Negotiating a car deal online

[eh24fan]

I know that some of my fellow Disers have done this, but I've never gone this route. In fact, if I'm being totally honest, I've never negotiated a car deal at all on my own. Here's the scenario,...

Husband and I have a 2004 Dodge Ram that is killing us both in payment and gas costs. We are considering a 2003 Honda Pilot with everything we want. Yes, we are going backwards, we know that. We are trying to get out from under a truck payment we could afford at the time of purchase but really can't anymore due to changes...mainly that I'm no longer working. I'm actively looking for a new job though. Anyway, point being, the truck often sits because it's a GAS HOG! It gets 14mpg on a good day. Yup...14mpg.

So we found a car we like, we are going to go look at it tonight after the dealer closes because I do NOT want to be hassled.

I know the price we are willing to pay and it's NOT what they have listed. I've done my research and know that it's overpriced. How do we negotiate this???

 

[tlbwriter]

I actually did this when I bought my Pilot. However, I was buying a new one, so the technique was different. I sent an email to the "internet sales manager" at several dealerships, asking for their best out-the-door price on exactly the car I wanted. Not only did the prices vary, but I was also able to determine who was easy to work with, and who was going to not answer my questions or out-and-out lie to me.

In your case, I would simply email and say "I'm interested in the 2003 Pilot on your lot, I'd like to offer $XXXX, pending a test drive. If you accept this offer, I'll come in and take a drive and we can go from there."

However, if you're planning to trade your truck, that makes it more difficult, because they are not going to be able to give you an offer without having it in their hands. I had a trade, and I didn't want to drive an hour to the dealership if I knew we weren't going to be anywhere close to what we wanted, so once I picked out the deal I liked, I said "I understand you cannot give me a firm offer on my trade, but I have X car (described in detail) and I would need at least $XXXX as a trade. Is that possible?" Now, they couldn't say "sure, we'll give you $XXXX as a trade," but they could (and did) say "Yes, if your car is as you described it, $XXXX is within range."

But really, it's going to be impossible to do much of this via email. You'll have to go in at some point. Here are my suggestions:

1. Determine the price you want to pay for the Pilot.
2. Determine what your truck is worth as a trade.
3. Figure the difference, and *that* is your bargaining amount.
4. If you're going to borrow money, learn how much your payment will be, so you'll know what to expect. If, for example, you calculate your payment should be $200, and the dealership tells you it's $250 for the same loan amount and term, you'll know something is fishy.
5. Most important, be prepared to get up and walk away if you don't get the deal you want.

 

[Green Tea]

It is pretty easy with a new car, but buying a used on and trading one in, a lot different as the previous poster said. You just have to know your figures. How much you will pay for the Pilot, and how much you want for the trunk, and the magic number in between. FWIW, the 2003 Pilot mileage isn't a lot better than the truck.....

 

[tvguy]

FWIW, the 2003 Pilot mileage isn't a lot better than the truck.....

Absolutely. Figure about 17 mpg. I doubt it will be worth trading in your truck in. They will give you less than it's worth. You will have to pay sales tax on the Honda. And 14 is awesome for a truck that big. My Suburban gets 9 mpg....well, on a long trip, at 55 mph, down hill I got 12.7 mpg, but only once.

 

[Anne34]

Absolutely. Figure about 17 mpg. I doubt it will be worth trading in your truck in. They will give you less than it's worth. You will have to pay sales tax on the Honda. And 14 is awesome for a truck that big. My Suburban gets 9 mpg....well, on a long trip, at 55 mph, down hill I got 12.7 mpg, but only once.

LOL - I get the same with my Suburban. We talk about trading it in, but anything to fit 3 teen kids & the dog comfortably (we visit family out of state often) -- well, it just doesn't get that much better mileage to make it worthwhile. (and we still need to tow the boat somehow)

 

[tvguy]

LOL - I get the same with my Suburban. We talk about trading it in, but anything to fit 3 teen kids & the dog comfortably (we visit family out of state often) -- well, it just doesn't get that much better mileage to make it worthwhile. (and we still need to tow the boat somehow)

I bought mine new 23 years ago. It's a 1987. It replaced a 1971 Suburban we bought as an experiment, put 25,000 miles on the 71 in 18 months, decided we could justify buying a new one.
It has always been our spare/family/weekend/vacation vehicle. Mine has the bench front seat, so I can carry 9 people.....or take out the third seat and fold the second one, and load it up with stuff.
My wife wondered if we should get rid of it, but every time we carry people or move our two kids in or out of the college dorm or apartment, she is reminded why we keep it. Also, with 4 drivers in the household, one dead battery or flat tire, and someone is going to be late if they didn't have the "War Wagon" sitting there ready to go.