Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Smart Shopper Buying Tips - How Do I Get the Best Deal?
5170 messages, Last post on Oct 29, 2009 at 11:33 AM
You are in the Smart Shopper Forum. Your Hosts are kirstie_h & tidester
|
Replying to: joel0622 (Jun 02, 2007 1:56 pm) I suppose if you want an easy stress free transaction it may be the way to go. But, if you want the "best deal", like this discussion title suggests, I think you have to break away from any special purchase groups or friends in the business... and go it alone. Enjoy your truck. |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: achenator (Jun 02, 2007 8:45 am) Still, I really like my Tahoe. It's probably one of the best vehicles in its class (full size SUVs), right now. That's saying something given all the competition out there (Expedition, Navigator, Titan, Infiniti QX, Escalade, Lexus LX, Toyota Sequoia, etc). Plus, GM is rebating them (as is every manufacturer on their big SUVs). |
|
| The wife is thrilled and that is the main thing. We could have gotten any of the above but I really didn't want to get anything nearing the end of it's model run. I hate to buy a car and the next year he body style changes. | |
|
I posted before and I got burned but I thought I'd share my experience and my strategy. 2-3 weeks before buying, I called about 5-7 dealership talking directly with the fleet manager or the internet sales manager. I would suggest never dealing with the salesmen standing outside. I got quotes from 1000-1200 below manuf. invoice (does not include 1500 manuf. incentive). Called them up again about 1-2 days before i was going to buy, and Dealership A offered 1400 below. But I had already made an appt with Dealership B for 1200 below. I arrived at DB asking them if they could match the 1400 from DA. They couldn't, so I drove to DB. Only spent about 15 mins at DA. Got to DB and told them I wanted the car at 1400 below. They then said they had excess of 4runners with moonroof. They asked if I would consider a moonroof and I said yes but at what price. They offerred the moon roof at 200 below inv and ended up getting the 4runner at 1600 below invoice (1500 incentive not included in negotiated sales price). Things that worked: Do your research online to know what a good deal is. Sometimes online quotes are good. Most of the time its not good enough. I would suggest finding the biggest dealership around (volume dealership) and getting a quote from them. And start calling back and forth asking them to match and beat it. Always, have the price emailed to you. That way you have a record and most times they enter the price into their comp. system as well. Don't deal with the salesmen standing outside. Do your negotiating via the phone or email. My very first quote was 1k below (which happens to be the place I bought the car at). I then called 5-6 others afterwards asking for quotes. I asked them for a quote w/out telling them I already had a 1k below invoice quote. Most of them gave me quotes of around 100 below to 100 above invoice. Once I told them of the 1k below quote, they matched instantly or called me back 10 mins later saying they could match. One could only go 750 below, and another was giving me word play. Things I would have done differently: Calling them for quotes 2-3 weeks before your purchase seems like light years away for them. Start calling one week before and then set up appointment(s) 24-48 hours before. Hope this helps. Any questions/comments or need help, email me at ipurchasecars  gmail.com
|
|
|
Well, my genius sister let a dealer swindle her in taking a car home to "See if she liked it" after signing some paperwork. She didn't like it and tried to bring it back to the dealer, but they basically said she's stuck with it b/c she signed for it. Now they refuse to take the vehicle back. Does she have any recourse, or a leg to stand on in NOT keeping the vehicle? |
|
Things I learned: All your quotes need to be verified by email. In one case, a fleet manager gave me a quote for 1400 below but could not email me because he didn't want it to circulate. Whether thats true or not, I don't know. So I went to the dealership I ended up buying at because they emailed me a quote of 1400 instead of just saying it over the phone. Also, TEST DRIVE ON WEEK DAYS not on wknds. You won't get good customer service and you should really let the salesmen make their money with serious buyers which usually happen on wknds. Finally, if you would like to decrease the amount of time spent at the dealership when you buy (I was there 2.5 hours), make an appt and tell them you want the car in front ready for the final test drive and that you want all the dealership options (the alarm) taken out before you arrive. Also, tell them to fill up the gas and wash the car before you arrive. If I had done that, I probably would have been there only 1 hr.
|
|
|
Replying to: blackmba (Jun 04, 2007 9:01 pm) Legally, by the written contract, the dealers have probably protected themselves so she has no leg to stand on in court, unless she has witnesses to testify on her behalf. But maybe one of those Channel 5 On Your Side TV news investigative reporters would be interested in setting up a sting operation on that dealer. I'd love to see them on TV getting caught doing dirty. Then I bet she'd have a good case against the dealership. I hope she secretly and immediately calls all the TV staions in town to see if one will do it. |
|
|
Replying to: 98camryv6 (Jun 04, 2007 9:07 pm) Thanks. |
|
| Thanks joe131! | |
|
Replying to: 98camryv6 (Jun 04, 2007 9:07 pm) With all those flaky buyers out there, aren't you asking for a huge leap of faith on the dealership's part to have all that done because you made an appointment?
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Smart Shopper Buying Tips - How Do I Get the Best Deal?
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
