Negotiating Tactics In Person

I'm about to get a Tacoma this weekend: 4x4 Premium Off-Road 6MT, no accessories.

How do I negotiate price? What tactics should I be aware of from them? What tactics should I employ? What has worked for you?

 

Email as many dealers as possible

 

That's a loaded question, a lot has to do with how in demand the vehicle is in your area.

At the very least, I strongly suggest checking with any car buying service you may have access to. Some credit unions have them, or Costco / Sam's club. I bank with USAA and was able to use theirs and Costco's along with a local CU to do some research.

Ultimately when I found a deal that had the truck I was looking for, I pulled the trigger through USAA's service and the dealer called within 15 minutes. Told him what price I was willing to pay, based on USAA, and he agreed, so it was pretty easy.

If you don't have access to something like that, I would also strongly suggest you get pre-qualifed for a loan through a credit union before going to the dealership. You'll know what you can afford, and likely will get a better rate than the dealer will offer. If you don't have a CU account, you can usually set one up for a minimum deposit.

IMO the last person you want to be negotiating with is the dealer. The ideal position to be in (again, IMO) is to know what you want, how much you are willing to pay for it, that you already have the loan arranged and don't need their help, and are prepared to walk away if they try to move you off that UNLESS they can go lower.

The one thing I wished I'd done different was not knowing that the dealer could have installed my OME suspension components as part of the purchase. Since I went that route, it would have been nice to have that out of the gate and rolled up into the financing. If that's something you think you'll be doing you may want to ask them about that option. Only one of the dealerships local to me does that.

Good luck!

 

And then bid them against each other to get the lowest price.

 

Is that truck on the lot?

If not work dealers against each other, you will have better luck next weekend I would believe.

 

Have the invoice with you.Mention the dealer hold that he is getting.Do not buy any extra crap.Tell them that you don't even want to hear about the Dealer Added Profit Items...(window etching,paint sealant,extended warranties etc) If you trading in a vehicle do not even mention it until you have agreed on a price for the new one.

 

REMEMBER THAT CAR DEALERS ARE TRAINED TO STEAL YOUR MONEY!!!

 

Get your financing prior to going to dealership.

Write down the price you'll pay for the truck INCLUDING tax and whatever fees they charge. Hand it to salesman. Tell him he has 2 chances to get that number and 30 mins to do it. Mean it too. In other words if he doesn't get you your number by the second time, leave. If you've been in the dealership office for longer than 30 mins and don't have your price, leave.

Negotiate your trade in AFTER you get the price you want for the new truck.

Be prepared to say "no" 1,000 times in the finance office when they try to sell you a bunch of extra crap.

 

Be fair, be realistic, draw a line in the sand and be willing to walk way. Actually walk away. If your number is realistic they will call you back.

 

Go in with a number you want to pay, an number you will pay, and an interest rate you want to pay. Get several finance options, and start at what you want to pay.

Do you NEED this truck. If not, be willing to not buy it that day. Also know your deal breakers and stick to them. Model, options, color etc. don’t sweat stuff that can be done later by you or a shop.

They have to sell trucks, that’s their business. Your’s isn’t buying.

Also get it in writing before you sign anything. And don’t let them pull the better finance deal after you deal and bring you back for more documents to sign.

 

https://www.edmunds.com/?utm_medium...4cmEWlkS_zaxXKB5fTnKWhRXP59NfP9hoCZYAQAvD_BwE

 

The real question is what is the price they will allow you to walk out of the dealership with, if you don't accept it. When I negotiate, that is the price I am after. If you walk and they don't follow or attempt to contact you (assuming you haven't been a big dick in the negotiation process), that is a pretty good price. I intentionally low ball and walk on all offers. I work only large dealerships as I find they are most willing to negotiate. I then take that price to my preferred dealership (my preferred dealership is the one that I really want to work with ie: most local) and tell them that I have that offer standing.

Prior to the above, I email a form letter to 5 dealerships and work the best email offer I can get. Usually, they low ball to get me in the dealership. That works to my advantage though, as I am going to usually walk anyway.

 

Heres the issue...OP wants an OR with premium and in stick. Relatively rare. I usually only see the premiums in fully loaded rigs.

Contact Freeman in Santa Rosa or Antioch Toyota. The internet dept will give you close to invoice right off the bat. From there, im sure you can shave a few more $$.

 

.45

 

Most people seem to get better pricing through the online sales guys or even the fleet sales guys.
I bought mine through the fleet sales guy online and beat all the dealers i emailed by about 1500$. Also never sign or sit too long with them in person. Tell them what you want,haggle a little and then leave. Make sure thwy have your info. because within a few days hell call you with a new special price...

 

Read this before you go:

https://www.consumerreports.org/con...ff-with-the-four-square-heres-how-to-beat-it/

 

My procedure is quite different than most based on the posts on TW. I start searching 12 months before I buy. The dealerships I am searching get to know me as the guy who is taking my time. They learn not to pressure me real quick because I simply tell them I am looking and not ready to deal yet. If they push the sale I walk away.

When you need to make a deal the only true power you have is when you can walk away. If you need / want to deal today, this week or this month you have no power. When you can wait months or years they have to treat you different.

Since the OP is making a deal this weekend I can’t offer much in terms of negotiating tactics. He is at the mercy of the salesperson and the dealership and how bad they need to sell this weekend.

 

I should clarify that I have one ordered (allocated? whatever) with another dealership that's a couple months away (been waiting 3 so far, but I can still wait).

 

This dealership has had a handful of these just sitting on the lot for a couple of months, but none of them are the color I want.

 

Tell them that you're not gonna pay a penny above sticker price.