Buying New Car/Best Bargaining Chip

I am in the market for a new car and I actually have it all lined up between the 2012 Chevy Equinox, 2012 GMC Terrain, and the 2012 Honda CR-V. What are the best bargaining chips when trying to get the total purchase price of the car down? I will probably inquire about all 3 in hopes of increasing my probability of getting a great deal. I will also be purchasing an extended warranty with the car as well.

Also, if I purchase a car from an out of state dealer are there any issues?

When do the 2013 models tend to start coming out?

Note: We also are trying to keep from being set on any one car or any one color to further open up the possibilities.

 

Just tell them that you can go buy a Toyota instead for the same price and it will last two to three times as long, so you want a discount.

 

Avoid the first two and take a price hit for the sake of getting an actual good vehicle out of the Honda.

FYI - those first two rigs are the exact same as far as all electronics and powertrain issues are concerned.

 

As you said, be open to options and colors (within reason, its ok to have a list of things you absolutely want the car the have), it's easier to buy what's on the lot. I've found it's easier to negotiate if the next model year is on the lot (if you can find one, a 2011 left over would be a good car to make a deal on). Lastly, go shopping in crappy weather. There tend to be less people out looking for cars then which means you get more attention from the sales manager, the person who can actually make the deal go through, rather than dealing with the salesperson.

 

be prepared to walk out of the stealership

 

Of the sales guys at one of the dealerships I looked at actually told me this. It was kind of cold and rainy when I was there and he said that they hadn't really sold anything that day so they were trying hard to get me to buy. I wasn't quite ready, and ended up buying from another dealership. But something to keep in mind anyway.

 

See what Costco's prices are if you are a member. Call around to other dealerships. Buy a car toward the end of the month to fill their quotas.

 

go with the honda and don't waste your money on the extended warranty. Take the money that you would pay for the extended warranty and put it away for any repairs you would have. My bet is that you would pay less for repairs with the honda than the extended warranty costs you.

 

Considered both of the first two at one point, test drove both, loaded, sliding rear seats with flip up tvs in seatbacks.. I would seriously consider a RAV4 or CRV if you are going the small SUV route or hell.. even a Jeep Liberty.

Ruled out equinox as it just looks gay..

Equinox* similarly equipped was about 3-4k less, Terrain and Equinox both shook like hell as I got on freeway or accelerating hard.. scared the hell out of me, probably too much motor/vehicle for that little frame, and I have seen similar stories online.

 

I bought my 2007 a few days before Christmas in the middle of a huge snow storm. It was the last 2007 they had on the lot and the dealership was dead

 

They will almost always try the "This price is only good if you sign today" trick. It is to prevent you from going to other dealers to shop around. Take your time, tell them if they can't honor the price on another day then you have no interest in doing business with them. Shop other dealers and play them against each other if you have to. You should be able to get between 5 and 10% lower than the sticker price, or it is not a good deal.
My wife's Honda Odyssey had a $34k sticker and we paid $28k. My truck (long ago) had a $26k sticker and I paid $19k. I sat there from late morning to closing time at 10pm before they finaly came back with the price I asked for to begin with.
So, bottom line don't rush it.
And (just my opinion) please dont buy the GM products - the Honda will cost you much less in the long run (maintenance wise) and then have a much better trade-in value at the end. win-win all the way. (You don't have to tell the Honda dealer that - make them think you have other options).

 

^&#$&#$%, I edited that 3 times.. bottom line, Honda or Toyota.

 

The Terrain looks like it should be pushing a barge...

 

OK, I intended to do my dealings through email so walking out of the dealerships may not be necessary. When I bought my 08 Tacoma I did all my dealings through email with multiple Toyota dealerships. I ended up getting my Tacoma so cheap that another dealership was like "are you serious?, heck I'd go buy it if I were you". I don't remember the exact price but it was way below MSRP about the middle of the year. Once the dealership said my truck had arrived (they drove it from somewhere) I drove up to the dealership for the first time ever to buy the car and there were no catches or anything. So all-in-all I make it a long strung out process bouncing prices off various dealerships. I'm just not sure if there are ways to get it cheaper.



RAV4's seem to have a lot of problems from what I've seen or else I would be more inclined to buy it.

Honda is actually cheaper than the GMC and the Chevy but it's not as large. Honda could also potentially have paint issues. Then again the GMC and Chevy are probably not as reliable.

 

Best bargaining chip is money. That way you can play coy, angle for best price & not need financing. Other than that, a good trade, a good credit score & walking away to either sleep on it or consider other vehicles will eat at them.

 

There are only 2 vehicles with better resale value that the Tacoma. CRV is #1. There is a reason for it. You won't see a GM, Ford, or Dodge on that list other than the Wrangler because of the cult following.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/autos/1011/gallery.kbb_best_resale_value_top_ten/index.html

 

I thought dealerships get a kickback from financing?

 

I did all my dealing online too, however since they were getting it from another dealer I did have to go in and leave a deposit before they would bring it in.

 

That sounds sketchy, what if they would have been shady and tried to screw you over on the final price once they recieved it?

 

I don't care what they get or do. When I have cash then I'll pit them against one another and get what I want from whoever wants to make a sale the most. If one of them doesn't want to play money still talks game then they can miss out on a sale. They want to have attitude about you wanting deal for paying cash upfront for your benefit, then they can kiss my ass. I'm not gonna be taken for more just for not playing the be raped by interest on financing game. I quit doing that. My credit score is near 800. All people vampiring on buyers for finance charges for shit can blow me. When you don't have money it works against you, when you do have money it works against them. They play everything to their benefit game so why shouldn't I?...and I do.