Best Way to Get Best Price When Ordering

dnadrifter · October 23, 2016

What is generally regarded as the best way to get the best price when ordering a truck? I figured I would email out the truck build to several dealers and see what they can do. Is there anybody, or type of person, I should target at the dealership rather than just a salesman who happened to give me his card...or if I haven't been to the dealership, who should I contact?

I am planning on ordering in the next couple weeks to hopefully take advantage of any Christmas / New Year incentives when I would hopefully take delivery.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Colossus · October 23, 2016

Dealers will likely not give you any discounts on vehicles you order save for whatever incentives GM is offering at the time. Just my thought on the matter. However- you are going to be hard pressed to take delivery for Christmas or New Years at this point. Probably looking at late January or February. They slow down production in the months leading up to the holidays.

Dnt · October 23, 2016

How to get the Best Price? I believe that it may have been Will Rogers that explained how to absolutely DOUBLE your money on every deal.

Fold it and put it back into your pocket LMFAO

KARNUT · October 23, 2016

Buy at the end of the month, end of the season, 12-31 and ask for the truck that's been on the lot the longest. The biggest dealer you can fine helps too. When I get the itch ( I buy from the same dealer) I let them know, when they can save me 12K they email me. Check out websites like car pro, they can save you money too.

dnadrifter · October 23, 2016

I am ordering, not buying off the lot.

Dealers will likely not give you any discounts on vehicles you order save for whatever incentives GM is offering at the time. Just my thought on the matter. However- you are going to be hard pressed to take delivery for Christmas or New Years at this point. Probably looking at late January or February. They slow down production in the months leading up to the holidays.

Thanks for the insight....hadn't considered production goes down in Dec. Wish I had known that sooner.

Jm1550 · November 3, 2016

I have a build that I'd like to order with a price of 46000 after the 3000 MSRP factory discount. Can the dealer drop it down to 43500 ? Or is that asking for a miracle ?

Wintersun · November 16, 2016

Buy at the end of the month, end of the season, 12-31 and ask for the truck that's been on the lot the longest. The biggest dealer you can fine helps too. When I get the itch ( I buy from the same dealer) I let them know, when they can save me 12K they email me. Check out websites like car pro, they can save you money too.

Actually you can do a search on the internet and also at a car dealer where they have an internet sales specialist and find a 2016 (which is a good buy at this time of the year) that has been costing dealers money with flooring finance charges and where they need the truck sold. Dealers get a quarterly and a year end kick back or rebate based on the number of units sold. So a few cars sold at breakeven pricing still reduce the costs for all the prior cars sold by the dealer. This is why year end or the end of a quarter are good times to bargain.

I also go within 3 hours of the dealer closing up for the night as this puts the salespeople under pressure to close the deal as they do not want me going home without the car or truck. They are also tired at the end of the day and this has always given me an edge. If it takes me 3 hours to get them to come down $400 then I got $133 and hour for those three hours sitting at the dealers and this is after tax money or like getting paid $170 an hour. Don't go when you are tired or hungry or pressed for time as it will cost you dearly.

The sales manager, finance manager, fleet manager, and often a designated internet salesperson, will work on salary but not get a sales commission on the sale of a vehicle. With a SUV or pickup truck the commission can be $1500 or more and it the dealer does not have to pay that to a salesperson then then can reduce the sales price of the vehicle and not be out any money.

Never talk about what payment you can afford or want. Talk only in terms of a cash price for the vehicle. Once you have bought the vehicle you have time to arrange financing and most banks that focus on car loans can pre approve your loan in advance. Remember the Rule of 72. Divide the real interest rate (including origination and other fees) into 72 and that will tell you at how many years the interest payments will be equal to the loan itself. For example with a 4% loan which divides in 18 times, then a 6 year loan will result in your paying $20,000 in interest on a $60,000 truck so the cost to you will be $80,000. This is often overlooked completely and why so many used trucks are being sold to cover only the remaining loan balance. After 3 years the "owner" is the finance company.

After I have an agreed upon cash price for the vehicle I start asking for freebies that are not a big deal for the salesperson relative to losing the sale. If they will not give me something at no cost then I ask for them to give it to me at the dealers cost and to install it for free. The dealer is not out any money with giving me something at cost and the installation does not add to their payroll or shop costs either. With my last truck I got the dealer to swap out the standard mirrors for tow mirrors, add a GM bed liner, add a GM tool box, and add GM chrome running boards, as well as a full tank of diesel. That saved me over $2500. I had to drive 220 miles and go past 6 other dealers to get to the one with the best deal but it was worth it.

If you are not a good negotiator then take someone who is and it can be a spouse or relative or friend or co-worker. Even just having a person who can be a wet blanket will make it more difficult for the salesperson to push something over on you. And you need to have a price in mind and be willing to walk away if you can't get it from that dealer.