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I buy new cars through Costco. Fixed quote before you ever step into the dealership. Avoids all the salesman BS.
It might be worth joining Costco for $55 for that alone.
You can also call the dealer, ask for the designated Costco sales rep, tell them your filled out the Costco price request but have not heard from them and ask them for the Costco price quote.
Then shop that!
Heck, on truecar the Corolla LE is already at $17k so shop that price!
Get a quote online before even stepping into a dealership. Edmunds has an online quote process where you can get multiple quotes from multiple dealers. Once you have a quote in hand, do your research and be prepared to stick to your guns.
I will tell you though, the car price is easy compared to all the add-ons they will try to sell you in the finance office. Just be firm and say "no thank you I'm not interested" when they try to sell you everything from extended warranties, gap insurance, prepaid maintenance and the list goes on.
Personally, I think it's a shame that a young person has to seek advice on car buying because the process is so shady. It really speaks to the lack of trust people have for salesman, finance officers and dealers in general.
I've never bought a car from Costco and the like but that seems to be a little more pleasant way to go. Good luck on your purchase.
Find all the Toyota dealers within a reasonable distance and check their prices, don't get the thought that only this one dealer is offering a "special" price. Look to find the highest volume dealership in your region and you will generally be able to negotiate a bit more, since they sell more cars, and get a better deal from the manufacturer. I, too, am not one to create theater to prove how fantastic a negotiator I can be when purchasing a vehicle, and I make a reasonable offer, and see where things lie. If after a couple of prices in a reasonable amount of time, we're not going to conclude a deal as there's too much room, so I will walk and find the vehicle elsewhere.
There's not much margin on a base Corolla, as it's the options packages and after-sale add-ons where the dealer is going to make pure profit. You are not at all likely to need an extended warranty on a Corolla, even if transferable, as it is a non-issue with a used Corolla to many as to whether or not it has one, just by the track record of the vehicle. So, no to extended warranties, paint protection, fabric protection, etc., which will come after you have negotiated the price of the car from the finance people.
It's too bad you aren't in the DC area. Carmax owns a Toyota dealership and has base Corollas from $16,200 for an automatic, with fixed pricing. The LE is at $16.5k as well, which is a pretty decent deal. For about $17k, it's a better equipped LE, and an S Premium model is under $21k, with variations at the relative price levels, give or take a few dollars. They also have 100 in stock online. It's at Laurel Toyota, and since they are new cars, they will not ship. However, there are cheap flights from Houston, and you could drive it back and come out ahead, depending upon the price you are quoted in Texas, and if you can register a new out of state vehicle there.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Go in to test drive anonymously first (don't get hooked to any sales guy's list). Then email your region's dealers' internet sales departments. Simple as that to get a very competitive price. Don't forget to arm yourself with data from Truecar.com to set expectations for yourself.
The reason this works is the internet sales depts. assume you've done your research and won't do any hard sell or fight for every dollar. They are also making pennies compared to regular sales floor guys so they couldn't care less. A sale is a sale.
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