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Just purchased my new car 95% on line. I went to the showroom to drive a similar model. I didn't like the color so he found the exact color I liked and brought it over from a close by dealer. I test drove it and told him I wanted it at the same price he quoted me for the other one. I also said I wanted. Him to hold the deal for a couple hours because I promised a competitor I would look at a car he had. The sales man told me wait a minute and came out with a even lower price. $5,000 under msrp and $1500 cheaper than true car. Needless to say I took the deal....
last year I sent out a bunch of emails,,,,, ,,told them my criteria,,,and none of them would put a price in an email,,,they would send a flyer but do nothing more,,
I tried auto trader and found a super deal .....I highly recommend auto-trader.com
Most car dealerships websites I know have a button that says "Request a Quote" or "Insta Quote".
It's odd that there are those that still want you to "come on down!!"
I bought my last three cars 100% by email. I have crappy phone service, so this worked out better for me. One dealer even delivered the car to my house. For the car I bought last week, I drove to the dealership, handed them my finance check, signed a few things, drove home in new car. Didn't even have to go to F&I.
I like this approach. My question is how you deal with the test drives. Do you go to a bunch of dealers and do a bunch of test drives before you ever start in on this? Like show up at a slow time and announce that you're not buying today but you'd like to drive [X]?
Carmax is great for this. Multiple newer models from different manufacturers. The Carmax salesman will let you sit in all the ones you want and drive several - works better if you show up on a slow day.
I'm pretty surprised that negotiating for a new car via email actually worked for some posters here.
Two years ago when I was looking to buy a new car, I read a few articles and saw some television segments saying that it's possible to shop for a car completely online/by email - just email several dealers, and ask them to quote their best prices. So, I tried this approach, emailing many dealers in the area. Every one responded with "when would you like to schedule an appointment or test drive?" After trading emails with one dealer, I pressed her that I wanted to see her best price. The answer was: we don't negotiate over the internet; you need to come into the dealership.
Negotiating online has worked great for me, but dealers are getting less reluctant to give out pricing online.
You need to convince them that you are ready to buy now, that you already know what you want (tell them you have already test driven the vehicle). Tell them you are buying today, tell them exactly what you want (model/trim/color/options), that you are soliciting offers from local dealers and the lowest price gets your business. The dealer or manufacturer's instant price quote applet works great for sending the same message to multiple dealers (albeit one at a time). [I also recommend creating a new email for this task as the dealers will spam you forever]. Some of the dealers will respond back with pricing, at that point it is time to give your closest dealer a chance to beat the best price (why travel far for the vehicle if you dont have to).
The challenges I have run into recently are taking a far away great offer and getting it matched close to me. There is a process involved in bringing the offer closer by getting an intermediate distance dealer to match/beat a far away offer, then try and get a local dealer to match/beat it.
I'm pretty surprised that negotiating for a new car via email actually worked for some posters here.
Two years ago when I was looking to buy a new car, I read a few articles and saw some television segments saying that it's possible to shop for a car completely online/by email - just email several dealers, and ask them to quote their best prices. So, I tried this approach, emailing many dealers in the area. Every one responded with "when would you like to schedule an appointment or test drive?" After trading emails with one dealer, I pressed her that I wanted to see her best price. The answer was: we don't negotiate over the internet; you need to come into the dealership.
When I was shopping for a new vehicle last year for the first time in nearly ten years, I decided to try the "email quote" route, and emailed the Internet Manager at every dealer in the metro selling that make, plus a couple of out-of-town dealers, for good measure. I made it clear that I didn't need a test drive, and I did not have a trade-in. If the price was agreeable, I will come in to finalize the transaction.
The responses I got were almost exactly the same as yours. "Please contact me to schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience, so I can demonstrate the vehicle to you". Or, "Come in and have a cup of coffee on us, and I will see how I can assist you". I responded back that I didn't need a demonstration, I just need their best price up front, and I will be in to complete the transaction, if the price is agreeable. But I got nowhere. One of the dealers didn't even respond to my inquiry, and it was one of the local ones, not one of the out-of-town dealers.
I think they just want to get you in there on their turf, and try to talk you into something before you have a chance to realize what just happened. After all, every dealer these days has their inventory ready for immediate delivery. The porter just has to run it through the wash rack and affix the temporary tag, while the finance manager works you over, and tries to sell you as many warranties and pre-paid maintenance plans as he can (they do all the add-ons, like pinstriping, window VIN etching, window tinting, paint & fabric protection, etc., to all their vehicles, before they are put on sale, so there is no need to try to "upsell" on those things). I just wonder how much longer this business model can survive.
Negotiating via email is probably something that varies from region to region. In my market, for example, there are maybe just a half-dozen new-car dealer ownership groups that control 95% of the market. The independent car dealer that only sells one brand, is virtually extinct.
Las time I bought a car (2 years ago) everything was shopped and negotiated via email. There were a couple of dealers that don't do it ... I just simply cross them off the list.
No one in my area will. Not even within 200 miles from me. It is a PITA and why people like the expediency of places like Carmax.
Making it clear that you are a ready, willing and able buyer with the only question being price does work in many cases...
Never bought a car on time or had a trade... so it really was all about price.
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