Negotiating a New Truck Purchase

sir-vivor

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

I think I am a bit to easy on the truck salesman and maybe loosing out on some money that I could be putting towards extra fishing gear LOL .
When you get the price of the truck less all incentives offered by the manufactuer were you still able to negotiate a lower purchase price ??
 
On Vancouver Island that is true. Dealers just don't deal.

I went thru a family friend when buying my 2012 GMC saved $5000 going to Vancouver to buy it. He always beats other dealers best price. But you need to know what you want. Exactly what you want. I had the VIN number of the truck I wanted and the dealerships name and address.
 
Go online and look up the wholesale cost for the truck with features you want. List price can be over $10,000 of profit for the dealer but they'll go as low as $1000, depending on model, and the $1500-2500 range is a pretty good deal. Most sites google will pull up want you to pay a fee to view dealer cost, which is fine as you'll likely save more than that but if you search long enough you'll find the info for free.

Really works when the salesman knows that you know the dealer cost and that the factory rebate is coming to the dealer to sell that model.
 
Or do the smart thing and buy a year or two old if you want real savings. Don't fall into the zero percent is a good deal trap either, we all know they drop 20-30% the second it leaves the lot that's not zero percent and it's a far greater loss than you'll ever spend on interest if you finance a used one.
 
Go to Carsaver.ca or Unhaggle.com and follow their directions.

We followed Unhaggle when we bought our SUV and when we were finished, we saved $9000 off their posted price. Do not worry about upsetting the dealer, they get lots of bonuses from the manufacure for selling X# of vehicles. We gave the dealer we delt with 1.5% profit.

Lots of good info on the net on how to do this. Don't be afraid to shop around as well, we bought ours from Nanaimo, who was willing to deal more than the other two who we had to drive past to buy it.

Cheers

SS
 
Sir: If you're buying GM, call my buddy Ron Ogden @ Jenner Chev in Victoria (I used to sell cars with him over 20 yrs ago), he's now the Sales Manager and after working at 4-dealerships in Victoria for about 3-yrs, he's the only one still in the business that I would send a friend or family member to see.
The rest of them were snakes!

Yes, if you buy new expect to pay more for that 'new-car/truck smell' and the chance to drive down the road and have your neighbours go, "Wow, look at Bobby, he sure is cool!"

I've buried my share of people in $400-$600/month (or more) car payments and learned a great lesson doing it: Only buy NEW if you can truly afford it!
All the hype and prestige wears off real quick and after your ego gets back to normal, your butt hole will still hurt for a long time. Good advice previously on - knowing exactly what you want before you set foot on the lot. Do your homework in advance.

If you decide to see Ron, tell him Terry Anderson sent you.

Good luck.
 
Thanks Terry but Im on the mainland and a Ford Man but hey since you have been in the biz, tell me when they have a sticker price on a vehicle for 42K and then offer a further 6k off, is there still some wiggle room to beat them down on if so about how much ?

Clint
I know I know, Found On Road Dead ....... I have heard this has happened but never exprienced it in my FORDs and think its the other guys just thinking these things up while they wait for tow trucks LOL
 
Or do the smart thing and buy a year or two old if you want real savings. Don't fall into the zero percent is a good deal trap either, we all know they drop 20-30% the second it leaves the lot that's not zero percent and it's a far greater loss than you'll ever spend on interest if you finance a used one.

Truer words were never spoken. New truck buyers subsidize all the rest of the smarter guys who wait and buy second hand. In this economy it's not too hard to find the rig that will do what you want it to with 30,000 miles on it. It's still just a teenager with that amount of miles on it but you could save 15 - 20 % off full sticker if you're patient.

I ended up subsidizing the second-hand buyers--- I bought a new Tundra in 2007. Yes, I could have waited a year or two for the market to get some used ones, but I'd just picked up a bigger boat on a bigger trailer and needed something bigger to pull it up and down steep hills in a safe and secure manner so that was the price I had to pay for not having the luxury of patience.

That Tundra was maybe Truck No. 7 for me in my lifetime--- the only truck I ever bought new. All the others had approx. 8,000 - 25,000 miles on them when I bought them-- the "new truck" smell comes at a premium that's goofy to pay unless the new one has attributes that you just HAVE TO HAVE (as in 5.7 L and 10,000 lb tow capacity as was the case with the Tundra) , which is why I bought new. Otherwise, I would have just stuck with my older truck or bought second hand
 
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If it has Props or tires you will eventually have problems with them. The most important factor is who you have caring for it. Crappy service is crappy service no matter what make it is.

Thanks Terry but Im on the mainland and a Ford Man but hey since you have been in the biz, tell me when they have a sticker price on a vehicle for 42K and then offer a further 6k off, is there still some wiggle room to beat them down on if so about how much ?

Clint
I know I know, Found On Road Dead ....... I have heard this has happened but never exprienced it in my FORDs and think its the other guys just thinking these things up while they wait for tow trucks LOL
 
"Trading in" is where you get whacked.....if you negotiate a straight cash deal they will almost allways drop the price.

But then, of course, you have to sell your old vehicle somehow.

"Administration fee" and 'dealer prep' fee are amongst the two biggest dealer paperwork ripoffs...

Many of the car salesmen you run into, it seems, are previously convicted-felon ex-carnival geeks.....
 
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What I did was, create a spec of what type of truck and options I wanted, then sent it out to all the dealers (GMC) and requested an all in price (tax, shipping, Enviro tax ....) quote. Then you have an apples to apples quote and will be able to get your best price based on which dealer is willing to shop the market for you and provide the lowest O&P $$.

If you have a trade in this doesn't work.

In my case I want a fully loaded Denali 3/4 ton. Baljet in Duncan undercut Jenner by $4,500 on the exact same truck and Jenner had it on it's lot, Baljet also beat out all the lower mainland dealers I sent he spec too. Baljet search for the truck I wanted and found it in Mission BC and shipped it to the island within a week and no additional costs.

Make sure the quotes match your spec and options. In my case Jenner missed items on their quote so I went down there and asked about the items. "Sorry we missed those and the additional cost are $5K" which made them the $4.5K over the lowest price, if I didn't catch the missed items they would have been the lowest price quote but with out all the items I wanted.

Make sure your dealing apples to apples and the price quoted is all cost in, no matter what type of item you’re buying.

Good Luck
 
Just ordered a 2013 F150..sticker was 44500..beatup the salesman for about 4hours and settled at 32485..what a battle!!=27% off.I think I could have done better but I was drained!
 
If you are looking for a full size truck, then don't purchase it on the lower mainland - there are more trucks in Okanagon and the interior. My 1992 I purchase in Kelowna and the 2006 in Kamloops. Nobody in the lower mainland came close in price, the dealers were much friendlier and hungrier for a deal. In both cases I made cash deals and sold my old truck privately.
 
use the online resources that are available for you: NADA.COM; KBB.COM; EDMONDS.COM. each site will ask you where you are located to begin the process. you can build your vehicle as well as check inventory. EDMONDS will also provide the 'true value' that is, what they are commonly selling for in your area. armed with this information is the best way to approach any dealer. in fact, always just print this off and take it with me.
 
Buying from a dealer, bring some ky jelly! Just kidding, if you know what the options and brand you want look around find some prices and have a set price you are willing to pay. If the dealer doesn't want to come down enough, leave them your phone number and walk away. Its amazing when you are willing to walk how they are more willing to deal with you.
Good luck!
 
"Trading in" is where you get whacked.....if you negotiate a straight cash deal they will almost allways drop the price.

But then, of course, you have to sell your old vehicle somehow.

"Administration fee" and 'dealer prep' fee are amongst the two biggest dealer paperwork ripoffs...

Many of the car salesmen you run into, it seems, are previously convicted-felon ex-carnival geeks.....

Nice comment... what do you do for a living....???

I have been in the auto business for over 33 years..... I am in the corporate end, leasing to companies. I am sure glad I don't do very much retail because to be honest, retail customers are all usuaully clueless, whiners and too full of themselves!!! Especially comments like above.

"Trade ins is where you get whacked"..... so let me get this right.... you want to buy wholesale, but expect retail pricing for the junker you want to get rid off?? Hmmmmm...... next question.

I am a member of several different forums and have helped people all over the place get vehicles. Do I have money helping? Nope, but if you have the attitude like some of the posters here, you are well deserved to get screwed.

When you purchase a vehicle, the laws are set up (in BC) that the licenced dealer (doesn't mean just the new car dealers) must quote you the full price (negociated price) including all fee, plus tax. in other words if you agree to $10,000.00, that is what you pay, plus tax. The dealer cannot add on fees on top of that price.

Many comments like "o" pecent financing work very well for people, but like anything else, works for some, not others. New car dealers are like any other business.... you are selling a manufacturers product and if you hit certain levels, bonuses do kick in. Tell me a business that doesn't work this way!!??

Like any business, build a relationship with your sales rep...... I have many clients that I deal with and now are looking after their kids and grandkids!

I like dealing with outdoors types.... I usually become casual friends with most of my clients. I don't deal with people who are arrogant, pushy or know it alls......I don't have the time to spend with them!

Pricing? Yup, there always is a better deal out there, same if you are looking for a guide or a construction company, someone will always under cut them ...... does that make it better??

Profit? Yup, my company makes a profit, they need to pay me and pay me well! I hope that the negative people on here make a good income too, but from the posts, many of these negative people aren't happy with life. Talking of profit, what do you think is fair for a dealer to make off a $20,000 - $80,000.00 sale? Please keep in mind if you know anything about the business you work for or own what your profit % is ....... and how often do your customers come back to purchase another new (insert what you sell)?

There are a ton of commissioned businesses around, from the food industry to heavy equipment ..... I have walked out of several places due to lack of service. All businesses are alike, some shine because of their people, other die due to their lack of knowledge and people skills.

We are the same as any other business except people expect more when they buy a vehicle! I am licensed from BC to Quebecs border, I do all makes leasing and have dealt with 100's of dealers. Some have been excellent, some have failed.......

Next time you want to knock a dealer, let us all know what YOU do for a living and lets talk stories of that industry!!!

Thanks for your time

Mike...... one of the many honest, hard working "used car salesman"!
 
But Mike,

I just wanted to get an idea of what the mark up was on new trucks, stil unanswered !
But thanks for your comments
 
Hey guys,

I think I am a bit to easy on the truck salesman and maybe loosing out on some money that I could be putting towards extra fishing gear LOL .
When you get the price of the truck less all incentives offered by the manufactuer were you still able to negotiate a lower purchase price ??

Are you talking MSRP (sticker price) less the incentives? If so, yes, you are leaving some of your money on the table.....

Depending on the value (cost) of the vehicle, demand for the vehicle, length of time in dealer stock etc... will dictate what you can offer..... and have accepted.

Send me a pm and I will see if I can help you out.....

Mike
 
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