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@Anonymous wrote:Negotiating online through email, text, and even calls works at many larger dealerships in urban areas. If you are in a more rural area, most dealerships will not take internet shoppers seriously and won't negotiate via email or text. As everyone else has said make sure to lock down the sale price of the vehicle, then the amount for your trade-in, then bring up financing last. Dealerships focus on manipulating the monthly payment number in a manner that you leave hundreds or thousands of dollars on the table.
That is very interesting! I live in a relatively small city and even the dealerships here are ready and willing to negotiate via email. Where I am, though, there are a few major cities within a half-days drive, so perhaps that plays into it? I guess if you are in such a rural area that there is only one dealership within a few hours drive it would be different.
@disdreamin wrote:That is very interesting! I live in a relatively small city and even the dealerships here are ready and willing to negotiate via email. Where I am, though, there are a few major cities within a half-days drive, so perhaps that plays into it? I guess if you are in such a rural area that there is only one dealership within a few hours drive it would be different.
It definitely does, I think if you are closer to major metros the new sales tactics trickle down much more quickly than in more remote locations. I worked for a dealership as an Internet manager for about 2 years in the middle of Appalachia. I had very little power in actually making deals and the General Manager was focused only on getting people in the door. Every other dealership within a 2 hour radius implemented very similar practices. To find a dealer more willing to negotiate via email you would have had to travel 2 and a half hours at a minimum. The recent restrictions have certainly helped promote online sales and negotiations, but there are still a lot of "old school" delearships out there.
alot of good advice here. im new to these forums and everyone makes very valid points.
i always go to my local bank and get preapporved for loan first, then start negotiations. i have never haggled online before myself, so in about a year when im in the market for another vehicle i will be doing most of it through the internet. i live around 50 miles from the nearest area with a few dealerships.
My last vehicle was done using email and text. The one prior to that was through Instagram DM.
The last one, I changed my mind on vehicle when I got there so negotiations had to be redone in the dealership.
The one through Instagram referred me to the dealer website to fill out the credit app. Instructions were given to not allow anyone but chase to use the app. After a couple of hours of back and forth messages about pricing and payment, they prepped the car. I spent 15 minutes at the dealer signing paperwork. Would have been shorter, but gap wasn't worked into the deal. I signed and left having never seen the car in person or test driven it beforehand. #NoRegerts
Should add that when we buy our next one, I expect it to go as smoothly as the second one since we'll be using the same person and dealer as my last one, the car will be new, and my wife has already test driven it when we got one as a loaner. I'll probably start the process by texting my salesperson.
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:Should add that when we buy our next one, I expect it to go as smoothly as the second one since we'll be using the same person and dealer as my last one, the car will be new, and my wife has already test driven it when we got one as a loaner. I'll probably start the process by texting my salesperson.
It's always a treat to have a good sales professional. I lived in that dream world from my first car purchase until the car before my current daily. He retired and it's a different world now.
Enjoy that good reltionship with your sales pro/dealership.
@Save-n-Invest wrote:
@Brian_Earl_Spilner wrote:Should add that when we buy our next one, I expect it to go as smoothly as the second one since we'll be using the same person and dealer as my last one, the car will be new, and my wife has already test driven it when we got one as a loaner. I'll probably start the process by texting my salesperson.
It's always a treat to have a good sales professional. I lived in that dream world from my first car purchase until the car before my current daily. He retired and it's a different world now.
Enjoy that good reltionship with your sales pro/dealership.
Yeah, she was great. I actually visited 2 other Lexus dealerships and kept looking because I didn't like the salespeople.
Funny anecdote, I recently did some work for the owner of one of those dealerships. Told him what happened and he was pissed because the lousy service caused me to buy elsewhere.
@Save-n-Invest Agreed - having good, trustworthy and best pricing dealers are hard to find.
I have been fortunate to find 2 (Honda & BMW) where these SA are still with the same dealership and continue being very good at Internet sales.
Whenever we need a used or new car, I go to them and avoid the hassles of the old fashioned dealers with aftermarket add ons, inflated APR, and tricks they use to pad their income...