Car buying during Black Friday or end of year ? (Dallas: sale, 2015)

[jdallas]

Originally Posted by richard88

wait... which other place would waive this ? Even Costco, which is just getting bids from dealership, would charge the inventory tax ?
Or when we bargain, we need to be upfront with them and see if they would charge that 2% ? Thanks !

Personally, I would wait until the very end before bringing that up or else it's likely they will try and work it back in somewhere else.

When I bought my last car, I struck it out after they printed the paperwork to sign and then printed an updated set. I don't know about Costco as I've never purchased from them.

[richard88]

So you just struck it out and if they don't comply, we will threaten to walk away strategy ....

Originally Posted by jdallas

Personally, I would wait until the very end before bringing that up or else it's likely they will try and work it back in somewhere else.

When I bought my last car, I struck it out after they printed the paperwork to sign and then printed an updated set. I don't know about Costco as I've never purchased from them.

[dallas_cowboy]

Best time to buy a new car is 2 to 4 months from when manufacturer releases their new models. During that period manufacturer increases their incentive on previous models to clear the old inventory. If you have missed the boat for a particular model then try to go and buy a new car during last 4 days of the month. Lot of mid-range models do get new models every years with minor or almost unnoticeable difference from this year to next year's models.

Dealers need to meet certain sales number every month for a better manufacturer's incentives and they tend to lower their profit if they haven't meet their numbers.

Some does and don't when buying a new car for a specific model you have already decided:

Do:
1. Buy ConsumerReports special subscription where they disclose invoice and other incentives dealers get upfront, so you get the base price understanding for the car.

2. Check Edmunds Car Forum where lot of buyers for a specific make / model discuss about how much they paid in REAL and which configuration they got in their vehicle. When I was in market to buy my new car 2 years ago, I literally read almost 300 responses for a particular model I was interested in and found a rock bottom price I could get. It took me 2 weeks and a trip to all dealers in DFW but got the price I wanted to pay (paid 2K less than what most of other DFW dealers were willing to sell their car for at that time)

3. Make sure you know the invoice of the vehicle before you go to dealership.

4. Check TrueCar. Aim to pay around LOWEST paid for the make/model in your area.


Don't:

1. Don't take a word of salesman at dealership. BUNCH OF LIERS. (Yes, I mean it. You may find exceptions but majority of sales people try to sell you at the highest price and work for their own interest not yours) I can give you numerous my own personal experience

2. Costco's price is an average price. Don't think you are getting the cheapest price for the make/model.

3. Never pay above invoice price on Toyota. Dealers try to put lot of add-ons and try to sell the car at a lot higher price. Avoid doing that unless those add-ons really mean some value to you.

4. Avoid going to dealership during rush weekends. They won't be ready to negotiate.

5. You can try to do internet negotiation, but don't do it for a general make/model. Look at their inventory online, and bid for only a specific car available from their inventory. So you know exactly what you are bidding for online.

I don't think Black Friday would be a good time to get the best price as I had always avoid major traffic time at the dealership, so my price on the table is heard by the manager instead of waiting in line to be heard by the sales person.

[LeagleEagleDFW]

Decide what you are willing to pay for a model based on realistic numbers from Edmunds True Market Value and TrueCar. Find somewhere that will meet that price. Enjoy your car and move on with life.

Buying a car isn't hard.

[richard88]

Thanks for the response ! Dallas_Cowboys ... those are good pointers ! Should I do trade-in with my 150k miles Toyota Corolla, or don't bother ?

[dallas_cowboy]

Originally Posted by richard88

Thanks for the response ! Dallas_Cowboys ... those are good pointers ! Should I do trade-in with my 150k miles Toyota Corolla, or don't bother ?

NO. Don't trade-in your vehicle.

Dealers will try to sell you a new car at a higher price but will show you that you are getting an awesome trade-in price for your vehicle. That's why dealers always ask 1st about whether you have any vehicle to trade-in so they know where they can make money.

[richard88]

Dallas_cowboy :
I know ... besides my old car likely won't worth much to trade-in for and it complicates my car buying. I would either go to Carmax for my old car to sell to or just keep it for running short distance.
I sign up the Truecar.com and got the lowest estimate price from Toyota of Plan0 among the others dealers, the second step is to choose two or three dealers in the emails and ask if they give me that price (lowest truecar). Probably towards the end of Nov, they would get more anxious to give lower price.

Originally Posted by dallas_cowboy

NO. Don't trade-in your vehicle.

Dealers will try to sell you a new car at a higher price but will show you that you are getting an awesome trade-in price for your vehicle. That's why dealers always ask 1st about whether you have any vehicle to trade-in so they know where they can make money.

[dallas_cowboy]

Originally Posted by richard88

Dallas_cowboy :
I know ... besides my old car likely won't worth much to trade-in for and it complicates my car buying. I would either go to Carmax for my old car to sell to or just keep it for running short distance.
I sign up the Truecar.com and got the lowest estimate price from Toyota of Plan0 among the others dealers, the second step is to choose two or three dealers in the emails and ask if they give me that price (lowest truecar). Probably towards the end of Nov, they would get more anxious to give lower price.

True about your trade-in point.

You are on a right track..... Based on my car buying experience in DFW, I would recommend avoid AutoNation (Toyota and Nissan I have experienced) chains. Their margins are lot higher and I was always getting their quotes on a higher end compare to all other dealers in DFW.

Did you also check on Edmunds forum to find out what REAL buyers paid for the vehicle you are interested in?

My most recent purchase was towards the month end and 2 months after new model came out with only in-dash firmware upgraded from previous models. Initially dealer was $500 above my price but the sales rep called me back matching my price towards the end of the month. Other dealers kept calling me few days after the purchase to find out where I bought my car from and how much I paid

To comment on previous poster, I think buying a car is not difficult but it is difficult to buy it at the best lowest price as no dealers like to sell their cars at the lowest margin.

[dallas_cowboy]

Originally Posted by richard88

Any catches I need to watch out ? Like hidden charges or things they try to hide.
I intend to use the Costco price and see if any dealership can beat that.

Figure out OTD price. Let dealer do their calculation. I would simply tell them this is what I want to pay out the door, take it or I am leaving the table.

[FarNDallas]

Originally Posted by richard88

Thinking of getting a Toyota Sienna, any advice if I should get it during end of Nov or end of Dec ? Where would be a good place to get deals ? Cost cosco ? Toyota of Dallas dealership ?

Thanks !

August & December are the best times for Lexus, so I assume for Toyota it's the same.