Dealers would love it if every prospect gave a vehicle a quick once-over and then paid the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). But buyers aren't getting the deal they could if they applied a little old-fashioned horse trading to the process.
The background: The dealer has big incentives to put out a high price and then let the consumer try to negotiate it downward. Since a vehicle purchase is a relatively large transaction, the dealership can afford to spend time and effort in an attempt to maximize the cash derived from each deal.
Murky Negotiations Lead to Buyer's Remorse
Another factor perpetuating haggling in the auto-purchase process is the nearly ubiquitous trade-in. Trading one car for another is really two simultaneous transactions. And since used-car values are hardly set in stone, the concept of the trade-in guarantees that some sort of negotiation will take place.
One part of that negotiation is the trade-in value (i.e., purchase price) of the vehicle going to the dealer. Since that price is already in play, it's not a stretch to throw the purchase price of the new vehicle up for negotiation as well. Add negotiations over possible dealer financing of the transaction, and you have the basis for a complicated and often murky series of negotiations.
The process can quickly lead to buyer's remorse, the feeling that when all's said and done, you didn't get as good a deal as you could have. Many consumers have the sneaking suspicion that the person who bought the same model before them -- as well as the person who bought the same model right after them -- probably got a better deal.
Negotiating Your Car Price Like a Pro
So how do you avoid feeling like you've been had?
Tom Ripley writes frequently about the auto industry, car-buying issues and the human condition from his home in Villeperce, France.
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