Timeline for What are some tips for getting the upper hand in car price negotiations?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
26 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2020 at 15:18 | history | edited | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 279 characters in body
|
| Aug 17, 2017 at 21:49 | comment | added | Tas | The edmunds link is now bust. It links to an entirely new article which appears to be just rubbish. | |
| Feb 24, 2015 at 22:15 | comment | added | JohnFx♦ | Just bought a car yesterday and learned a few new things along the way. Added them to my answer under #7 | |
| Feb 24, 2015 at 22:14 | history | edited | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
Updated my answer with additional info on #7
|
| Mar 30, 2014 at 3:16 | comment | added | msouth | "Think about it, YOU are paying for insurance to prevent the LOAN COMPANY from losing money in the event you get into trouble. Not worth the money." If you are no longer able to make payments, you will also lose the car, right? I'm not sure your logic is accurate on this point (not saying that kind of insurance is a good deal, just that your reasoning is a bit incomplete here). | |
| Mar 28, 2014 at 14:18 | history | edited | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
edited body
|
| Dec 8, 2013 at 23:51 | comment | added | Daniel Lubarov | I would caution that if you stop negotiating when you get close to invoice, you might still be greatly overpaying, depending on the model. Subtracting holdback still isn't good enough - manufacturers offer other incentives, so it's difficult to understand the dealer's cost/benefit analysis. I recently paid ~$2k below invoice, using internet prices like TrueCar's as an upper bound and negotiating down from there. | |
| Feb 5, 2013 at 0:44 | comment | added | KeithS | Note that your ability to negotiate in the first place may be limited by the combination of where you are in the US or world, what car you're shopping for, and the salesman you get. There are a lot of car brands where the order of the day on the sales floor is "the car sells for sticker and not a penny less". It becomes a Hobson's choice; you pay their sticker price or you walk. Now, in those situations, they may be willing to throw in a few extra "accessories" (rubber floor mats, trunk liner, etc); these are real high-margin items (low cost high resale) so you feel like you're getting a deal. | |
| Feb 4, 2013 at 11:20 | comment | added | Vicky | The only thing here I'd quibble over is "Negotiate one thing at a time". I've seen that used as a trick against the consumer - if they get you to agree the trade-in price for your old car first, even making you sign an agreement for that price, then you feel irreversibly committed to the whole deal when you start to negotiate the price on the new car, giving them more freedom to keep the price higher. So I would say - if they're not budging on one part of the negotiation, feel free to re-open earlier parts of the discussion. | |
| Feb 2, 2013 at 19:34 | history | edited | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 86 characters in body
|
| Mar 15, 2012 at 14:35 | comment | added | JohnFx♦ | @Casebash - Here's the new link edmunds.com/car-buying/confessions-of-a-car-salesman.html | |
| Mar 15, 2012 at 0:56 | comment | added | Casebash | @awshepard: Article link is now broken :-( | |
| Jan 27, 2012 at 10:26 | comment | added | poolie | They want your trade more than they want to sell a new car - really? You may be right, but I've always heard the opposite. | |
| Sep 28, 2011 at 21:40 | comment | added | Nicole | +1 talk about canonical answer. I wish this could be made community wiki without cutting off your rep; you deserve it. | |
| Mar 31, 2011 at 0:32 | comment | added | JohnFx♦ | I don't know if that is necessary. I'd assume the holdback would be the same for all dealers, so negotiating based on the invoice price still gives you an apples/apples comparison. | |
| Mar 31, 2011 at 0:28 | comment | added | qualidafial | Awesome answer! I just purchased a copy of the Consumer Reports car report. One of the interesting points they mention is that you should try to find out what the dealer "holdback" amount is. Subtract the holdback amount from the dealer invoice--that's the effective dealer cost. Make them negotiate up from that amount, instead of the dealer invoice amount. | |
| Aug 24, 2010 at 15:05 | comment | added | JohnFx♦ | @awshepard - I love that article. I've had it bookmarked in my browser for years and am always sending it to people. | |
| Aug 24, 2010 at 12:51 | comment | added | awshepard | Also, Edmunds sent a journalist undercover for an expose on car sales tactics. Fantastic (if long) read: edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article.html | |
| Aug 24, 2010 at 12:50 | comment | added | awshepard | +1 so detailed! I laughed when I read the "rain-man mathematical genius." | |
| Aug 20, 2010 at 3:05 | comment | added | Joe Phillips | Great answer for new cars but I'd really like more info for used/certified cars! | |
| Jan 26, 2010 at 22:40 | history | edited | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 2.5 |
added 1 characters in body
|
| Jan 26, 2010 at 22:34 | history | edited | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 2.5 |
fixed grammar; added 4 characters in body; deleted 11 characters in body; added 6 characters in body
|
| Dec 30, 2009 at 19:10 | history | edited | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 2.5 |
deleted 6 characters in body
|
| Dec 29, 2009 at 14:43 | vote | accept | MrChrister | ||
| Dec 29, 2009 at 1:07 | history | edited | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 2.5 |
formatting
|
| Dec 29, 2009 at 0:54 | history | answered | JohnFx♦ | CC BY-SA 2.5 |