Pricing, Haggling, Tips and Tricks

[neod192]

 

I've got a spreadsheet at home where I had the options and prices listed, when I was first comparing, will try and dig it back out.

Did the C-max also see a price increase, like the Fusion?

[acdii]

Curious about the tax credit, was it taken off the price, or what?

[rico567]

Negotiating directly with the Sales Manager eliminates most of the sales tricks. The Sales Manager is the guy who can actually say YES to a deal. I've walked out of many a showroom, only to have the phone ring with a YES that was "impossible" at the showroom.

 

As we get closer to actually negotiating for a car, the quote above brings back feelings of nausea from past experiences. There is a local dealer I won't go near (we just drove 80 miles to test-drive a car because of them) because of just such tactics. I'm guessing the car business just won't change their dirty habits....because they pay off for them.

I'm getting too old to play "Fargo" with these people, and it makes me want to just go through Triple A or Costco and buy the car.....except for my sneaking suspicion that that won't be my best deal. After we decide on exactly what we want to order, maybe the best route is just to get Internet offers from a half-dozen dealers and buy it from the low bidder.

[Fastronaut]

 

As we get closer to actually negotiating for a car, the quote above brings back feelings of nausea from past experiences. There is a local dealer I won't go near (we just drove 80 miles to test-drive a car because of them) because of just such tactics. I'm guessing the car business just won't change their dirty habits....because they pay off for them.

I'm getting too old to play "Fargo" with these people, and it makes me want to just go through Triple A or Costco and buy the car.....except for my sneaking suspicion that that won't be my best deal. After we decide on exactly what we want to order, maybe the best route is just to get Internet offers from a half-dozen dealers and buy it from the low bidder.

It's your money, but if you go with an Affinity Buyers Group, you're not necessarily saving the most you can. It may not be the easiest thing to deal with a Sales Manager, but it's your best way to save if you have no Ford Employee Plans. Just sayin'. Hope you enjoy your new car when you pull the trigger on the buy. It's always a good idea to see what the surrounding dealerships are offering on the Internet, but beware they base prices on different things. Be sure to compare apples with apples.

[acdii]

Internet competition seems to work best. Then you have a price in writing. Here's what I'm willing to pay for this car with these options, Yes or no? I bought a few cars this way and always did good.

[hybridbear]

Invoice amount includes $795 shipping plus a fuel charge ($45-$55) and regional advertising fee ($564 in my area).

The advertising fee is getting ridiculous

 

As we get closer to actually negotiating for a car, the quote above brings back feelings of nausea from past experiences. There is a local dealer I won't go near (we just drove 80 miles to test-drive a car because of them) because of just such tactics. I'm guessing the car business just won't change their dirty habits....because they pay off for them.

I'm getting too old to play "Fargo" with these people, and it makes me want to just go through Triple A or Costco and buy the car.....except for my sneaking suspicion that that won't be my best deal. After we decide on exactly what we want to order, maybe the best route is just to get Internet offers from a half-dozen dealers and buy it from the low bidder.

Are you planning to do a factory order or buy off the lot? Factory order will get you a better deal than buying off the lot. You can contact multiple dealers and tell them you want to do a factory order and ask them if they'll sell you a factory order at $500 below invoice. You might not find anyone willing to go that low, but that should get you some good offers and weed out the dealers who won't be competitive. If you factory order I would not pay more than invoice.

 

You could pick a dealer and have them try to find a car with your specs to swap from another dealer but that will cost you more money and will likely result in the car having a few hundred miles on it when it is driven to your dealer. Factory order gets you a brand new car that no one else has driven at a lower price, but you have to be prepared to wait a few months then. Since you haven't ordered yet you may want to order a 2014. Order banks are already open for 2014 Fusions and there are some cool feature changes. Check out the Blue Oval Forums for more info

Edited May 6, 2013 by hybridbear

[GoGreen]

One thing I found out getting quotes, is make sure they are "out the door quotes", after they have tacked everything else on. The dealer I ended up buying from didn't have a Doc. fee, which everyone else had at 599.

Never pay a dealer, doc fee or electronic processing fees. Those are scams. What I would do is go on the maps.google.com and type in "ford dealer" and then zoom out many clicks. See how many Ford dealers are within 100+ miles from you. Click on each button and then call each and every one of them and find out which ones have a dealer fee (or any other fees) and then only do business with the one that has no fees. If you are going to save $599 to $899 on a dealer fee or so, isn't it worth driving a couple hours to save that money? I do it all the time every time I buy a car. I never buy from dealers that charge dealer fees. If I can't find a brand car where I can't find a dealer that doesn't charge dealer fees, I simply don't buy from that brand. Car dealers make enough money as it is. Then they are going to insult you with some hidden dealer fee at the very end after you spent 2-4 hours there? I've walked from many dealers that did that to me.