Greetings All, Hoping the knowledgeable members here can help me out. I'm in the market to buy a car. Thought the Prius would be a good choice for the long commutes here in Los Angeles. I already went to Edmunds.com to get an idea of pricing and options. Any idea of how to improve negotiation with the dealer? How do you know if you got a good deal? This is my first time purchasing a car. Any helpful tips and suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Welcome to the site. Read www.carbuyingtips.com. You can build a car & get up to 3 dealer quotes at www.aaa.com. Anything is worth what a willing buyer will pay a willing seller. No matter what you pay for the car someone somewhere bought one for less so don't fret. If you are in the area contact Diane W. She regularly posts her allocations & has a loyal following. Best wishes for finding exactly what you want.
40 years and 15 new cars later, i still don't know the best way to go about it. i guess you can do a lot more on the computer these days but i simply go to three dealers, tell them what i want (after building it and printing out from the mfg's website. i tell them they have one opportunity to give me their best price and i don't go back to anyone who says if i don't buy today, they can't hold the price. then, after i get the prices, i go with the best or the one i liked the most based on a host of assessments of the entire dealership experience, if the prices are within a few hundred dollars. of course, you can't always find three cars the same and then you have to asses the diffent prices relative to the different options! whatever you do, once you make your purchase, don't look back!:rockon:
Hey: I purchased my Model II on 12/31/09 ... end of month theory. I emailed 30 SoCal dealers, and even though I've been in sales & marketing all my life, did not want to endure a bunch of face-to-face and phone pressure situations. You have to know what you want (edmunds) and start the emails. I used the 'average invoice' price as as my barrometer. Good luck on whatever route you take.
All good advise above. Know what you want; know what the dealer cost is; and do not be afraid to walk away. Beware of added features you do not want, meaning, do not be pressured to buy a car loaded with features that jack the cost up ... that you do not want. Lastly, beware of dealer warranties that are expensive. I suspect most will tell you the Prius is a well engineered car, that has few reported issues. A well informed buyer is least likely to get taken.
If you happen to belong to AAA, try using their buying service. It's online, easy to use, and worked out great for me.
Thank you all for your helpful tips and links. I am a member of AAA so will definitely use their services. I sent a PM to Diane Dianne Whitmire. I appreciate the help and if anyone else can help please add your suggestions. I am a little nervous about purchasing a brand new car for the first time.
I got my car through Dianne Whitmire. AAA member service did not match her quote. I'm very excited to drive this car around. WOOT!
Blue IV Hi Jim! He bought a blue IV with charcoal leather, the sunroof/NAV etc package and mats... and left here with a smile wider than his windshield. I love happy clients!! And, nice ones too. QUOTE=JimN;1123130]I'm glad it worked out for you. Now update your stats so we know what you bought.[/QUOTE]
