There are two ways to go about buying a new car, truck or SUV.
The first and easiest way for you to find that new car, truck or SUV that you want is by shopping for it right here on this website! You can get new car price quotes and buy a new car right here on this website.
You can research your vehicle down to the last detail, you can get FREE new car price quotes for comparison shopping, and even have your new vehicle delivered right to your front door!
The following links will take you to "The Best of The Best" new car buying sites on the Internet, where you can research any new car to your heart's content, find out dealer invoice and get guaranteed, locked-in new car price quotes! They are:
Edmunds.com
Yahoo! Autos
CarWorks.com
CarsDirect.com
If you live in Canada go to:
Canadian Resources
You can find additional resources to buy a new car at the bottom of this page.
The second way you can go about buying a a new car is the old tried and true conventional method of going to a car dealer to shop! Yes, some people actually still do that!
If you decide to look on a car dealer's lot until something catches your eye, that's fine, but when you're looking be absolutely sure to tell the salesperson that you are not there to buy a new car "Today"! When you find the vehicle that you like be sure to drive it, make sure it has enough space, power, economy, etc. so that you're convinced it suits YOU.
At this point don't let yourself be tempted by a salesperson into making a buying decision! Car salespeople are highly trained at getting you to make an emotional new car buying decision right there on the spot!
They are taught to get you to buy a new car while you're all excited and enthused! They know that once the euphoria wears off, and you start to think more logically about buying a new car, their chances of selling you a vehicle go way down! So don't play into their hands! Take your time! Be cool, and You Will Save BIG MONEY!
Once you find a vehicle that you want write down all the pertinent information off of the window sticker. By this I mean the make, model, serial number the sticker price and a list of all the options on the vehicle.
After you have all the necessary information go home and log onto this website! Then go to the new car buying websites listed here and get some Free Price Quotes!
Not only will these user friendly car new car buying services give you a firm new car price quote, but in some cases they will give you the dealer invoice price. This is the base dealer cost that you will use to negotiate a fair price from.
You may have heard of "dealer holdback" This is an amount of money that the dealer gets from the manufacturer on each new car they sell. It's usually about 3% of the sticker price, although it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
This "dealer holdback" effectively lowers the dealer's cost below the invoice price.
However, don't expect the dealer to give up any of the holdback. On rare occasions the dealer will give up some of this money, but as a general rule of thumb you shouldn't expect it.
The next step for you to take is to find out if there are any Rebates on the car or truck that you want to buy.
When the time comes for you to make a deal, If there are any Rebates, be sure to negotiate your new car price without the Rebate. In other words the Rebate is YOUR money that you will deduct AFTER the price is negotiated!
Now For The FUN Part! Negotiating the deal!
If you did your homework you already have price quotes from
Edmunds.com
Yahoo! Autos
CarWorks.com
CarsDirect.com
If you live in Canada go to:
If not, get them now!
You can find additional resources to buy a new car at the bottom of this page.
Now, here is all you have to do:
Once you have all your figures and you know what the dealer cost is, simply sit down with the salesperson at the dealership you want to buy a new car from and say the following:
"I am here to buy a new car TODAY! I will give you $xxx Amount (you fill in the amount) over invoice and that's it! I can buy it over the Internet for $xxx Amount, but I'd rather buy a new car from you! I know what your cost is on the vehicle, so let's keep this simple!"
****Sidenote****
You can offer them anywhere from $100 to $500 over invoice and feel assured that you are getting a fair price!
$100 on lower priced vehicles on up to $500 on the more expensive ones. $300 is fair for both parties on average.
Believe me, if the car dealer you are trying to buy a new car from won't go along with you, then there are plenty of other car dealers out there who will jump at the deal!
****Sidenote****
Now to continue our dialogue...tell the sales person the following:
"Tell your manager this is what I'm willing to pay to buy a new car and no more! And I keep the Rebate aside from this price I'm offering!
"Now this is a take it or leave it deal! Don't come back and try to bump me! If your manager won't agree to my deal I'll take my business elsewhere!
"If you work with me on this I will do all I can to send people I know to buy from you, and I will come back to see you the next time I'm in the market to buy a new car."
OK! Now you have them right where you want them!
By the way, be polite and friendly to the sales person, because he or she is under more pressure than anybody! In most cases the sales person will appreciate this approach! It makes his or her job a lot easier, and makes for a quick deal for both of you! Plus, by saying that you will send other people to this sales person it puts him or her on your side!
If the sales person comes back from the manager with anything other than an "OK" get up and start to leave! If the sales person tries to get you to stay (and He will!), give him or her one more chance!
Don't let the car dealer convince you that there are any add-ons such as "dealer prep," rustproofing, paint sealant or fabric protector, and therefore you'll HAVE to pay extra for this stuff! It's all bull, so don't fall for it!
Just stick to your guns and you will get a great deal!
Now be careful here because, it can get a little sticky if you have a trade! First of all, you do not want to tell the dealer you are trading until AFTER you have negotiated your best new car price!
This is very important!
An astute car sales person will ask you early on in the process if you are trading. I don't want to tell you to lie, but it's very important that the sales person understands that you are not trading...at least at that particular moment! However, there's no law against changing your mind later on!
Simply tell them that you want to keep the trade out of the picture! Period!
Also, do not negotiate a car deal based on monthly payment either. Get the price set first then talk payment, but you will be much better off arranging your own financing. For more on this go to Car Financing Tips.
Then all you have to decide is how much you are willing to let your trade go for. The dealer will never give you more than wholesale value for your trade! Never!
They can make it look like they are giving you more then they really are if you allow them to quote a trade value off of the sticker price of the new car you're buying. This is why it is so important to negotiate your best price first. Then bring the trade into the picture after you have a firm selling price negotiated!
To research used car values go to What's My Car Worth? and Yahoo! Autos
.
This will give you a "ballpark" of what you can expect for your vehicle. Just remember, that used car prices are very subjective, so the "book value" may not reflect the car's actual worth!
Remember, the car dealer will only give you wholesale value for your vehicle.
Getting back to our new car deal....Now you have the dealer cornered again, and they have no choice but to quote a trade-in allowance that is subtracted from the negotiated selling price! This way they can't artificially inflate the trade-in allowance, and you will know exactly what they are really giving you!
And also remember this....there are many factors that influence trade-in value. Things like mileage, overall condition of interior and exterior, tires, exhaust system, brakes, engine, transmission and so forth. So keep in mind that trade-in values are very subjective!
And don't let them lump the rebate, if any, in with the trade allowance! If you do you lose!
Believe me, car dealers hate doing a deal in this manner! It gives them no room for anything, which is exactly where you want them!
Simply put, if you don't corner them they will certainly try to corner you! So don't be shy! It's your money!
The only other area where you have to be careful is in financing. The dealer can make a ton of money off of you in the finance office if you're not careful!
To get the "Insider Car Secrets" Edge on financing, and learn everything you need to know to get a tremendous deal on a car loan go to Car Financing Tips!
By the way, the same tactics explored in this article will work if you want to lease! Simply don't tell the salesperson you want to lease until after you negotiate your best deal using the strategies and tips above. For all the facts on leasing visit New Car Leasing Tips!
