Anonymous wrote:Here’s what we do:

We email multiple dealers in the area. We deceive exactly what we want. We then as for their best out the door price and tell them we are asking other dealers the same. We then go back to each dealer saying we now have an offer of X. Can you beat that? We keep doing that until all drop out but the real best one.

We did this in fall 2019 when we bought our last vehicle (a new Honda). Honda has essentially done away with options packages, so I was only looking at one very specific model/trim level that I would take in any of 3 colors. I emailed six dealerships, and only one of them would give me an out-the-door price without coming into the dealership. That's who got my business because my time is money, too. (Plus the car is still valued at more than I paid for it a year and a half ago, so I feel like it was a fair price.)

Mercedes GLE 450

Anonymous wrote:I am the Subaru / Toyota poster. Thank you for your insights, it is really helpful.

You are welcome. If you don't get the deal you want, try a few different dealers. Be willing to drive 50 miles. My figures are based on actual sales.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make and model you are interested in and I will tell you the discount to shoot for. Typing this as I sit in a dealership completing my latest deal.

BMW X3

Limited data available, but seems like 16 percent off MSRP is possible. I would aim for 18 percent and see. That seems pretty aggressive to me but the data says what it says.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what we do:

We email multiple dealers in the area. We deceive exactly what we want. We then as for their best out the door price and tell them we are asking other dealers the same. We then go back to each dealer saying we now have an offer of X. Can you beat that? We keep doing that until all drop out but the real best one.

This is also harder to do in the shortage. There aren't that many cars sitting on the lot and the ones that are aren't fully comparable in terms of options/features. It complicates this approach.

I’m not sure what you mean but we’ve done this many times:
Camry
Suburban
Mazda
Highlander

Yes. It was more possible in the past than it is now, when there is a shortage of cars (related to a shortage in computer chips).

Anonymous wrote:Make and model you are interested in and I will tell you the discount to shoot for. Typing this as I sit in a dealership completing my latest deal.

BMW X3

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what we do:

We email multiple dealers in the area. We deceive exactly what we want. We then as for their best out the door price and tell them we are asking other dealers the same. We then go back to each dealer saying we now have an offer of X. Can you beat that? We keep doing that until all drop out but the real best one.

This is also harder to do in the shortage. There aren't that many cars sitting on the lot and the ones that are aren't fully comparable in terms of options/features. It complicates this approach.

I’m not sure what you mean but we’ve done this many times:
Camry
Suburban
Mazda
Highlander

I am the Subaru / Toyota poster. Thank you for your insights, it is really helpful.

Anonymous wrote:Here’s what we do:

We email multiple dealers in the area. We deceive exactly what we want. We then as for their best out the door price and tell them we are asking other dealers the same. We then go back to each dealer saying we now have an offer of X. Can you beat that? We keep doing that until all drop out but the real best one.

This is also harder to do in the shortage. There aren't that many cars sitting on the lot and the ones that are aren't fully comparable in terms of options/features. It complicates this approach.

Here’s what we do:

We email multiple dealers in the area. We deceive exactly what we want. We then as for their best out the door price and tell them we are asking other dealers the same. We then go back to each dealer saying we now have an offer of X. Can you beat that? We keep doing that until all drop out but the real best one.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make and model you are interested in and I will tell you the discount to shoot for. Typing this as I sit in a dealership completing my latest deal.

Not the op but what about a Toyota 4 runner?

The market is pretty tough for the 4Runner. Looks like typical discount is below 5%. I'd say 3-4% discount is pretty okay. Start at 5% and see if you can get a dealership to bite. This is actually a vehicle that is in short supply, unlike the Rav4 Hybrid.

PP here, I want to clarify... the number of Rav4 Hybrids out there for sale is roughly equivalent to the number of 4Runners. Roughly. But the Rav4 Hybrid is a variation of the normal Rav4 and gets cross-shopped. Because the Rav4 is heavily discounted at 15-18% off, the Hybrid version cannot maintain an outsized premium. The normal Rav4, therefore, draws off a lot of would-be-Hybrid shoppers, thus reducing the demand for the Hybrid. No such luck for those looking for a 4Runner.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make and model you are interested in and I will tell you the discount to shoot for. Typing this as I sit in a dealership completing my latest deal.

Not the op but what about a Toyota 4 runner?

The market is pretty tough for the 4Runner. Looks like typical discount is below 5%. I'd say 3-4% discount is pretty okay. Start at 5% and see if you can get a dealership to bite. This is actually a vehicle that is in short supply, unlike the Rav4 Hybrid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make and model you are interested in and I will tell you the discount to shoot for. Typing this as I sit in a dealership completing my latest deal.

Not the OP, but:
Toyota Rav 4 hybrid or a Subaru Forester.

Ooops, forgot about the Forester. Looks like about a 10% discount on Foresters is the going rate. You can start with 11% off and go from there. Good luck hunting!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make and model you are interested in and I will tell you the discount to shoot for. Typing this as I sit in a dealership completing my latest deal.

Not the OP, but:
Toyota Rav 4 hybrid or a Subaru Forester.

PP here. Rav 4 Hybrid is going for more than the typical discount that one can get for Toyotas, which is in the 15-18% off range. For now, an okay price for a Rav 4 Hybrid is 10% off MSRP, a good price is 13% off. You can start with 15% and see if you can get them to sell it to you.

I don't doubt that there are people who are overpaying for a Rav 4 Hybrid, but 13% off MSRP is possible.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make and model you are interested in and I will tell you the discount to shoot for. Typing this as I sit in a dealership completing my latest deal.

Not the op but what about a Toyota 4 runner?

a couple thousand off of MSRP. It's not a truck that dealers are struggling to move