[masterofuniverse]

I was told by a dealer that we cannot negotiate the price before placing an order. They said we can only discuss the price after it arrives when we are paying for the car. That doesn't make sense because we will lose the deposit if we cannot strike the right place when it finally arrives. Is that true?

 

[PacificaJohn]

No - find another dealer.

 

[generaltso]

Agreed. Tell that dealer that they have lost your business and go elsewhere.

 

[relytgerg]

I was told by a dealer that we cannot negotiate the price before placing an order. They said we can only discuss the price after it arrives when we are paying for the car. That doesn't make sense because we will lose the deposit if we cannot strike the right place when it finally arrives. Is that true?

I had two dealers both quite willing to negotiate on price before taking my order.

 

[PlatinumHybrid]

I was told by a dealer that we cannot negotiate the price before placing an order. They said we can only discuss the price after it arrives when we are paying for the car. That doesn't make sense because we will lose the deposit if we cannot strike the right place when it finally arrives. Is that true?

You actually have more power to negotiate a factory order before it arrives given that the dealership won't have to floor plan the vehicle, and so the full holdback is up for negotiation. Move on to another dealership, they are clearly aiming to take advantage of you.

 

[BlueTect]

To give you another perspective, I didn't negotiate my deal below MSRP at the time of deposit. I was given an order form which listed the MSRP. Since I plan to trade in my sedan when the purchase is done I chose not to negotiate at the time of deposit to keep the relationship friendly. If I hammer them now on price they will just hammer me later on my trade then I'm back to square one. My preference is to negotiate when the car is sitting on their lot collecting dirt. My deposit will be refunded if we can't meet on price.

 

[PlatinumHybrid]

To give you another perspective, I didn't negotiate my deal below MSRP at the time of deposit. I was given an order form which listed the MSRP. Since I plan to trade in my sedan when the purchase is done I chose not to negotiate at the time of deposit to keep the relationship friendly. If I hammer them now on price they will just hammer me later on my trade then I'm back to square one. My preference is to negotiate when the car is sitting on their lot collecting dirt. My deposit will be refunded if we can't meet on price.

The key here is whether his deposit will be refundable. If it is, then yes, your strategy can work well. If not, then the dealership is potentially setting him up for a crummy deal or else lose his deposit.

To the OP: Make sure you get the fact your deposit is refundable IN WRITING! Otherwise, assume your deposit is nonrefundable and proceed with caution (or walk and look elsewhere).

 

[generaltso]

To give you another perspective, I didn't negotiate my deal below MSRP at the time of deposit. I was given an order form which listed the MSRP. Since I plan to trade in my sedan when the purchase is done I chose not to negotiate at the time of deposit to keep the relationship friendly. If I hammer them now on price they will just hammer me later on my trade then I'm back to square one. My preference is to negotiate when the car is sitting on their lot collecting dirt. My deposit will be refunded if we can't meet on price.

That sounds like a very risky strategy unless you're willing to pay MSRP. Once you've gone through the process of ordering and waiting 6+ weeks for it to come in, are you really going to walk away if the dealer doesn't meet your price? Then what? Go to another dealer and wait another 6+ weeks?

Why would you not just negotiate the price AND your trade-in before the order is placed?

 

[AstroEng]

Nope, I got a price agreement signed off by the GM without even asking. Get another dealer.

 

[BlueTect]

That sounds like a very risky strategy unless you're willing to pay MSRP. Once you've gone through the process of ordering and waiting 6+ weeks for it to come in, are you really going to walk away if the dealer doesn't meet your price? Then what? Go to another dealer and wait another 6+ weeks?

Why would you not just negotiate the price AND your trade-in before the order is placed?

I don't think my strategy is risky at all. But I can see why you think so since I didn't tell you all the details; I was simply providing Masterofuniverse with a brief explanation of what I did.

To answer your questions though, yes I am willing to walk away if I can't meet on price. I think new cars are the biggest waste of money so I am willing to walk away if the deal isn't right for me. Waiting 6 weeks is nothing compared to the depreciating value of my car when I drive it off the lot. Also my deposit is refundable, but even it is wasn't $500 is change compared to the depreciating factor a new car plus car payments.

No, I won't wait another 6 weeks. I was about to buy a Touring-L Plus with the safety package, upgraded suspension, nav, and 8th seat options from another dealer at the time the Hybrids were released for ordering so I'll go back to that trim. I ran the numbers several times and the Touring-L Plus is less money long term when taking into considering negotiated price, taxes, 60-mo financing, fuel, trade, resale value, etc. I decided on the hybrid because of the "cool" factor of driving a plug-in, not because it's cheaper. It's the same for the Chevy Volt when compared to say the Cruze or Prius. A (non plug-in) Prius is much cheaper longterm than a Volt, but it doesn't have a "cool" factor associated with it.

Lastly, I didnt want to negotiate my trade-in ahead of time because I would have gotten screwed bigtime. Used car values fluctuate so much that dealers would have given me bottom value to cover any potential losses in market fluctuation in the future. Since I always have negotiated "top-dollar" of my trades, it benefits me to wait. Here in illinois my sales tax is reduced when I trade-in so the numbers have always worked better for me to trade-in my used car.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[generaltso]

To answer your questions though, yes I am willing to walk away if I can't meet on price.

I think you're in the minority there. Most people who special order are very excited to take home their new vehicle after waiting 6+ weeks for it. To walk away at that point because you can't get the price you want just seems like a waste of everyone's time. If that process works for you, by all means, go with it. But in general, I would absolutely recommend that people get the price worked out before placing the order. If the dealer won't meet your price, move on to the next dealer without having to wait weeks. It's tough to do that if you already placed the order.

Lastly, I didnt want to negotiate my trade-in ahead of time because I would have gotten screwed bigtime.

Not necessarily. I've traded in plenty of cars on special orders as well as purchases off the lot, and I've never experienced a difference in trade-in valuation. I always negotiate the price of the new vehicle FIRST. Once that's agreed upon, I have them evaluate my trade. If they're going to try to screw me on the trade, I want to know that before placing the order. Trade-in values are readily available online, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find a dealer that will offer what it's worth. The one caviat is that if your trade is damaged or racks up an obscene number of miles while you're waiting for you new vehicle to be built, the dealer reserves the right to re-evaluate it. But that's never happened to me.

 

[BlueTect]

I think you're in the minority there. Most people who special order are very excited to take home their new vehicle after waiting 6+ weeks for it. To walk away at that point because you can't get the price you want just seems like a waste of everyone's time. If that process works for you, by all means, go with it. But in general, I would absolutely recommend that people get the price worked out before placing the order. If the dealer won't meet your price, move on to the next dealer without having to wait weeks. It's tough to do that if you already placed the order.



Not necessarily. I've traded in plenty of cars on special orders as well as purchases off the lot, and I've never experienced a difference in trade-in valuation. I always negotiate the price of the new vehicle FIRST. Once that's agreed upon, I have them evaluate my trade. If they're going to try to screw me on the trade, I want to know that before placing the order. Trade-in values are readily available online, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find a dealer that will offer what it's worth. The one caviat is that if your trade is damaged or racks up an obscene number of miles while you're waiting for you new vehicle to be built, the dealer reserves the right to re-evaluate it. But that's never happened to me.

Relax bro, this isn't a who has the bigger pole compeitition. I answered your questions that you asked me; it's not a debate. There is no issue with your strategy or mine but to discount mine over your due to "experience" is ignorant. I was providing answers to your question and the thread starter. Talking down to someone is no way to treat others.

 

[generaltso]

Relax bro, this isn't a who has the bigger pole compeitition. I answered your questions that you asked me; it's not a debate. There is no issue with your strategy or mine but to discount mine over your due to "experience" is ignorant. I was providing answers to your question and the thread starter. Talking down to someone is no way to treat others.

I am completely relaxed. If you took my response as talking down to you, I apologize, as that was not my intent. Just trying to share information and experiences.

 

[Frozen Tundra]

BlueTect, Sensitive much?

Generals advice is sound. you are in the minority. nothing wrong with either approach if it works.

 

[BlueTect]

I am completely relaxed. If you took my response as talking down to you, I apologize, as that was not my intent. Just trying to share information and experiences.

No worries. Thanks for the apology; it was more than I expected.

By all means, I'm not the best negotiator but I hold my own. Now I have some friends who are in sales...they are able to get these dealers to buy them cases of wine, movie tickets, gift cards, etc. It's hilarious the stories they tell me.

 

[BlueTect]

BlueTect, Sensitive much?

Generals advice is sound. you are in the minority. nothing wrong with either approach if it works.

Not sensitive at all, at least no one tells me that. :surprise: I was just answering his questions. Totally nothing wrong with his approach either. With so many variables out there, no one approach will work at every time.

 

[IOUZIP]

The answer is yes you can negotiate. The new car buying is not it was years ago. Clark Howard has an article posted on his web site you must read to get an idea of what has happened in the new car buying process.


To give you and others some help this is what I did before ever going into a dealer showroom. Shop around online and research car buying services to make the dealers compete for you business.


My Story:


I used Truecar web site to search different zip codes in my area to see if the prices were much different between markets. I live in Tampa, FL. I searched Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and Atlanta for price comparison. I used this price info to find out if my market was offering the best pricing. The research showed my local dealer had good pricing below Truecar average pricing. I was also able to see a price trend and the prices have been dropping. I have USAA which offers car buying service like Costco and other car buying services. I was able to get $5,500 off MSRP on a fully optioned Limited through USAA. Atlanta had a better discount by $800 but that was not enough for me to drive 9 hours while Miami had $1,000 less discounts.


The eye-opening truth about dealer invoice price


The eye-opening truth about dealer invoice price | Clark Howard
.

 

[oma]

dealer will not negotiate

Dealer getting car end of February with sunroof. Will only sell for MSRP, will not take Sam $1,000 today. When I showed him $500 quote I had from another dealer (One hour away) that included $400 Costco, then showed him Autotrader prices listed for Platinum hybrid, still would not budge. Said Chrysler is not giving rebates yet. Said first dealer, gave me the Friends and Family $100 off then Costco, second dealer he had no idea. Said until they get VIN number and put it into system, they do not know if Chrysler will give an incentive on that particular car. Since this will be the first hybrid in the greater Cincinnati area, would not budge, so had to walk away FYI, dealer closest to my home said they will not get hybrids for three months, and another mass volume dealer said they could not give:frown2: a price as they are still building the cars and no prices given. SO...I do not have the brightest and best in dealerships in the area.

 

[Jerith]

<SNIP> Since this will be the first hybrid in the greater Cincinnati area, would not budge, so had to walk away FYI, dealer closest to my home said they will not get hybrids for three months, and another mass volume dealer said they could not give:frown2: a price as they are still building the cars and no prices given. SO...I do not have the brightest and best in dealerships in the area.

That is unfair when you have been given some truthful answers. Problem is they may be true for a certain timeframe only, then be solved. There is usually a period where dealers are not told the price but "...get your orders in anyways!". If you wait, you lose. With introductions of new models, dealers are often just sent a car or van and told to pay for it. No decision of the dealer. They can refuse but cannot negotiate.


When told "we will not get *** for 2 months", but can get one from another dealer, it isn't a lie. Its about allocation and just how many orders the factory will fill per dealer. Usually responds to Days On Lot. Low DOL, more allocation for a fast moving dealer. Sold orders receive priority over normal stock refill orders.


The next option is just having a Pacifica transferred in from another dealership. The dealer may have to send a van to replace the empty spot that the trade leaves. This all works fine unless stock is low or is a guaranteed full MSRP sale (Like the few first -hot- units where demand is sky-high. Such as the 2007 Challenger. I saw prices for 20K over MSRP and the dealers got it. Boys and toys can involve serious cash.) Some will walk if they have to pay MSRP. Some will accept it IF the van is perfect for all expectations and the possible owner lives near the dealership and the dealership has earned the respect by over the top service.


Another example I could site is the other perks the dealer may offer. Not common but lending the mechanics at a reduced labour rate for any add-ons could surpass a few hundred off the price. Was that in the email price quote? Probably not. Remember not to spend too much on gas to find the deal to save money.


Then again, run into the wrong employee who harbours emotions and beliefs against you for any reason, you may be fed poor information or witness true '-isms' against you. Ageism, sexism, you name it. Sexism exists way too much and is used to amplify profits. The take-away from this is that dealership impressions can change based on where the sun is.

 

[IOUZIP]

My USAA discount was only $1,800. Until the hybrid start selling through True Car you will have to pay what the dealers are offering. You should not expect the dealer to discount this new hybrid model like the gas only powered models. This is a special vehicle and expect demand to be high.