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Josh Rosenberg By Josh Rosenberg
Updated Feb. 12, 2024


How To Get The Lowest New Car Price

In today's extremely high-priced new car market, it's more vitally important than ever to get online price quotes at automotive sites such as CarsDirect.com and/or Edmunds.com (instructions below) before ever setting foot in a dealership. It immediately accomplishes several things:

1. Dealers will now know they are in a multi-dealer competition for your business.

2. They will give you a very competitive price upfont.

3. You can almost always negotiate further within the competition as described below.

2024 Nissan Z

Sure, some dealers may claim, as salesmanship, that inventories are low and demand is so high that they don't need to offer further price concessions. And that was actually true as we first came out of the pandemic. But no longer, and they know it.

For example, prices have actually been on the decline since late 2022 when the average selling price was about $721 over MSRP. Compare that to now when the average selling price is about $714 below MSRP. That's a significant $1,400+ drop. And the trend is becoming better for consumers everyday.

The truth is, according to industry authority Cox Automotive (Oct. 11, 2023), “Dealers and automakers are feeling price pressure, and with auto loan rates at record highs and growing inventory levels, new-vehicle prices continue to ease.”

You just have to know how to ask. But the most effective way to take advantage of this to save the most is not to go into a dealership to negotiate.

Look. people love cars ... but hate buying them.

This is sooooo true. I can't tell you how often people tell me they just can't stand the whole process of buying a new car. The distrust. The haggling. The possible hours at the dealership. The never-knowing-for-sure if you've paid a fair price or have been taken advantage of.

Well, no more. There's a much better way to save both stress and lots of money.

Here's Why It Works So Well And How To Do It

The carbuying process can be a lot easier than you may think. You see, you can save hundreds and even thousands of dollars on your next new car purchase with just a few clicks on your computer. And from the comfort and safety of your own home or workplace.

This means no salesman to face off with hour after hour, no more game playing, no waiting for a counter offer from "the manager", no flim-flaming the numbers so that only a math genius can keep up, no more mind-numbing, stomach-wrenching car buying agony.

Just the lowest prices submitted right to your email account, pronto.

In Fact, It's You Who'll Be Giving The Dealer A Headache

How's that for a switch?

Well, bear with me for a moment while I explain this a little bit and then I'll give you the specifics on how to do this the most effective way for yourself.

In this day and age, the key to car savings is the internet. Smart car buyers can now get the "Internet Departments" at multiple car dealerships to compete against each other for the privilege of selling you a car. And when dealers are forced to compete in head-to-head price comparisons, car prices fall, and sometimes plummet.

Okay, that's good so far because you're not haggling at all. Instead, it's the dealers who are fighting each other ... all while you're sitting at home watching TV, or surfing the net, or at work getting stuff done. How does this happen?

Easy. You send out a single price request (I'll show you the best place to do this shortly) for the car or cars of your choice. This is then automatically routed to the Internet Departments of all the appropriate dealerships within selling distance of you. They'll then send you a quote via email, almost always within 24 hours ... sometimes just a couple of hours later.

For example, if you are curious about the price of a new Honda Accord and would consider buying one if the deal was good enough, your request will go to all the competing Honda dealers in your area who would like to sell it to you.

You would then compare their quotes before even setting foot in a dealership, negotiate still more with them online if you choose, buy from the lowest bidder, or walk away from the whole thing as a learning experience.

It's also notable that your requests don't go to a salesperson. As I said, they go to the Internet Department. The job of this department is to get cars off the lot as quickly as possible. Their job is to reduce the overall carrying costs of the dealership for unsold cars.

And because they've received your request via an open, dealer-wide quote system (free and no obligation to you, by the way ... more on this in a moment), they know that other dealers will be trying to undersell them as well.

So there's a very strong incentive for them to give you their very best deal from the get go, because they know if they don't, one of their competitors likely will.

They figure they can also make up for the lower price by maybe getting your warranty and maintenance work over the years, perhaps by getting your loan, maybe sell you an extended warranty or get another family member or referral to buy down the road. The worst case is that they at least get a vehicle off the lot that they're paying finance charges for.

Okay, almost done and at the good part.

Tips For Dealing With the Quotes Once You Get Them

You can compare the quotes and simply go with the best ... or you can usually negotiate still further if you like. It's up to you.

If you want to negotiate further, which I recommend, you can respond to the highest bidders with an email telling them you have gotten a lower competitive quote. Never tell them what it is. Just tell them you'll consider their new offer if they want to send one. Simple, that's it.

You can even do something similar with the low bidder if you are not satisfied with the price. I don't recommend lying in any way. At the same time, you don't have to tell them they were the lowest bidder either. You can just tell them the truth, something like,

"Based on your offer, I'm not prepared to purchase this vehicle at this price. If you'd like to submit another offer, I'd certainly consider it. It's up to you."

When no one is sending you any more quotes, you know you've gotten the best price. You've won ... and you've won on your own terms. If you think you'd like to buy it, tell them you'll buy it at their quoted price only after you test drive the vehicle. Now it's up to you. You can do whatever you want.

Also, always remember that the best time to buy a new car is when you don't really need one. Your lack of urgency will also put you in a very strong position. You can get quotes from time to time and then pounce when you see an absolutely crazy offer.

Does This Method Work For Leasing As Well?

Absolutely. Your monthly lease payment is based on the final price negotiated. To give you an idea of the savings, for every $1,000 the price comes down, your payment will decrease by approximately $28 per month on a 36 month lease.

Once you've decided to accept a price, you just tell them to convert that capitalized cost (the agreed upon price) into a lease. Or, ask them to do it along the way, whichever you prefer.

Okay, Here's Where To Do It

My two personal favorite free quote services: CarsDirect.com due to their massive Dealer participation, quick and easy format, and fast response times. Just click on "New Cars", put in your make and model, and then click on "Get A Price Quote".

And I suggest getting quotes at Edmunds.com as well, which is also free and very fast. Doing both ensures more dealer competition ... and the more competition, the more prices tend to drop. Just put in your make and model, then select the year, and then "Check Availability".

They both also have a long-standing reputations for helping consumers in what can be a fairly "adversarial" auto industry.

Dealers there are required to offer significant discounts right up front to anyone who does this. You can then compare these discounts and negotiate further as described above, if you want. In addition, you are never under any obligation at any time.

Incidentally, Canadian and other international buyers need to use a zipcode from the city they intend to buy from.

And fortunately, they both literally takes all of about one minute. So to get started, head on over to CarsDirect.com and Edmunds.com.

Well, I hope this has been helpful. Have fun turning the tables with this ... and let me know how you do.

All the best - Josh


Related:

How To Get A Better Price For Your Trade-In

The Truth About Wholesale And Trade-In Values

A Single Step For The Lowest Rate Car Loans

How To Buy A Used Car At The Best Price


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