Greetings all, I am relatively new, and I am reading this forum every free moment. The search pulled up very old purchase strategy threads (2005, 2006-08), so I am hoping to get some more current relevant information. I have heard about the end of month purchases giving the buyer the most leverage. As to that I have several questions: 1. If I am using the Am/Ex car purchase program, TrueCar.com, or AAA, should I still try strategies to get the price any lower or is this the absolute best out the door pricing? 2. If I am going to purchase the "end of month" do I actually have to wait until Sunday? Or is Saturday just as good? 3. If purchasing through #1 above, do I even have to wait til the end of month? Can't I just purchase the first week in November if I get the best pricing regardless of date of purchase strategies? 4. If I wait until Sunday and intend to put some cash down, do I have to bring a cashier's check or will a personal check do (for several thousand $$$)? Credit card? Thanks! sandy
1) always try for a better price 2) last coupla days are fine 3) i know they will take a credit card for a few tho 4) never go, thinking i'm going to buy a car today" always be willing to walk away. 5) all the best!
I used TrueCar then found the same deal at my local dealer. The Big Problem Was it was very, very apparent that the dealer makes its money by doing the hard sell on synthetic wax job, carpet protection, extended warranty, etc. I thought I'd get out of there quickly but from the time I drove up the test drive "my car" until I was free and clear and driving off in it was 4 hours. I didn't add anything to the TrueCar price so I guess it was a good deal. I won't go through that again - ever. See if you can get them to give you a hard price including taxes and license and let them know that you are bringing only that amount. You should get a good deal on a 2010 Prius right now.
Thank you all for your advice. I am planning on emailing the dealers tomorrow through the Truecar site. I have heard that the "interenet" sales people must adhere to the pricing structure you get through True car, AAA or AmEx. I think I will do all of my test driving ahead of time. I will keep you posted, and hopefully join the ownership group officially very soon, whether in Oct or Nov. sandy
For a 2010 Prius III without any accessories CABE Toyota in Long Beach, CA paid $21442.00 Yes that is right, the dealer paid $21442 for the car. Keep that in mind when negotiating. Also the TrueCar program is not a good price. It is just a price that average people in your area are paying for the car. Each dealer associated with the True Car buying program pays a fee to Zag which is the parent company for true car. You are led to believe you are getting a good price, when really you are just paying the same or slightly below what other people are paying for the car. While I cannot say the True Car price is a bad price, you can definitely do better much better than the price you get from them.
Thank for the advice. This will be my first time dealing the Truecar or AMEX. both have the same price: Prius III with solar: $24686. I believe this includes destinataion/ad/administrative fees, but I am not sure. The price for the car is 28415 sticker 27216 average paid 26886 invoice 25410 deal cost 24686 my price Looks good to me, but can I go lower? Also, I have a trade in lease which still has some payments on it. I know this will affect my end cost, so I try to keep these separate in my mind. I am buying, not leasing. Any advice? thanks sandy
Thanks for your response! Please see my info and questions above the previous post and offer any advice if you can sandy
I'm a noob in the land of Prius, but not in buying cars. #1. True. There's a "floor" price out there. Shop dealers and research and you will find it. Be willing to walk away from the deal and the dealer. Negotiate the OTD (out the door) price...some dealers stick you with "Documentation" and other "fees" that can add to the price - usually with a number ending in "99". #2. Very true. "EOM" pricing is usually a gimmick. Yes...they may move a few hundred at 6PM on the last day of the month to move "one more unit", but that is usually money you can just as easily negotiate out of them on the 1st. Sales people get rated by the month---sometimes. Dealers don't. They "pay" $x for the car. You pay $y. $y is almost never gonna be less than $x...otherwise they're gonna start missing payroll and mortgage payments on thier buildings. THAT is "car buying 101" in a nutshell. If you "gotta have that car NOW!!!" then just give them your pocketbook and get it over with.
