Question about pricing on 2005 leftovers

[denverpete]

I see where you are coming from. If you set a rock-bottom price you have no negotiating room which then ironically makes it look like you're dishonest or difficult because you won't negotiate.

Silly game indeed.

I particularly liked the visual of the man shopping with the woman.

Unfortunately, while many men don't have good negotiating skills - most women definately don't. That's perhaps too blanket of a statement, but it's one that I'll stick with from my own personal observations.

I know for a fact that my wife got hosed on her last car (bought before we met). I'm also pretty sure she would have gotten taken on this last car we bought if I wasn't there (she would have bought the overpriced crap). The thing is, she's an incredibly bright and capable person. She knows a good deal when she sees it and she knows when she's being screwed with..... Except with cars.

[Brucelee]

"Unfortunately, while many men don't have good negotiating skills - most women definately don't. That's perhaps too blanket of a statement, but it's one that I'll stick with from my own personal observations.

I know for a fact that my wife got hosed on her last car (bought before we met). I'm also pretty sure she would have gotten taken on this last car we bought if I wasn't there (she would have bought the overpriced crap). The thing is, she's an incredibly bright and capable person. She knows a good deal when she sees it and she knows when she's being screwed with..... Except with cars."

Yes, my experience concurs with yours.

And yes, IT IS A SILLY GAME!!!!!!!

[asnigro]

Excellent info guys, I really enjoy this thread as I am planning on doing this same thing for the 2006's soon.

I really got a lot from the MS Excel sheet recommended at carbuyingtips.com. I wonder if it would be benificial to bring a printout of this "homework" so they know where you are coming from with your offer (or does this wonly work on vehicles not a year old?).

Once it is understood where the the buyers info is coming from, whats left? Negotiating on how much commission the dealership is going to be taking in? What is fair in this department? $500? $1000? A percentage of the selling price? What are dealerships looking to make on a vehicle that is a year old and being pushed out by the next years model?

[pbadss]

Thanks for the tips! I'll try for 9k off MSRP and see what I can get. I'm thinking it will be tough now that summer is rolling around, even if it is SoCal.

For the same price, would you rather get a new '05 or a slightly used '05 CPO. The 100k warranty on the CPO sounds good too.

[der Geist]

It is a HORRIBLY silly game. The dealer is there to make a profit like all businesses and he is going to shake whatever he can out of you. 2 years ago I bought a truck on my wife's "friends and family" discount and the dealer still tried to add on all kinds of stuff to boost the margin. He even tried to postpone delivery until the next month because he knew the deal would be better for him. It ended up being an all day affair even though I was quite insistent on just wanting a stripped down basic pickup!!! I bought my Boxster from a dealer on eBay and it was the best buying experience of my life (except for the $2500 I paid for my '69 911). I saved more than 25% on an 03 compared to what my local (all 3) dealers are selling cars with similar years/mileage. It was well worth the 45 minute flight to get a great car at a good price. Plus I got to do an 11 hour ride home in the new Box. Do your research well and don't be afraid to push the dealer for as much as yopu can. Believe me-they are looking to get as much as they can out of you. As my last boss used to say "the worst they can tell you is no". At the end of the day they want your money and if they want your money more than you want the car you'll get a fair deal. Remember-the one with the money holds all the cards. I actually had one dealer holding onto the side of my car as I was pulling out of the lot. Very funny stuff. Take your time, do the research and buy off season if you can. It also helps to wait until the end of the month in case the salesman may be a little anxious to meet his sales goal.