pretty much non-existent. I know I shouldn’t look for reasons to be miserable, but it’s the paranoid in me…
In general, buying a new car is not the pain in the ass that it used to be.
One of the million ways that the internet has improved our lives.
I remember car buying with my father back in the 80s and it literally took all day.
The last car I bought, I was in and out in 90 minutes flat, including the test drive, them checking out my trade-in, working out the paperwork, and having their guy pitch me on their financing. The last part is what by far took the longest; I had my own financing, but he spent a good half hour trying to convince me to go with their deal.
To be fair, the dealership actually came up with a slightly better rate than I had from my credit union, but that didn’t matter to me. I had the money to pay in full, but it was not liquid and I needed the car faster than it would take to make the funds available, while my credit union could give me a blank check in just one day. I paid my credit union back one week later and never paid a penny in interest.
I can understand that. Anything that comes too easily makes me nervous. I don’t buy new, but used car sales have been like that recently. I got the last two from a used car dealer, checked the online price guides, considered known repairs and maintenance I’d need in the first year, negotiated a reasonable price quickly, turned out great, both recent models in top condition… Guy said he’d give me a break on the third car I get from him. I think it’s just easier for the sales guys now, the cars are better and they can believe in what they sell, it’s in their interest to work out a good deal quickly.
Pretty much. I bought a car two years ago, and it was one of the easiest bargaining situations I’ve been in. I had a price in mind. I went to the dealership, saw the car I wanted (a 2014 Mazda 3 with 910 miles on, stick shift–which is something I was adamant about, so my choices were much more limited, but my time horizon for the purchase was not immediate, so I could dilly-dally if I wanted to). Talked to the guy, he gave me one price, I didn’t like it, but he was in the ballpark. I went home, texted him. He texted me back with a price $250 above my asking price, and about $750 below the max I would have paid for that car. I said sure and that was that. Secured my own financing, no trade in, nothing. Easy peasy. I mean, we did this over a text message! I was impressed. I spent a total of maybe two hours at the dealership. One hour to see the car and test drive it. One hour to sign the papers and buy it.
Could I have gone down another $250? Probably, but who cares? I got the car I wanted at over my lowball ask, but under my max, which is all I ever wanted, and a couple grand below blue book and other prices I could find on the internet for a similar car (and this was a used car with only 910 miles on it.)
Don’t overthink it. If you’re happy, you’re happy.
Isn’t September when the next model year comes out? Gotta ditch them '17s, cuz the '18s are coming.
The dealer saved you a small fortune in blood pressure meds; be grateful.
For new cars, the dealer already pays for dealer prep. If you’re shopping at a dealer that tries to charge this, then they’re a dealer I’d be wary about buying from. However, delivery charges are uniform throughout the country, and are clearly visible on the sticker and invoice. That’s not a scam fee, and is very rarely negotiable.
Don’t underestimate the value of your time and emotions.
How much more time might it have taken to search around to different dealers, sell your old car rather than trading it in, or to prolong negotiations? Would you have enjoyed spending time that way? Can you comfortably afford the price you paid?
When we recently bought my car, the price kept changing day-to-day, even up to the day we went in to pick it up. I said something like, “I still don’t understand where these numbers came from.” But my wife had taken care of making sure we had the cash to pay for the car. She pointed to the bottom line and said, “That number works.” We then shifted gears into getting the deal done and getting out of there as quickly as possible.
I think car buying has become incredibly streamlined with the advent of the 'net. In Ye Olden Days we had to visit a zillion lots to collect car pricing/finance deals; buying my X3 in March was a 90-minute deal. I downloaded info on multiple dealer’s prices, secured my own financing, drove the car, and signed the paperwork. The consumer has vastly more control/info and it has cut down on dealer scuminess.
The only part of the deal I had to quibble with was how hard they pushed the BMW lo-jack option. “These cars get stolen and put in a shipping container bound for Russia! What would you do then?!!!” Ummm . . . call GEICO?
I buy groceries from the grocery store, lumber from the lumber yard, clothes from the clothing store – none of them add on a special fee for delivering those goods from the manufacturer to the store. It’s included in the price quoted for the goods.
But the auto industry has decided to split that out as a separate item to be added on after your negotiated price. A way to keep the quoted price for the vehicle artificially lower than it really is. I’d consider that at least minorly scammy.
When you look at the total on the sticker, though, it’s already included. It’s an itemization that included in the total, and not added on top of the total. When negotiating “invoice price” with the deal, it’s already included. The total is the total, and includes all of the other itemized stuff. It’s just another line. I don’t see it as scammy at all. It’s definitely not something that’s tacked on after negotiating a price, because it’s part of the base price. It would be like negotiating the price of other factory-included equipment.
For a long time, Honda had “dealer installed equipment,” such as air conditioners. This was scammy as fuck, because it wasn’t part of the base price and the dealer could play hard ball. Those days are over, thank goodness.