Truck Shopping

[DMiglio]

Nothing more I love than automobiles, new, old, very old, beaters..

Nothing more I despise than car salesman, dealerships and their finance department!

Some very good tips by all, I like to read about this as well so I’ll give a few tips and probably echo a few statements by others.

-if it’s listed as “internet price” be sure to lock in the deal with the internet finance office. When you go to the dealer ask to speak to “internet sales department” as most often the salesman will NOT honor any negotiation.

-if you and the salesman are butting heads or they’re meeting all the stereotypes we associate with salesman, ask to speak to a different salesman, ask to speak with the manager directly or walk out!

-if/when you are dealing with a salesman that seems genuine and is listening to you, be sure to treat them how you’d like to be treated.

You can still haggle, still have some back and forth negotiation and if it’s not working out, walk away, but keep their card because you know the two of you “matched up.”

-definitely work a few different dealerships against each other, find same vehicle, same specs if possible and see who can meet your price

-always keep your monthly payment a secret! Focus on getting an out the door price first and foremost, the dealerships looove to hear what you’d spend monthly because the finance department can work those numbers however they’d like!

-speaking of finance department, might want to get preapproved through your bank although I understand now dealerships are giving very good financing offers.. 0% even.

Sure there’s more but I’m short on time right now!

[JDGolden]

Pretty good tips above.

As mentioned, never be afraid to stand up and leave. I've done it plenty of times. "Thanks for your time, I need to weigh my options/we are too far apart on price" etc.

[MIsnowman]

The best way to get the best deal is to not go in person until you’ve reached the price you want. Some will argue that the dealer won’t give their best price via email because they think you are just using them to beat down another dealer and this is true for some dealers, but the ones that actually want to make a sale will be aggressive with their pricing.

If you go in person, once they have you in the building they’ll do their best to pressure you into a sale. Some have no problem walking out as others have suggested, but many will end up with a vehicle that they paid too much for.

Also, always ask for a breakdown of the price so you can see how much the dealer is actually discounting the vehicle vs factory incentives/rebates. Many dealers will make it look like they are discounting the vehicle thousands of dollars when all they’re really doing is apppyijg factory incentives that are available to everyone.

Lastly, make sure you’re always working off of selling price and not monthly payment. Dealers will often do some “creative” financing to meet a certain per month payment amount, but in the end you might end up with a few extra payments or a larger down payment than you realized and thus a higher purchase price.