New Car Shopping is the Worst - Any Hacks?

[Anonymous]

It's been many years since I bought a new car, I dread shopping for a new car but I must do it! I hate the fakery of haggling, the feeling of being cheated by a car salesman, making the wrong decision or deal. Other than taking a man along to the car lots, any advice or hacks to make new car shopping less painful for a woman in 2022?

[Anonymous]

If you can wait, wait. There are ZERO deals to be had right now.

[Anonymous]

I bought my last car by email. I had done my research, including going to some dealerships in person to test drive, and knew what was a good price. I emailed 3-4 dealers that I knew had my car on the lot and asked them to give me a price. Picked the lowest one, worked out a price for the trade in, and struck a deal. DH went and picked up the car, so I never even met the salesman.

A friend recently bought a car using the Costco car program. It is also no hassle/no haggling. Costco negotiates the price, and they match you with a dealer that has agreed to sell at that price.

[Anonymous]

The last two cars I purchased were all through email.

- Do the research on the car you want.
- Test drive your top choices.
- Toward the end of the month email the e-sales department of the local dealers that have the vehicle and trim you want in stock.
- Say that you are going to be buying X vehicle (with trim and color) in the next seven days and you want to know their best and final number.
- Compare the numbers and make the appointment to purchase.
After you settle on a price, then you negotiate financing.
- find out your scores on your own
- ask them which credit bureau they use to pull scores and ask what is the rate for your score range.

Lastly, if you are a woman, try to hide that fact. I adjusted my name to initials to make it seem like I was a male (example AL instead of Alexis) and the car price I received was 5K lower than when I emailed with my full name.

Also, you may get a better price further away from your home. You don't have to service your car at the dealer where you purchased. If you save 5K - it might be worth it for a bit of a road trip. Hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

PP has some good ideas.

I am a woman and LOVE car shopping. If you do not yet know what you want, go do tons of test driving and see what you like. You might surprise yourself.

Then spend some time of the Edmund's website, which lets you build your car features and compare across makes. I find each car company's model features packages really confusing, so get that all straight in your head via Edmunds and the car company website before you start shopping.

Then either use Costco or email to reach out to various dealers with exactly what you want. Be specific about what you can be flexible on (color? feature package?) and what you definitely need. Then ask for their best price.

Once you have prices, offer a number slightly lower. They can say yes or no. My general rule is make them say no once. Also have in mind some extra things you can ask to be thrown in for free (cargo cover or roof rack, for example).

[Anonymous]

Have any of you bought a car during the pandemic? It does not work like that anymore.

My experience:
1. I test drove some cars. It was hard to find dealers that even had cars to test drive.

2. I called the dealers in my area to ask if they had the make and model I wanted. Nobody had any but I finally found one that had a shipment on order.

3. I put down a deposit for a car that was coming in 6 weeks. It was a refundable 500 dollar deposit.

4. The car arrived 6 weeks later, they called me, I test drove it, then bought it. There was no negotiation, I paid MSRP. If I had not bought it, they would have sold it that day to another customer.

5. The end.

It's a great time to buy a car if you don't like haggling because nobody is haggling. The only haggle might be if you're buying a high end luxury vehicle, or a dealer has some weird car that hasn't sold yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you bought a car during the pandemic? It does not work like that anymore.

My experience:
1. I test drove some cars. It was hard to find dealers that even had cars to test drive.

2. I called the dealers in my area to ask if they had the make and model I wanted. Nobody had any but I finally found one that had a shipment on order.

3. I put down a deposit for a car that was coming in 6 weeks. It was a refundable 500 dollar deposit.

4. The car arrived 6 weeks later, they called me, I test drove it, then bought it. There was no negotiation, I paid MSRP. If I had not bought it, they would have sold it that day to another customer.

5. The end.

It's a great time to buy a car if you don't like haggling because nobody is haggling. The only haggle might be if you're buying a high end luxury vehicle, or a dealer has some weird car that hasn't sold yet.

Pretty much this.
I mean there is no haggling. Expect to pay MSRP or over.

[Anonymous]

Just pay the price they’re asking. You’ll be out of there in an hour.

[Anonymous]

Agree with PP, if you want to buy a new car right now there is no haggling. You just go to the dealership and try to reserve one that will be available in a month or two and pay MSRP or more. The only advice I can give is to try to find a dealership that will let you get away with paying only MSRP and not an additional $3000-$5000 for their mandatory add-ons. We were able to find one but they are few and far between, at least for Toyotas. It is a better deal to buy a new car right now over a used one though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bought my last car by email. I had done my research, including going to some dealerships in person to test drive, and knew what was a good price. I emailed 3-4 dealers that I knew had my car on the lot and asked them to give me a price. Picked the lowest one, worked out a price for the trade in, and struck a deal. DH went and picked up the car, so I never even met the salesman.

A friend recently bought a car using the Costco car program. It is also no hassle/no haggling. Costco negotiates the price, and they match you with a dealer that has agreed to sell at that price.

You can still use the Costco/Truecar price to negotiate discount, just harder to do right now. Always focus on the “out the door price.” Don’t play games with how much you want to pay each month. Have your own financing arranged, hopefully with a credit union, but you can shop around. But be aware the manufacturer financing may get you (and the dealer) $500 or do. You can then turn around and refinance in a couple of days at a lower rate. Don’t pay market adjustment mark ups unless it’s a car in high demand, and always consider used due to depreciation. Extended warranties are usually a bad deal a a profit center for dealers. Same for tire snd wheel protection. Refuse to pay for nitrogen, leather/paint protection or VINa etching when you get to F&I. If the desler insists on a Doc fee then that should come off of the top line. Look around for other potential savings such as loyalty/conquest promotions. Also membership in the BMW car club of America nets you at least a $500 check.

Be firm but respectful and prepare to walk if necessary. Soliciting pricing buy emailing the Sales Msnager or Internet Sales Manager is a good strategy but may not get you the best price in todays market. You should’ve add Lao consider whether driving a distance can save you money. If you’re trading in treat it as a separate negotiation. Get online offers from Carmax, Vroom, Carvana or even another local dealership to use in the negotiation.

Consider whether the dealer offers loaners for service (service is where the bulk of profits are generated) or even pickup or drop off car. Also consider the length of warranty and what is d as No is not covered by the manufacturer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you bought a car during the pandemic? It does not work like that anymore.

My experience:
1. I test drove some cars. It was hard to find dealers that even had cars to test drive.

2. I called the dealers in my area to ask if they had the make and model I wanted. Nobody had any but I finally found one that had a shipment on order.

3. I put down a deposit for a car that was coming in 6 weeks. It was a refundable 500 dollar deposit.

4. The car arrived 6 weeks later, they called me, I test drove it, then bought it. There was no negotiation, I paid MSRP. If I had not bought it, they would have sold it that day to another customer.

5. The end.

It's a great time to buy a car if you don't like haggling because nobody is haggling. The only haggle might be if you're buying a high end luxury vehicle, or a dealer has some weird car that hasn't sold yet.

Pretty much this.
I mean there is no haggling. Expect to pay MSRP or over.

Respectfully disagree. There is no excuse to pay more than MSRP particularly if options are missing from a vehicle. Some dealers are selling at full MSRP even when the vehicle is missing things like HUD or lumbar or upgraded stereo/CarPlay due to semiconductor chip supply shortages.

[Anonymous]

Go test drive, then shop around via email. Email every dealer in the area and outside the area to see who will give you the best price on what you want. Never negotiate in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you bought a car during the pandemic? It does not work like that anymore.

My experience:
1. I test drove some cars. It was hard to find dealers that even had cars to test drive.

2. I called the dealers in my area to ask if they had the make and model I wanted. Nobody had any but I finally found one that had a shipment on order.

3. I put down a deposit for a car that was coming in 6 weeks. It was a refundable 500 dollar deposit.

4. The car arrived 6 weeks later, they called me, I test drove it, then bought it. There was no negotiation, I paid MSRP. If I had not bought it, they would have sold it that day to another customer.

5. The end.

It's a great time to buy a car if you don't like haggling because nobody is haggling. The only haggle might be if you're buying a high end luxury vehicle, or a dealer has some weird car that hasn't sold yet.

Pretty much this.
I mean there is no haggling. Expect to pay MSRP or over.

Respectfully disagree. There is no excuse to pay more than MSRP particularly if options are missing from a vehicle. Some dealers are selling at full MSRP even when the vehicle is missing things like HUD or lumbar or upgraded stereo/CarPlay due to semiconductor chip supply shortages.

Mmkay. Right now, if you won't, someone else will.

[Anonymous]

At my spouse's dealership the wait for popular models is 90 days or more and at least $2K deposit. If you balk there are plenty more in line behind you will to pay and wait. He has a stack an inch thick of deposits on cars that are in transit or at the manufacturer. And trust me, most salespeople are more than happy to not have to haggle with you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bought my last car by email. I had done my research, including going to some dealerships in person to test drive, and knew what was a good price. I emailed 3-4 dealers that I knew had my car on the lot and asked them to give me a price. Picked the lowest one, worked out a price for the trade in, and struck a deal. DH went and picked up the car, so I never even met the salesman.

A friend recently bought a car using the Costco car program. It is also no hassle/no haggling. Costco negotiates the price, and they match you with a dealer that has agreed to sell at that price.

You can still use the Costco/Truecar price to negotiate discount, just harder to do right now. Always focus on the “out the door price.” Don’t play games with how much you want to pay each month. Have your own financing arranged, hopefully with a credit union, but you can shop around. But be aware the manufacturer financing may get you (and the dealer) $500 or do. You can then turn around and refinance in a couple of days at a lower rate. Don’t pay market adjustment mark ups unless it’s a car in high demand, and always consider used due to depreciation. Extended warranties are usually a bad deal a a profit center for dealers. Same for tire snd wheel protection. Refuse to pay for nitrogen, leather/paint protection or VINa etching when you get to F&I. If the desler insists on a Doc fee then that should come off of the top line. Look around for other potential savings such as loyalty/conquest promotions. Also membership in the BMW car club of America nets you at least a $500 check.

Be firm but respectful and prepare to walk if necessary. Soliciting pricing buy emailing the Sales Msnager or Internet Sales Manager is a good strategy but may not get you the best price in todays market. You should’ve add Lao consider whether driving a distance can save you money. If you’re trading in treat it as a separate negotiation. Get online offers from Carmax, Vroom, Carvana or even another local dealership to use in the negotiation.

Consider whether the dealer offers loaners for service (service is where the bulk of profits are generated) or even pickup or drop off car. Also consider the length of warranty and what is d as No is not covered by the manufacturer.

You are 100% wrong on all of this. There are no discounts, Dealers are not honoring any programs including Costco, and used cars are not depreciated at all.