Do all your homework. MSRP's will be the same in your region for comparably equipped vehicles however, the same MSRP may not be equipped exactly the like the next.  If a dealers website doesn’t list the sticker most dealers will lie and tell you what you want to hear in order to get you in.  In the dealer's mind if they give you too much information up front they will lose the sale opportunity.

Ask for a copy of the dealer’s sticker with the options if it is not listed on their website. It takes literally a minute to cut and paste it into an email for you so there should not be any excuses if they want to come off as an honest business to their potential customers. If they don’t move on to somebody who will. Don’t get sucked in to any deceit a dealer try’s to dish out. If you get screwed you have yourself to blame if you knew better in the first place.

Research your trade. Use Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds, Black Book Online, and be sure to find trade in value not retail or private party. Keep in mind though dealers use Black Book to value trades only this is explained in FAQ’s on this website. Always print out your findings and bring them into the dealer to show them. Make sure your findings are current as trade values on all websites change weekly so a one-month-old KBB inquiry can change by a $1000 or more in that time.

Don't tell a dealer that a vehicle, new or used, is at a competing dealer for a specific price if it is not. Dealers today are using software that with the click of a mouse can locate all new and used inventory, VIN #’s and listing prices as well as how long they may have been on a lot.  So if you say Joe Blows Dealership has a Chevy Trailblazer for $20,000 with 10,000 miles, most dealers will know if this is true before you hang up the phone.  Dealers have access to 5 times the information a consumer does so this type of move will cost you credibility and create an uncomfortable experience for all parties involved.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Ask as many as you like. Although a dealers inventory may be 1000 cars and he/she may not have the exact answer off the top of their head, ask them to get the answers and get back to you. You pick the time frame that is reasonable but let the person know what you expect up front. If a consultant doesn’t know your timeline he/she may get tied up with a customer and delay pleasing you inadvertently.
     
Is Kelly Blue Book a realistic portrayal of my cars value?

Kelly Blue Book (KBB) can be however it is almost always a higher figure than Black Book. KBB doesn’t buy cars nor does it allow you the consumer to answer important questions like… Are there dents and dings? When were the brakes done last? What condition are the tires in? Are there any rips in the seats? And so on. KBB doesn’t buy cars either which is very important to understanding a vehicles value and having a realistic idea of what to expect from a 7 year old Toyota with 111,000 miles on it. KBB is not a true reflection of the market demands of a vehicle either in the sense that when a manufacturer has a recall of 400,000 vehicles all of it’s lines are affected in resale demand. In other words KBB doesn’t efficiently adjust values when your model year say a 05 Honda, has a recall. When this happens the consumer slows in buying that entire manufacturers product therefore lowering the value of its entire line for a period of time or even indefinitely.

Always so to not frustrate yourself, use Fair Trade Values from KBB. If you get more your doing good but remember this your personal value of a vehicle is more often than not some thing completely different than what the market will bear and some manufactures from time to time will be much more below even the Fair Trade Value at times.

My Neighbor got more than KBB listed for his/her trade on their last purchase. How can this be?

Well, only a couple of factors could be viable answers to this question.
  1. He/she has a collector vehicle that is rare and/or in high demand…
  2. The dealer over allowed for the trade by using backend profit to make it look like they got more or what they expected to get for their trade.
That’s it. No dealer is going to pay more than a vehicle can sell it for, nor will they forgo making a profit on a trade when they resell it. Period. I see it every day, a customer who comes in and says, and sometimes even shows me a written deal from another dealer allowing a ridicules figure on a trade that is higher than a KBB suggested retail. It’s udder nonsense to believe that for a minute. The dealer has just taken money from the profit of the vehicle they are selling to make it appear you are getting a deal. In the end you are still paying exactly what the dealer needed to get for the car he/she is selling. Try walking into wall mart and paying less than price marked it will never happen and no customer is going to pay less than a dealer paid for a car in almost every situation or they would not be around for very long.

How do I know if I got a good deal?

This is easy… If you found the car you like, you like the person and company you are buying it from, and the payment and price are within your guidelines you got a good deal. As most buyers are savvy today thanks to the internet, you already know what is a reasonable price to pay for a specific vehicle, and you can have a good idea what you may get for your trade. The only task left is finding somebody whom you are comfortable doing business with and this is the most important part of the equation when deciding to hand over your hard earned money.

I have had dealers tell me that they had a car and when I showed up the didn’t should I still buy from them?

This seems awfully obvious. I wouldn’t. If any business lies to me just to get me in the door why would I want to give them my business. They have wasted my time and proven to me right from the start that they have no regard or respect for me as a customer and are only concerned with their agenda and nothing else. How could you have any faith that they would be there for you beyond the sale if you needed them for any reason? My answer is… NO WAY!

Why can’t I get the rebates and the 0%?

You can’t have your cake and eat it too. The reason is that when you take the 0% the manufacturer uses the rebate money to buy down the interest from the lender for the customer. If you take the rebates you are most likely buying the vehicle considerably below invoice and the manufactures has to reimburse the dealer for the loss. Manufacturers do this for marketing purposes but are trying hard to stop the rebate wars that have gone on so long. They have learned people are tired of it and perceive it as deception so they are slowly going away.

Aren’t cars like Toyota technically American cars since they are built here?

No. First of all they are assembled here not designed and built here. American companies assemble some car lines in other countries like Mexico and Canada etc. but they aren’t Mexican cars. Plus foreign car manufacturers don’t leave their profit here for Americans they take it all back home. American car money stays in America! GM alone employs over 1,000,000 people Toyota employs 38,000. American car companies direct impact on the economy is second only to housing, and right now is the largest contributing factor to the stability of our economy with the housing market where it is at now. We have many American men and women to thank for that. Stop supporting American automakers now and our economy would lapse into a catastrophic spiral that would devastate each and every one of us. Remember what the 80’s were like? 17% mortgages. I support my fellow Americans first and foremost and hope you will too.