Need advice with car buying - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Dasein · 05-15-2011, 11:16 PM

Hey all. I'm looking at some new 2011's and I found one at a nearby dealership that I'm really interested in. If it's still there when I get back from my trip to Europe, I'll go in and get it pretty much the day I get back. If not, sucks, but it's not like I'm 100% set on this car. Only 99% set...

It's $25,525 MSRP and I have $1000 I can use on a GM card as well as possibly that $750 USAA discount. I want to get it to $22,000, after tax. I'm thinking that's quite a longshot, though... What do you guys think?

Anyone got any awesome tactics?

blizzpat · 05-15-2011, 11:20 PM

If you are going to get it financed you probably stand no chance..

If you are paying for it at once and have the cash to do so you will easily get it for 22k.

bowtie628 · 05-15-2011, 11:21 PM

im guessing for that price its either a LS or LT?

Dasein · 05-15-2011, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blizzpat

If you are going to get it financed you probably stand no chance..

If you are paying for it at once and have the cash to do so you will easily get it for 22k.

Cash all at once, yup! Bowtie, it's a 1LT with like... no options. I figure I can add the stuff I may want later as I get the money.

blizzpat · 05-15-2011, 11:24 PM

If you have the cash in hand tell them you will give them $22k right now for it.. If they say no say you're going to the dealership cross town that had it around that price...

They'd have to be stupid not to take it for $22k upfront.

ponygirlnomore · 05-15-2011, 11:35 PM

Sorry bud but I was in the SAME boat as you...roughly 1.5 months ago. Didn't work out too well.
Like you, I was cold hard cash. Unfortunately, what I learned, both from friends and dealerships is that despite the hassle of financing, the dealers make interest off of you, and that's their incentive to work with you through financing. If you say you're paying cash, they see no interest $$$ coming their way, and they're less flexible than what you may think. I shopped between...hmmm....6 dealers in Arizona, none of which were enticed. Even at $24,500, it didn't work.

Basically, I'd been in the market for two or three months trying to get to where you want. 1lt, auto trans, nothing more special than that (I was specific that it HAD to be white though). Dealers (at least in the southwestern US) are not going to let you out-the-door below $24k. That $1000 discount and $750 USAA is not even enough to cover taxes...Given that the 2011 model year is coming to a close...if you brought your offer to $24k cash, you'd probably have no problem. Let me just tell you...I ended up paying cold hard cash for a 1LT, auto transmission, SW/beige interior...out-the-door, taxes, title, tag? Well over $28,000 4/7/2011. That was WITH my student discount. I'd say you'd be VERY lucky to get out the door under $24k, IMHO.

But I hope you can do it, I sincerely do. And I'll be absolutely jealous. haha.

ponygirlnomore · 05-15-2011, 11:57 PM

Oh, and a few things I learned regarding tactics:

1. I'm a young female. Trust me, I saw it all from the salesmen. If you're younger, you gotta straight-talk to them like you're in your sixties. Don't let them jerk your chain. Don't swear, cuss, don't joke around, let them know you mean business, because $25,000 (of your hard-earned money) is no joking matter. Be pleasant, but serious.

2. ONLY talk OTD price. NEVER start talking about MSRP, invoice, because those fees and taxes will absolutely appear before your eyes like magic, and they'll be a lot more than you'd like to pay, believe me. Tell the salesman your OTD MAX budget. Don't say "well......I suppose it could be between 25 and 26k." Give him one number and stick to it. Tell him "if you can't make this OTD price happen, I'll find someone who can." And walk out. The dealer I ended up buying from was the one who earnestly respected me and didn't jerk me around - I ended up paying a little higher, but it was for peace of mind because I knew he respected me and my wishes. I waited for 2 weeks before moving on the car, and he was patient. That's what won my business.

3. Don't act too excited upon test-drive/visit. They know that the moment you get excited is when they've got you in their spell. Pretend (trust me, I know it's hard to keep a straight face when you get behind her wheel) that you're unimpressed and almost bored, say, "eh, it's okay."

4. When they start talking incentives, time pressures, etc, I said "look, if you give me the right OTD price, I can move now. If not, I'm not interested in hearing your specials, because until you hit my mark, it's not happening." That puts you in control of the deal.

5. Don't be afraid to walk out of the dealership. Let them sweat it out if they can't meet you at a price you're comfortable with.

6. The best time to buy a car? End of the month. Everyone knows that. Even better? End of the quarter. 6/30/2011 is a BIG date for them to close their books, and they have to make quotas. If you don't buy by the end of May, wait until the end of June when they're really under pressure to make their numbers. June will be the last quarter that they will be only selling their 2011s, hence more incentive to wait.

7. If they don't know you're paying cash, don't tell them...yet. Most salesmen assumed I was financing because I was young and a student. Because I was only willing to talk OTD price, they thought that if I was financing, not only would they get the OTD price from me, but also my interest payments. I actually had an OTD price agreed upon with one dealer and then when they found out I was paying cash, they suddenly "remembered" someone had placed a deposit on the car and were holding it for them. You run a risk, but you also may get a better OTD price if they're thinking they're going to get your interest on top of it.

8. Lastly, if you're communicating with dealers out of town, like I was with a few, never accept an OTD price over the phone before going out there. GET IT IN WRITING before you make the trip to look at the car. This is how you separate the truthful dealers from the a**hole dealers, because if you don't, the dealer can (and most likely will) pull a bait-and-switch or suddenly say something like "oh, well, that salesman wasn't qualified to give you that price, but over here, we can give you an LS, with x, y, and z, for your price!!!!"

I'm sure there's plenty more, but that's just off the top of my head.

Another tip, go to Edmunds.com and read "confessions of a car salesman." It was very enlightening and was very helpful to me.

blizzpat · 05-16-2011, 12:04 AM

Weird...

Every dealership I have ever gone to (never financed a car) has given me nice discounts with the cash up front...

My acura got $6k taken off the price because I paid for it in "cash."

ponygirlnomore · 05-16-2011, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blizzpat

Weird...

Every dealership I have ever gone to (never financed a car) has given me nice discounts with the cash up front...

My acura got $6k taken off the price because I paid for it in "cash."

Oh, and I don't doubt other dealers do it. I'm sure that if I had been in the market for a Prius, they'd have taken $$$ off the price. The problem is, these cars (Camaros) are not not selling. They're flying off the lots. And because dealers know this, they're willing to sit on offers. Guaranteed, Toyota would have been ecstatic with my cash, but due to the demand for the Camaros, dealers can (and are) snubbing their noses at offers that are 2k below MSRP. :(

Hetfield03 · 05-16-2011, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ponygirlnomore

Basically, I'd been in the market for two or three months trying to get to where you want. 1lt, auto trans, nothing more special than that (I was specific that it HAD to be white though). Dealers (at least in the southwestern US) are not going to let you out-the-door below $24k. That $1000 discount and $750 USAA is not even enough to cover taxes...Given that the 2011 model year is coming to a close...if you brought your offer to $24k cash, you'd probably have no problem. Let me just tell you...I ended up paying cold hard cash for a 1LT, auto transmission, SW/beige interior...out-the-door, taxes, title, tag? Well over $28,000 4/7/2011. That was WITH my student discount. I'd say you'd be VERY lucky to get out the door under $24k, IMHO.
But I hope you can do it, I sincerely do. And I'll be absolutely jealous. haha.

I got my 1LT RS automatic for $28600 otd. You didn't get RS package?

ponygirlnomore · 05-16-2011, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hetfield03

I got my 1LT RS automatic for $28600 otd. You didn't get RS package?

Nope. No RS package. :( Sadly, given the color combo, this was the best price I could get, too! In hindsight, I would have liked to get the halo headlights, but I don't like the spoiler, so I would have sacrificed either way. It's not like there were other dealers out there that said they could do better via price though. I even looked into ordering, and got two quotes, one from a Phoenix dealer, one from a Tucson dealer. Both were withing $300 OTD of eachother, and still over what I actually paid for mine.

rberns · 05-16-2011, 12:24 AM

You may want to look at some 2010s. Now that the 2012s are about to come out the dealerships will need to get rid of the 2010s and I am sure you can get those cheaper.

bdunn13 · 05-16-2011, 12:28 AM

Last time I bought a new car(was for my wife) I paid cash for a 2007 G6 GT. The dealer told me after the deal he would have preferred I financed since he gets a kick back from the bank.

I also don't see how these cars are "flying off the lots" as the 2012 will be out soon and there are quite a few 2010s still on lots around me.

BD

oldfriend · 05-16-2011, 12:30 AM

Go ahead and finance the all thing , this way the dealer thinks he will get a kick back from the bank and they will see that as money in their pockets , then you turn around with in 30 days and pay off the loan strait to the bank and have the car free and clear , or keep the cash just in case , bingo you have the best deal you can .

05-15-2011, 11:16 PM	#1
Dasein Drives: 2011 CGM 1LT Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: New Jersey Posts: 224	Need advice with car buying Hey all. I'm looking at some new 2011's and I found one at a nearby dealership that I'm really interested in. If it's still there when I get back from my trip to Europe, I'll go in and get it pretty much the day I get back. If not, sucks, but it's not like I'm 100% set on this car. Only 99% set... It's $25,525 MSRP and I have $1000 I can use on a GM card as well as possibly that $750 USAA discount. I want to get it to $22,000, after tax. I'm thinking that's quite a longshot, though... What do you guys think? Anyone got any awesome tactics?

05-15-2011, 11:21 PM	#3
bowtie628 Auto body and paint guy Drives: 2010 Camaro LS Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 815	im guessing for that price its either a LS or LT? __________________

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05-15-2011, 11:20 PM	#2
blizzpat Account Suspended Drives: 2010 SS Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Panama Posts: 491	If you are going to get it financed you probably stand no chance.. If you are paying for it at once and have the cash to do so you will easily get it for 22k.

05-15-2011, 11:24 PM	#5
blizzpat Account Suspended Drives: 2010 SS Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Panama Posts: 491	If you have the cash in hand tell them you will give them $22k right now for it.. If they say no say you're going to the dealership cross town that had it around that price... They'd have to be stupid not to take it for $22k upfront.

05-15-2011, 11:35 PM	#6
ponygirlnomore Drives: 2011 LT (SW) Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: tucson, az Posts: 56	Sorry bud but I was in the SAME boat as you...roughly 1.5 months ago. Didn't work out too well. Like you, I was cold hard cash. Unfortunately, what I learned, both from friends and dealerships is that despite the hassle of financing, the dealers make interest off of you, and that's their incentive to work with you through financing. If you say you're paying cash, they see no interest $$$ coming their way, and they're less flexible than what you may think. I shopped between...hmmm....6 dealers in Arizona, none of which were enticed. Even at $24,500, it didn't work. Basically, I'd been in the market for two or three months trying to get to where you want. 1lt, auto trans, nothing more special than that (I was specific that it HAD to be white though). Dealers (at least in the southwestern US) are not going to let you out-the-door below $24k. That $1000 discount and $750 USAA is not even enough to cover taxes...Given that the 2011 model year is coming to a close...if you brought your offer to $24k cash, you'd probably have no problem. Let me just tell you...I ended up paying cold hard cash for a 1LT, auto transmission, SW/beige interior...out-the-door, taxes, title, tag? Well over $28,000 4/7/2011. That was WITH my student discount. I'd say you'd be VERY lucky to get out the door under $24k, IMHO. But I hope you can do it, I sincerely do. And I'll be absolutely jealous. haha.

05-15-2011, 11:57 PM	#7
ponygirlnomore Drives: 2011 LT (SW) Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: tucson, az Posts: 56	Oh, and a few things I learned regarding tactics: 1. I'm a young female. Trust me, I saw it all from the salesmen. If you're younger, you gotta straight-talk to them like you're in your sixties. Don't let them jerk your chain. Don't swear, cuss, don't joke around, let them know you mean business, because $25,000 (of your hard-earned money) is no joking matter. Be pleasant, but serious. 2. ONLY talk OTD price. NEVER start talking about MSRP, invoice, because those fees and taxes will absolutely appear before your eyes like magic, and they'll be a lot more than you'd like to pay, believe me. Tell the salesman your OTD MAX budget. Don't say "well......I suppose it could be between 25 and 26k." Give him one number and stick to it. Tell him "if you can't make this OTD price happen, I'll find someone who can." And walk out. The dealer I ended up buying from was the one who earnestly respected me and didn't jerk me around - I ended up paying a little higher, but it was for peace of mind because I knew he respected me and my wishes. I waited for 2 weeks before moving on the car, and he was patient. That's what won my business. 3. Don't act too excited upon test-drive/visit. They know that the moment you get excited is when they've got you in their spell. Pretend (trust me, I know it's hard to keep a straight face when you get behind her wheel) that you're unimpressed and almost bored, say, "eh, it's okay." 4. When they start talking incentives, time pressures, etc, I said "look, if you give me the right OTD price, I can move now. If not, I'm not interested in hearing your specials, because until you hit my mark, it's not happening." That puts you in control of the deal. 5. Don't be afraid to walk out of the dealership. Let them sweat it out if they can't meet you at a price you're comfortable with. 6. The best time to buy a car? End of the month. Everyone knows that. Even better? End of the quarter. 6/30/2011 is a BIG date for them to close their books, and they have to make quotas. If you don't buy by the end of May, wait until the end of June when they're really under pressure to make their numbers. June will be the last quarter that they will be only selling their 2011s, hence more incentive to wait. 7. If they don't know you're paying cash, don't tell them...yet. Most salesmen assumed I was financing because I was young and a student. Because I was only willing to talk OTD price, they thought that if I was financing, not only would they get the OTD price from me, but also my interest payments. I actually had an OTD price agreed upon with one dealer and then when they found out I was paying cash, they suddenly "remembered" someone had placed a deposit on the car and were holding it for them. You run a risk, but you also may get a better OTD price if they're thinking they're going to get your interest on top of it. 8. Lastly, if you're communicating with dealers out of town, like I was with a few, never accept an OTD price over the phone before going out there. GET IT IN WRITING before you make the trip to look at the car. This is how you separate the truthful dealers from the a**hole dealers, because if you don't, the dealer can (and most likely will) pull a bait-and-switch or suddenly say something like "oh, well, that salesman wasn't qualified to give you that price, but over here, we can give you an LS, with x, y, and z, for your price!!!!" I'm sure there's plenty more, but that's just off the top of my head. Another tip, go to Edmunds.com and read "confessions of a car salesman." It was very enlightening and was very helpful to me.

05-16-2011, 12:04 AM	#8
blizzpat Account Suspended Drives: 2010 SS Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Panama Posts: 491	Weird... Every dealership I have ever gone to (never financed a car) has given me nice discounts with the cash up front... My acura got $6k taken off the price because I paid for it in "cash."

05-16-2011, 12:24 AM	#12
rberns Drives: 2011 Camaro 2SS/RS Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: US Posts: 3,291 View My Garage	You may want to look at some 2010s. Now that the 2012s are about to come out the dealerships will need to get rid of the 2010s and I am sure you can get those cheaper.

05-16-2011, 12:28 AM	#13
bdunn13 Drives: 2000 Trans Am Join Date: May 2011 Location: Madison, AL Posts: 9	Last time I bought a new car(was for my wife) I paid cash for a 2007 G6 GT. The dealer told me after the deal he would have preferred I financed since he gets a kick back from the bank. I also don't see how these cars are "flying off the lots" as the 2012 will be out soon and there are quite a few 2010s still on lots around me. BD

05-16-2011, 12:30 AM	#14
oldfriend Drives: Fiat 500 E Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: 32.7607/N. 16.95947/W Posts: 7,816 View My Garage	Go ahead and finance the all thing , this way the dealer thinks he will get a kick back from the bank and they will see that as money in their pockets , then you turn around with in 30 days and pay off the loan strait to the bank and have the car free and clear , or keep the cash just in case , bingo you have the best deal you can .