Negotiating Tactics In Person

You have a very little lever for any deal guy.
You want something fairly rare.
You already ordered it.
You are only looking at Tacoma

Sure, you could walk away, but guess what... they will sell it next week to someone else. Tacomas don't sit long on the lot.

That's really your only lever... walking away. They will miss a sale this week bit get one next week.

So, be realistic. If they offer you a decent deal take it...or not..
Next time try not to paint yourself into such a corner that you lose any leverage you might have.

 

First do some research to see what the truck is being sold for in your area. (Truecar.com) Call the dealership ahead and find out what colors they dont have. (Thats the color u want... the one they dont have) But if they are willing to negotiate, you'd be willing to take the color they have, which is hopefully the color u really want. When they know they dont have your color in stock, they will give u a killer deal on whats on their lot. Dont pay for the dealer markups and all that extra crap. Ask for as much little stuff as u can into the deal. (Ie. Wheel locks, mudflaps, bed mat etc) All the stuff u would buy for the truck anyways ...
*** when they start to write numbers down, talk it down as low as u can get and have them put it in writing. Ask for a couple of minutes alone to sit with it and think about it. Then snap a picture of the lowest numbers on it. If it doesnt work out, drive down to the next dealership and show them the deal u were working on, and have them beat it by $500 or some free add ons. Works for me all the time.

 

I believe @ramonortiz55 has a solid write up on this.

 

First of all, whatever you do, do NOT let them get you in the monthly payment trap. Only talk out the door numbers.

I researched for months, using truecar and several other sites to help me narrow down the price I was willing to pay in my area. Every area pricing ranges are different, so research helps a lot. You said you have an allocation request, is this with a down payment? When I ordered my Tacoma, I had a written agreement on out the door price, all my options I wanted and nothing else, then I put down my deposit. I also went in with my own financing, so that made it much easier, nothing for them to try to mess around with. Be willing to walk. When my truck came in, spent about 40 minutes doing paperwork and off I went. It can be easy or stressful, remember you’re in charge, it’s your money. Don’t be desperate to buy or they win.

 

This is important as well. I came prepared with getting the price I wanted but was oblivious with what happens in the finance office.

Luckily I was able to cancel some of the additional add-ons after fact. However, I got stuck with the etching stickers with my VIN, they stick on only two doors.

 

Contact the internet manager, test drive the car, be professional and cordial, then offer window sticker as out-the-door price. If that doesn't work, walk out of the dealer to cool off and sleep on it. The dealer will either chase or call you back to the dealer; you're already at the dealer and they're more likely to sell you the truck.

Other tips:
-eat a lot before going to the dealer so you have the energy during negotiations,
-bring atleast two friends or relatives to sniff out any shenanigans, makes it harder for the salesman to trick and convince three adult
-just work with one salesman during negotiations i.e. The Internet director or fleet manager
-keep the negotiations quick and short <45mins
-get there early to avoid the afternoon crowd, Finance dept will be congested later the day
-use google auto loan calculator to get the actual monthly payments. The dealer's number should be within a dollar or two from yours

 

Competition is the best way to get the best price.

If you don't have a trade it's really simple, email every dealer within 200 miles of you asking for the best price on what you want and pick the one with the lowest price.

If you do have a trade, you're going to have to drive around for a few quotes. Don't say yes at the first place you go.

A good indicator that you're at bottom dollar is when they let you walk on a number.

This advice come from 5 years in the car bussiness, instead of years of getting trick fucked into thinking you've won. Take that for what it's worth.

 

Start with phone calls, then tell the next dealer this is the price I got. Some will tell you that’s a really good price, I’d get it from there, very common. Don’t be discouraged, those are the sales people that are overly confident assholes, or maybe just the sales person.

Another tactic you need to beware of, they put the pressure on you by giving you a low price that you think is good, but not rear then they say but once you walk out, I can’t give you this deal anymore...when they said that to me, I said don’t ever threaten me, and walk.

When you finally get the best price, give all the dealers involved one last chance of refusal. Tell them this is the deal I have but don’t disclose which dealership. Tell them this, “if you can beat this, I’m coming in right now to get it”. Some will try, and fail, some will say ginger it from there then, that’s why never lie about the prices you got. Depending on your location and popularity of trim, they can go under invoice at times. That’s what I always aim for. If a dealer can match but not beat a deal, then get one of them to throw in some reasonable accessories.

Don’t ever come off desperate or disappointed. Act like you don’t need it.

A lot of deals can be made over the phone this way. So you don’t have to waste time in person.

 

What is this tactic?

 

Lol SOLD!

 

Also be clear with what you want, be firm, but don't be an asshole. If you act like an asshole or a whiny bitch that's a good way to make the process worse on yourself and take way longer.

 

I'm not really sure what you would call my "technique". I found 4-5 different trucks that interested me at 3 different lots nearby. I researched to see what fair offer to expect for my trade in, and what a fair asking price (approximately) for the 4-5 trucks that had caught my eye. I really wasn't locked into any particular color, I just knew I wanted OR and the towing package - everything else was flexible. I met the first salesman on a snowy, late Saturday afternoon this past January, test drove the truck I'd researched, got back to the dealership, and basically told him - "I'm not interested in playing the negotiations game - I plan on financing $X and not a penny more. If that's unrealistic, tell me now and don't waste either of our time" I wrote down a "drive off the lot" number that I thought was lowball, but he came right back with a counter offer within $800 of my initial offer. I told him I still had a couple other salesmen at the other dealerships to meet and I'd call him back on Monday morning. He went back to his boss, the next guy up the chain of command, and they came right back and accepted my offer. I was pretty surprised since I didn't have my checkbook, hadn't cleaned out my trade-in, and was totally unprepared. When it came to financing I had it in my head that with my credit score I wasn't going to accept anything above 2.49%, but it was a non-issue because Toyota was running that 0.9% special. Where I may have screwed up, because the jury is still out, is getting talked into the ~$1500 Toyota Extra-Care Platinum warranty, but I figured since it was almost-free money, the peace-of-mind alone was worth that. Basically to meet my number they gave me $3K+ on my trade-in above what I was expecting, so I'm cool with that. That's how I ended up with the SuperWhite 2017 DC/SB tow package, moonroof truck with I think 7 miles on the odometer.

It's pretty much the exact same "style" I used to buy a Wrangler back in 2011. That salesman I told "look, I'm not gonna waste our time going back and forth playing this game - this is what I can spend. It's not a question of what I'm willing to spend, this is what I can spend. Period. If that's not doable tell me right now".

The main key for whatever "tactic" you use is to be willing to walk away. I liked my Grand Cherokee and had paid it off last November, so I was perfectly willing to walk away and he knew that. My plan B had nobody taken my offer was to save up more cash for a bigger downpayment and drive that Jeep with no car payment until all the Memorial Day sales, but it ended up working out for me. Good luck to you!

 

The Walkout.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0bdJWSllfc

 

I've put dealerships against each other trying to out bid, being patient, my 2nd car they called me back a few weeks later and gave me the price I asked.
Make sure you have floor mats, service books, bed cleats, ect. Ask for add ons if they wont go down on price(roof racks, bed extenders, bed mats, longer warranty, ect.) for free or way cheaper.

 

It may have been posted in this thread already but I used this: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/so-you-want-to-buy-a-tacoma.475482/

Just keep emailing dealers telling them what you want. I ended up finding one 3.5 hours away from me that is a Cement MT OR.

Do you guys think there is room to deal when I get to the dealer? He gave me about $2800 under MSRP and said that's the best they can do. I can't really just walk away since the dealer is so far away and they know the truck they got for me is the one I want. I also know that if I don't take it they will have it sold in a week.

Should I just pay the email agreed price or try and haggle??? I am trying to secure the 1.9% apr Toyota is running on new Tacomas.

 

What's funny is I can buy a $100,000 tractor in 30 mins but it takes hours to buy a car/truck. And they'll deliver it to your house and give you a free hat. Plus they spend hours going over everything with you while the car dealership might spend 5 mins after the sale but charge for this "premium service".

 

Time is money. I don't have time to email, call, and visit a bunch of dealerships. My time is more valuable than that. Find the dealership that has the truck you want, go in and pay invoice, and be done in an hour.

 

http://www.realcartips.com/scams/#carfinancing

Number 42 and 47. Basically they make you sign a deal they know they will change once you have taken the car.

 

(Making some assumptions, like you'll need a loan and you have a trade-in)

Tactics by them is usually is about giving you a break on one portion of the purchase... while not budging on another. That way their total profit stays the same. So... they might give you more money for a trade-in, but not taking as much off the sales price... or the reverse: take a bunch off the sale price... but not much on trade-in.

Also, never ever tell them what you want to spend per month on a loan. My rule of thumb is no more than a 4-year loan at a certain amount (my personal rule is $10k loan.. don't have enough downpayment for a $10k loan? come back when you've saved more. That way my payments are in the mid $200's, and I usually pay extra each month (rounded up to $300-350). Others might have a different loan amount and monthly budget). They'll just adjust the interest rate, length of term and or the loan amount to get you that monthly payment. It's a shell game.

Negotiate on the total price to you of the vehicle... including the total interest you will pay after the loan is done and their upfront fees. If you haven't, get a loan calculator. As i mentioned, I like to pay off my loans early, so I set up a google spreadsheet that I could enter in the fees, sales price of the vehicle and the loan details to tell me the total amount of money after paying off my loan early.

An simple way to maybe minimize your angst is to ask if they don't mind eating into their holdback to get you a better price. They might say no... but just mentioning the word "holdback" tells them you did your homework so you're aware of the typical sales tactics, and I think they'll be less likely to pull some shit. Also... educate yourself on holdback. If the salesman implies that he/she doesn't know what holdback is, ask for a more experienced salesman.

Your greatest bargaining chip is that you have the money they want. But realize, dealerships aren't charities, and they are in it for profit. It's fair and expected to give them a profit, but it's on you to do your due diligence to get the best deal you can. Never feel guilty about that (or let them try to make you feel guilty).

 

Next time your looking for a new vehicle, I negotiate for you, if I get to keep 75% of what I save for you.

You are right, time is money. And i don't have enough time to make the extra money the dealerships will try to take from me.