Always Force the Dealer to Quote Price First
Therefore, it's important that you always get the dealer to quote you a price first when contacting them via phone and email (See my negotiation guide).
You are, after all, the customer and can easily walk away from the deal and take your business elsewhere. Dealerships hate it when they lose a customer to a competitor, so you should have no problem getting them to give you an offer first.
Many salesmen will try to get you to volunteer a price. They'll say things like "What's the best price you've gotten so far?", or "What price are you looking to pay?". Just tell them you just started comparison shopping and that they're the first dealership you contacted.
Any dealer unwilling to quote you a price over the phone/email is not a dealer worth doing business with, so don't even worry about it if they refuse. In my experience, dealers that are reluctant to quote prices are ones that know they are not competitive. They will do anything to try to get you to come to the showroom before quoting a price - don't do it!
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author
Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate
the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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