Haggle now (early month) or wait?

[IPT]

So I will be heading out of state and have time to look at a car or two. Unfortunatley it'll be on the end of Labor Day weekend (sept 2nd or 3rd). I'be looking at some left over 2012's.

I know it's not good to go early in the month. So should I just go there, look at the cars and get a good repore with the salesperson. Then call back at the end of the month and try and negotiate price when they may be looking to make some end of the month sales?

If I do it while I am there, I have the face to face advantage. I have the negatives of it being early in the month, and a month earlier in the year. If I wait, it'll be later in the month, and 2013 will be even closer. The negative is it'll have to be over the phone. I'll only fly back to drive the car, or arrange to have it shipped. Not sure what the best route to go is?

[Mr_Draco]

The "get a better deal at the end of the month" thing is a myth. Salesman and dealerships don't care what part of the month it is, they will charge the same amount.

However if you really want a deal, wait until late Nov - Dec if you can. Dealerships have to pay a sales plan fee to GM based on how many cars they still have left in stock on Jan 1. Dealers are more likely to make deals with you at the end of the year in order to avoid paying. This is also when GM offers more and larger incentives so you could save even more money.

[Rhyder]

your schedule will drive your ability to negotiate, but Ive always stood by the plan of not even entering the dealership until the last two business days of the month. They are crazy wanting to close deals to make thier quota.

And most of the "holiday" deals are available at least the whole month. But I have never gotten or seen anyone without connections get even close to the deals I get staying with the 2 day rule.

Also go to at least two, three is my limit, dealerships and go through the complete process up to signing the papers to get thier absolute best deal. Yes it takes 3-4 hours to negotiate and deal with them each time, but it saves you a bundle.

maybe not even off the total, I had one deal where the finance guy offered me basicly free extended warranties, all three including the maintenance and tire ones, 3 or 4k savings on top of an already low price, if I would sign , another dropped the interest from 3.5 to 3% after I got to finance. .5% isnt a deal breaker but its an example of why you go up to signing the paperwork to get the rock bottom deal. You dont have to sign till your sure, just tell them your thinking about it and will come back the next day. If they wont keep the offer open for a day I wouldnt buy from them.

Sure your investing 9-12 hours negotiation time in your car doing the whole process at 3 dealers, but you can save litterally thousands on it. and remmeber, in almost every case, if you find the car you want on one lot, you dont have to buy it from them, other dealers can get that same car and possibly low enough that you still save after the transfer fee.

[IPT]

Originally Posted by Rhyder

and remmeber, in almost every case, if you find the car you want on one lot, you dont have to buy it from them, other dealers can get that same car and possibly low enough that you still save after the transfer fee.

Can you elaborate on this? Are you saying if I see a car at one dealer on the west side of the state but I live on the East side, I can get the closer dealer to try and get me the same (exact) car? That one might have a lower bottom line then the other so it could absorb a transfer fee and maybe still be lower?

[IPT]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

However if you really want a deal, wait until late Nov - Dec if you can. Dealerships have to pay a sales plan fee to GM based on how many cars they still have left in stock on Jan 1.

Yes, but the snow flies up here in Oct. Not fun driving this sort of ride in the snow. If I happen to find one up here or say Minn they'll likely want to unload it before the snow flies.

[ec1990]

Originally Posted by IPT

Can you elaborate on this? Are you saying if I see a car at one dealer on the west side of the state but I live on the East side, I can get the closer dealer to try and get me the same (exact) car? That one might have a lower bottom line then the other so it could absorb a transfer fee and maybe still be lower?

You can do this, dealers trade cars all the time between each other, but it is not guaranteed that the dealer who has the car will sell the car to the other dealer, but it is very rare to see that happen.

[Rhyder]

Originally Posted by ec1990

You can do this, dealers trade cars all the time between each other, but it is not guaranteed that the dealer who has the car will sell the car to the other dealer, but it is very rare to see that happen.

This. you wouldnt get a car like it, you would get that exact car.....there usually is a fee for it, depending on how far it is.

For example, when I got the caddy I had, the dealer that had it was offering it at a price 3k more than what another dealer was willing to sell it to me, but there was a $750 fee for transfering it to the lower priced dealer....but it was worth the fee as that still made it over 2k cheaper to buy it from the second dealer than the one who had it.


Also as stated, they can refuse, but Ive never seen that happen personally, it is very rare.

[Hercules]

Yes, I am purchasing a car Monday for my wife. We hit three different dealers, of course, to get the best price. The dealer that we are purchasing it from said that if I found one that I wanted, at another dealer, he would get it for me in one or two days at no charge, at the price my dealer was offering.

Originally Posted by IPT

Can you elaborate on this? Are you saying if I see a car at one dealer on the west side of the state but I live on the East side, I can get the closer dealer to try and get me the same (exact) car? That one might have a lower bottom line then the other so it could absorb a transfer fee and maybe still be lower?

[roorback]

If you can wait til the current program is over, you might want to. The current incentives are good if you don't like to negotiate, but not as good as previous ones.

[zogster]

Dealers most definitely will give a better deal at the end of the month. It is not a myth at all. If they're close to a quota and will get a nice reward for hitting quota from GM, they'll sell the car at a loss to reap the reward from hitting the quota.

[Hercules]

I agree, the car my wife is getting tomorrow is well under invoice and they gave almost 2000 over kbb on the trade. Which is better than I expected. If I wanted I probably could've kept going back and forth with the dealers, price war, to see how low they would go. But I just didn't feel like spending anymore time. I feel we got a good deal, why push it, and be greedy.

Originally Posted by zogster

Dealers most definitely will give a better deal at the end of the month. It is not a myth at all. If they're close to a quota and will get a nice reward for hitting quota from GM, they'll sell the car at a loss to reap the reward from hitting the quota.

[IPT]

Originally Posted by roorback

If you can wait til the current program is over, you might want to. The current incentives are good if you don't like to negotiate, but not as good as previous ones.

What current program? Are you saying that with this said program there are "no" negotiations? This is a 2012 that they have had sitting for a while, I can't imagine they are not in the mood to move it.

Originally Posted by zogster

Dealers most definitely will give a better deal at the end of the month. It is not a myth at all. If they're close to a quota and will get a nice reward for hitting quota from GM, they'll sell the car at a loss to reap the reward from hitting the quota.

Yes, but over the phone? I'll be there in person, early in the month. If I am going to negotiate late in the month it will have to be over the phone. Not sure how much of an impact that will have. I will be sure to speak with the sales associate I speak with when I am up there so they know I am for real, but still, the lack of face to face is gonna have some sort of impact.

[smhardesty]

Originally Posted by Mr_Draco

The "get a better deal at the end of the month" thing is a myth. Salesman and dealerships don't care what part of the month it is, they will charge the same amount.

However if you really want a deal, wait until late Nov - Dec if you can. Dealerships have to pay a sales plan fee to GM based on how many cars they still have left in stock on Jan 1. Dealers are more likely to make deals with you at the end of the year in order to avoid paying. This is also when GM offers more and larger incentives so you could save even more money.

I was planning on making a purchase early next year, but this seems like it could be true. I might have to rethink the date of my purchase. thanks for the input

[zogster]

Originally Posted by IPT

Yes, but over the phone? I'll be there in person, early in the month. If I am going to negotiate late in the month it will have to be over the phone. Not sure how much of an impact that will have. I will be sure to speak with the sales associate I speak with when I am up there so they know I am for real, but still, the lack of face to face is gonna have some sort of impact.

Talk to someone in person early in the month so they know you are seriously considering a purchase, and then call back later in the month when they are more desperate to move vehicles.