Buying a Car Through the Internet Dept?

[bedogged]

Have any of you negotiated for a car through the dealer's internet department? Any tips for me?

Thanks!

This is a little different, but if you are a Costco member, I would suggest that you try their car buying program. You deal with the "Fleet Manager" which often is the Internet person as well. We bought a new car a few months ago and got a really good buy with absolutely the best experience we had ever had when buying a car. We went to different dealers and found the car and options we wanted. We also got the best deal that we could negotiate. Then we contacted Costco. They were able to put us in touch we a dealership that quoted us a price that was several thousand dollars less than our best offer. The whole car buying experience was quick and painless. I really recommend it.

 

[daemom]

WOW!!!! You all have some great tips for me!!! I'm still looking--but now I think I'm going to check on some new ones too!! I'll come back when I have some emails to share!!

 

[bedogged]

WOW!!!! You all have some great tips for me!!! I'm still looking--but now I think I'm going to check on some new ones too!! I'll come back when I have some emails to share!!

Good luck!

 

[natenapril]

We are negotiating with car dealers online this week. It's been pretty painless so far. And I'm getting a much better deal than the local dealers were offering.

 

[goofyredraider]

My husband is an internet sales manager (has been for 10+ years). Let me know if you have any specific questions. It is a pretty painless process all-in-all.

 

[PHXscuba]

Do your homework online using sites like Edmunds. Test-drive cars anywhere close to you. Figure out the price you are willing to pay.

Contact (via e-mail) all of the Internet dealers in your area (or area you are willing to go to). Tell them specifically what you want and ask for their best out-the-door price. Don't even talk to them on the phone until you have a vehicle (with VIN#) and price agreed to.

Call and set up a time to meet them. Drive the car just to be sure. Sign the paperwork (plus financing). You should be at the dealer less than 1.5 hours even if you have to do finance paperwork.

I have bought our last three cars this way and it is sooooo much better/simpler than hassling with salespeople. The fleet/internet department is paid more by volume than commission, so their goal is to get you a deal quickly.

The only time I found this not to work is with a dealership that I knew had a bad rep for reneging. So take advice on good/bad dealerships seriously or you may waste time.

PHXscuba

 

[TinkTock]

This is a little different, but if you are a Costco member, I would suggest that you try their car buying program. You deal with the "Fleet Manager" which often is the Internet person as well. We bought a new car a few months ago and got a really good buy with absolutely the best experience we had ever had when buying a car. We went to different dealers and found the car and options we wanted. We also got the best deal that we could negotiate. Then we contacted Costco. They were able to put us in touch we a dealership that quoted us a price that was several thousand dollars less than our best offer. The whole car buying experience was quick and painless. I really recommend it.

I've seen the Costco car buying program recommended several places online, but the deal they offered me was a couple thousand than I ended up paying for my last car. I may have just been unlucky, but I've been wondering if there's some trick to the Costco program? Should I contact more than one Costco, or is it a set rate for all Costcos? I was under the impression that those quotes aren't negotiable, but maybe I should have negotiated?

 

[runwad]

I did this all by myself for our Honda Odyssey 3 years ago. DH is strictly a GM man and would have nothing to do with a foreign car. I was pretty proud of myself and the great deal I got. I too researched on Edmunds and when things came to a stand still mentioned the "hold back" google it, I can't remember now how much off I got but it was a lot. Plus I did it at the end of the month when they really want to hit their sales goals. I'll never do it any other way. I can't see sitting there for 4 hours going back and forth negotiating. This was done over a course of 3 days going back and forth over email, then on the weekend I went and drove it signed the papers and left. All under an hour. It was GREAT!!

 

[swilshire]

I got my Honda Odyssey that way. I had already checked all the local dealers' prices and didn't find the deal I wanted. I was due to be in Florida for work for a few weeks, so I started emailing dealers in that area. I found a terrific price on the model and color I wanted. I ask my favorite Honda dealer back home (I had purchased one vehicle from him previously) if he could meet the deal. He said he couldn't touch it and suggested I go ahead and buy the one in Florida. I finalized the deal via email and had someone drive me over to pick it up (it was about an hour from where I was staying). Instead of flying home, I drove the van at the end of the project.

Sheila

 

[bedogged]

I've seen the Costco car buying program recommended several places online, but the deal they offered me was a couple thousand than I ended up paying for my last car. I may have just been unlucky, but I've been wondering if there's some trick to the Costco program? Should I contact more than one Costco, or is it a set rate for all Costcos? I was under the impression that those quotes aren't negotiable, but maybe I should have negotiated?

In my case, I did not think that it was negotiable. Your remarks and questions make me wonder if we are talking about the same program? How long ago was this? We did not deal with a local Costco at all. As I recall, everything was handled through the Costco web site. You entered your zip code and details of what you were looking for, maybe the brand of car. We received a call from the Costco approved dealer. We told him what we wanted including color and options. He called us back a day or so later and told us that he could get it and the price. He got the car from ANOTHER dealership. It might have been the one we test drove for all I know. The next day we met at the approved dealership paid for the car and drove off. It probably took about half an hour. Very pleasant and easy.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

My daughter bought her Kia Soul this way earlier this year, and ended up dating the internet sales guy too.

 

[daemom]

My daughter bought her Kia Soul this way earlier this year, and ended up dating the internet sales guy too.

If he's a good guy then she got a real deal!!

I've emailed back and forth with a couple of dealers when we zeroed in on the car(s) we were seriously interested in. A few dealers sent a standard "thank you for contacting us email and call us and we'll discuss your interests"--they were tossed without further contact. So we settled on two different vehicles at one dealer and went to test drive this evening and the car that was our first choice wasn't on the lot--and I had just emailed the contact person and told them when we would be there! It turns out that there was a scratch on the back and they had taken into their shop and painted it, so we couldn't drive it. Now we'll go back tomorrow after the paint has cured, drive it and most likely sign the papers. I do feel like we're getting a pretty good deal on the car--actually most of the offers were pretty good. Thanks so much to each of you for all of your advice and encouraging words!! As most of you have said, this is definitely the way to buy a car and I'll definitely do this on our next car!! (hopefully that will be a good way down the road)

 

[TinkTock]

In my case, I did not think that it was negotiable. Your remarks and questions make me wonder if we are talking about the same program? How long ago was this? We did not deal with a local Costco at all. As I recall, everything was handled through the Costco web site. You entered your zip code and details of what you were looking for, maybe the brand of car. We received a call from the Costco approved dealer. We told him what we wanted including color and options. He called us back a day or so later and told us that he could get it and the price. He got the car from ANOTHER dealership. It might have been the one we test drove for all I know. The next day we met at the approved dealership paid for the car and drove off. It probably took about half an hour. Very pleasant and easy.

Now that you mention it, maybe I did go through the Costco website. This was several years ago. Maybe the deals are better now, or maybe Toyota just doesn't offer good rates through Costco. I'll certainly try it again next time I'm car shopping because there's nothing to lose. Thanks for the info.

 

[horseshowmom]

We bought our highlander via internet from a dealer in North Carolina. I had researched and tried to find a better deal close to home and never could. I figured my family could take a mini vacation and if everything added up according to our emails, I'd drive home with a new car. We drove a rental there, checked out the car, no hassling from anyone, signed the papers, and then enjoyed some touring of Biltmore Estates. Best car buying experience ever. I did keep thinking that any minute they would try to pull something out of the hat, but everything was smooth sailing. Price was just as what we had agreed online. We would definitely buy this way again. Very nice experience.

I bought my last car this way and then did the same for my daughter's car for her and her husband. In some cases the internet price isn't very negotiable, but in some cases it is.

My car came from Missouri, and hers came from Tennessee (we live in Mississippi). I don't buy new cars. I only buy cars that are under warranty - generally with around 10,000 miles - and that save me a lot of money.

I put my search criteria into autotrader.com and cars.com and find what's available within a 500 mile radius and narrow it down to the ones I'm most interested in. (All were the same make, model, and year, but the options varied some.)

With my car, I found 3 that would have satisfied me (Missouri, Texas, and Tennessee). After talking to all of them, I told them that I had 3 cars that I was looking at and whomever gave me the best price would be the one I bought. I wasn't going to haggle. The quoted price had to include shipping and anything else they included. Total price would make my decision. I wound up with the best car (all leather with heated seats, moonroof, top of the line everything) from the Missouri dealer. Then the Texas one wanted to drop his price. Nope, sorry. I got a GREAT price that was at least $4000 cheaper than anywhere in a 60 mile radius of my house.

My daughter's car was more difficult. I had helped her get a great deal on a brand new Nissan Altima Coupe, but she was involved in an accident, and it was totaled. I wasn't finding the price I wanted when I started looking to replace it (she had wanted brand new) and was also having trouble finding the specific vehicle (particular exterior and interior colors) so I fell back on my search routine for when I buy my own car and found her loaded out vehicle in TN (Bose sound, back up camera, heated leather seats, moonroof, pretty much every option). It had been titled to the Nissan company and been driven by a Nissan company employee (had about 15,000 miles). The internet price was very good, but I was able to negotiate a little off of it and get it delivered (2.9% interest). When I showed my daughter and her husband what I had found, they jumped on it.

We are negotiating with car dealers online this week. It's been pretty painless so far. And I'm getting a much better deal than the local dealers were offering.

As I said above, I wound up saving literally thousands!

I've seen the Costco car buying program recommended several places online, but the deal they offered me was a couple thousand than I ended up paying for my last car. I may have just been unlucky, but I've been wondering if there's some trick to the Costco program? Should I contact more than one Costco, or is it a set rate for all Costcos? I was under the impression that those quotes aren't negotiable, but maybe I should have negotiated?

I checked using the Sam's Club pricing and found the prices quoted to me were higher than I was able to get on my own. When I told one dealer that, he started lowering his price, but there were some other things he did/said that made me decide I didn't want to deal with him anymore (I don't deal with people who try to talk down to me because I'm a woman. ).

 

[bedogged]

Now that you mention it, maybe I did go through the Costco website. This was several years ago. Maybe the deals are better now, or maybe Toyota just doesn't offer good rates through Costco. I'll certainly try it again next time I'm car shopping because there's nothing to lose. Thanks for the info.

No reason on earth to take the deal if you don't like it! I do think it is worth a try as it doesn't cost you any money.

 

[SarahKate]

Two very different experiences I have had. We found a site that said which dealers sell at invoice cost. One local and one about 100 miles away in St. Louis. I asked the Internet manager point blank if they did invoice pricing and he wouldn't give me an answer. He said the vehicle we wanted was in high demand and when we wanted to come in for a test drive. He called and was very pushy.

I emailed the Internet manager at the far away dealership and within the day I found out that they would absolutely give us what we wanted at invoice AND they'd give us Kelly Blue Book for our trade. Without even seeing our vehicle! Before we drive down there we knew exactly what to expect. What he told me is exactly ow things ended up. We ended up making money on our trade which further brought down the cost of our new vehicle.

It was well worth it for us to travel out of town as it saved us thousands,

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Two very different experiences I have had. We found a site that said which dealers sell at invoice cost. One local and one about 100 miles away in St. Louis. I asked the Internet manager point blank if they did invoice pricing and he wouldn't give me an answer. He said the vehicle we wanted was in high demand and when we wanted to come in for a test drive. He called and was very pushy.

I emailed the Internet manager at the far away dealership and within the day I found out that they would absolutely give us what we wanted at invoice AND they'd give us Kelly Blue Book for our trade. Without even seeing our vehicle! Before we drive down there we knew exactly what to expect. What he told me is exactly ow things ended up. We ended up making money on our trade which further brought down the cost of our new vehicle.

It was well worth it for us to travel out of town as it saved us thousands,

Selling at invoice is no big deal. There are other holdbacks & incentives that dealers get. I bought my last car for $4k UNDER invoice & got above KBB on my trade.

 

[TexasErin]

Selling at invoice is no big deal. There are other holdbacks & incentives that dealers get. I bought my last car for $4k UNDER invoice & got above KBB on my trade.

If you don't mind my asking, what city was the dealership in---and what manufacturer? DD will be turning 16 soon (sigh) and I would love to get a good deal on either a Subaru, Toyota, or Honda.

Thanks,
Erin

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

If you don't mind my asking, what city was the dealership in---and what manufacturer? DD will be turning 16 soon (sigh) and I would love to get a good deal on either a Subaru, Toyota, or Honda.

Thanks,
Erin

Nowhere near Texas! If you do research on the internet & find out what the dealer incentives are(not customer incentives) and what the hold back is on that car you'll get the best deal. There can also be marketing money on the vehicle. There is alot of $$'s behind the scene that make the invoice mean as little as the window sticker. Honda is big with behind the scene money.

 

[TexasErin]

Thank you! I will definitely do that. I have a few months to do some research- and I'm nowhere ready for DD to get a car, so I plan on putting it off as LONG as I can. Good to know about Honda since that's usually what we've been buying lately!