I was wondering if you guys had any tips/ideas for haggling with dealers for the best possible deal when buying a car. I don't have much negotiation experience when it comes to selling and buying, but I hear it is pretty common for people to knock as much as 2-4 grand off the sticker price at dealerships when looking for a car.

How should I approach it? Do I have a realistic view of the situation, considering the current status of our economy? I have no idea of how to approach the negotiation, what to say, how to say it, etc.

BTW I am referring to certified dealers who would be selling used cars.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Research the car you are considering buying, then offer them a few thousand (or around 15% less) below other comparable cars that are available. If you are bold, you can lowball them at first and make them work the price up from there.

Go in willing to lose the car...When I got mine I lowballed them by 4 Gs...they were asking 36 for the car...we ended up settling at 32,250- when they first said no to it, I said to my Dad, oh well, lets go check out the other place- and before we could reach the door they said 32,500...we said 32,250 and settled. If you go in willing to lose the car, youll be fine...just dont be a pu**y when negotating, or they will walk all over you.

Go in willing to lose the car...When I got mine I lowballed them by 4 Gs...they were asking 36 for the car...we ended up settling at 32,250- when they first said no to it, I said to my Dad, oh well, lets go check out the other place- and before we could reach the door they said 32,500...we said 32,250 and settled. If you go in willing to lose the car, youll be fine...just dont be a pu**y when negotating, or they will walk all over you.

U got a good deal..

i got 3000 off the 48000 so it was 45000

kick them firmly in the balls :D i really dislike salespeople (who are sheisty - some i like them...but mostly.....:domotwak:)

You're alot better off if you're not trading a vehicle in. If you are trading something in, they can make it look like they are giving you the deal of a lifetime on the vehicle being purchased, but they will be raping you on the trade in price... Atleast thats my experience. And don't be afraid to walk out, I love to hear the diarreah that spews out of a salesmans mouth when they are trying to keep you from walking out that door.

Times are changing. You can now get a brand new, 09 Z06 that lists at 81K for 65K

Go in willing to lose the car...When I got mine I lowballed them by 4 Gs...they were asking 36 for the car...we ended up settling at 32,250- when they first said no to it, I said to my Dad, oh well, lets go check out the other place- and before we could reach the door they said 32,500...we said 32,250 and settled. If you go in willing to lose the car, youll be fine...just dont be a pu**y when negotating, or they will walk all over you.

^+1 Exactly what Ryan said. Don't be afraid to walk out of there. When I bought mine I walked. They called me back willing to do the deal. They're not selling hardly ANYTHING right now. Total buyers market. Remember, there are ALWAYS more vehicles to find.

Just figure out what you are willing to pay for the "car". Walk in and find a manager, NOT a salesperson and tell them you are ready to give them $X for this exact car. They will take it or leave it. No trade in's and get your financing approved before you get there.

I have done this on the last 4 "cars" that I have bought and always paid what I wanted. Just remember as long as you think you got a good deal, you DID!

I had Chase bank draft me a check for 41300, went to the dealership, said i want this car and this is all i am going to give for it. 45 minutes later i was sitting at home thinking. man thats the only way to buy a car. went on a friday night and the end of the month. Yes, 41300 was TTL also,

I was wondering if you guys had any tips/ideas for haggling with dealers for the best possible deal when buying a car. I don't have much negotiation experience when it comes to selling and buying, but I hear it is pretty common for people to knock as much as 2-4 grand off the sticker price at dealerships when looking for a car.

How should I approach it? Do I have a realistic view of the situation, considering the current status of our economy? I have no idea of how to approach the negotiation, what to say, how to say it, etc.

BTW I am referring to certified dealers who would be selling used cars.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.


One important thing to keep in mind.... DEALERS make most of their money from USED car sales vs new car sales.... With info at your finger tips (internet) it is very easy to walk into the showroom knowing much more about the car than they do...

-if you know of any local auction sites find out what your vehicle is going for to get a better idea of their bottom end price b/c majority of the time they buy used cars for roughly what their market value is at auctions

-get the vin number and find out the history of the car... if you can see if you can get it without them knowing or without the person you are directly dealing with knowing so you can catch him in a lie if he tells you its one owner when actually its 2... or he tells you an old lady just traded it in the other day when you see it was actually a fleet vehicle thats been on their lot for a month...

-trust edmunds.com TMV.. .HOWEVER.. with this brutal economy do NOT pay anything OVER what the PRIVATE value is even if its from a dealer... I even see vehicles going for what the TRADE IN VALUE is on edmunds b/c remember dealers are low balling trade ins more than ever so they are getting these used vehicles much cheaper than ever.. THEREFORyou the consumer should benefit from this as well... I'd personally try to get a vehicle at the trade in value or somewhere in b/t the trade and private values... OR even less depending the demand or supply of the car you want...

-WALK AWAY!! dont sound that interested and also make sure you pretend you are in the market for a VEHICLE... not a specific vehicle...and whatever vehicle you are going after make sure you have some knowledge of its competitors so you can use that against them... I am MOST CERTAIN they will have your number before you even make an offer b/c they are always prepared to being able to track you down after you leave the showroom... also dont storm out and get all fired up... act calm cool and collective like you dont give a rats azz b/c that particular vehicle is all over the place... SUPPLY and DEMAND is your friend...

-remember you very well may be bidding against yourself... if you make an offer be assertive and confident... make sure you have a MAX price you want to pay and STICK WITH THAT NUMBER... even if they come down 100 bucks away from it YOU DONT HAVE A DEAL... stick with your max number.. if they cant meet it someone will...

-it is none of their business how you are going to pay for the vehicle... you are there stictly for negotiating the price of the vehicle... you DO NOT need to talk MONTHLY payments etc... if they have lease options and you want to go that route you DO NOT disclose to them that you want to lease... you only want to negotiate price and than you will decide what direction you want to go after

-if you need a loan see what rates you can get from your current bank or other banks in the area... and make sure you are approved before you negotiate... majority of the time dealers rates are always higher

this is all info just off the top of my head... best of luck

That's pretty good and detailed advice rumplemenz.

Pay the sticker price! Dammit these dealerships and car companies need to get paid too. Pay over invoice if you can. Stop looking for a deal.

That's pretty good and detailed advice rumplemenz.

thanks guy....

hey... why is it your rig is the only one that has the chrome trim perfectly lined up on the drivers side...? the connection from the drivers door and driver side back door always seems to be a tad off on 95% of the rigs i see...

for some reason i dont know why its one of the first places i look on our rigs.. .lol... mine in a tad off and it drives me nuts..

i resent your perfectly lined up trim...!!!!!!!!!!

I had no idea! :D Yay me!

thanks guy....

hey... why is it your rig is the only one that has the chrome trim perfectly lined up on the drivers side...? the connection from the drivers door and driver side back door always seems to be a tad off on 95% of the rigs i see...

for some reason i dont know why its one of the first places i look on our rigs.. .lol... mine in a tad off and it drives me nuts..

i resent your perfectly lined up trim...!!!!!!!!!!



Holy sh!t! That has bugged me about my jeep since I bought it!!! But I have never said anything...

Holy sh!t! That has bugged me about my jeep since I bought it!!! But I have never said anything...

i bet ya now every time you see a pic of a srt or one on the street you will check that spot...!! ive yet to see one perfectly lined up except his....

I am the internet sales manager at a Porsche dealership and I can tell you we DO NOT have that much negotiation room in todays market. Our cars on average are marked up ~1500-2k over what we have in them and some are listed at dead cost or less just to get them gone. The days of 8-10k markups is long gone unless you are looking at exotics.