So my wife and I are both in the process of researching new vehicles, with intent to purchase in the next 12 months.

My question is; does it make sense for me to pull the trigger on her (probably) Edge, and my (unless something catastrophic happens) F-250 KR FX4 (etc), at the same time from the same dealer (I am willing to order if need be)? I intend to negotiate the SD down...somewhere in the $10k range based on informatio found in this forum, and probably $5-$8k on her Edge. Ever hear anything about dealers making special arrangements or deals for two vehicles to the same people? I know they cannot be the same transaction, but perhaps some friendly discounting?

Feedback encouraged. Thanks!

 

I'm sure that you'd be able to work a little extra discount in. Just make sure that the number you are talking about when negotiating is the "all in" number. Many times I've seen dealers try to slip in some kind of "documentation fee" or some such nonsense after they think the deal is done.

Good luck on your new toys!

 

I think you should start by telling them you want both, but negotiate the price of each separately. Be sure to check every piece of paper they give you, too... stealerships like to slip in fees like mentioned above.

I recently helped some friends of mine buy two used vehicles at once. We definitely got a better deal, but it wasn't drastic. I'm a fairly seasoned car buyer and negotiator... and I think I got the best deal possible... but the dealer does need to make a profit, so they will only go so far.

Think about it this way - the dealers are only making $500-1000 on your average truck deal. They will probably be willing to sell one vehicle at *no* profit, if you're also buying one that they will net some money from... but it'll only be $500-1000 savings, maximum.

 

Once you decide what vehicle you are buying, if you go on Edmunds.com you can see the dealers invoice (their cost). Of course from that you would need to deduct any incentives that are available at that time.

 

It really doesn't matter how many vehicles you buy. You are probably going to get a better deal if work through a straight cash deal (no trade-in) and order the vehicles. Like suggested, you needed to go in with a knowledge of the invoice price. I won't even talk to a dealer who suggests they can't do a deal at or under invoice.

I have ordered multiple vehicles twice and found that it really didn't help much. They are targeting a profit number and depending on the dealership will or won't play ball with you. Walk away from the ones that won't -- even if you need to use them for service. They don't care as they will get the warranty dollars for servicing the vehicle.

When you order a vehicle, the dealer is simply placing an order for you. They will get the difference between the price you agreed upon and the dealer cost (I won't go into dealer incentives). On a typical SD, the dealer cost is around $1,700 under invoice. So basically, if they sell you a vehicle at invoice, they are making $1,700 for processing paper. The sale counts towards their total sales and may help them keep allocations and/or sales towards a manufacturer incentive. If you bring a trade-in to the table, they will most likely undercut the true trade in value and give you a sense they are giving you a great deal by offering a low price on the new vehicle. And of course, factory incentives are on top of this...

When I walk into a dealership, I am straight forward with them. Tell them specifically that I am a cash buyer and want the best deal they can muster. By knowing the invoice price with the options, you can go into the conversation knowing what the final price should be. I also keep this saying in the back of my mind, "Their job is to separate me from my money. My job is to make sure that doesn't happen!"

 

I may be slow, but I do not like too many moving parts when making a purchase. I usually deal with each component seperately. For example, I want their best possible price on the vehicle that I am purchasing then discuss the trade-in then ...........

There are so many variables that impact a new vehicle purchase, when you introduce more of them it appears as though it would be difficult assure the "best possible deal" on both (maybe 4 - counting trade-ins if applicable).

If it were me, I would let them know that I intended to purchase two vehicles, but deal with each transaction seperately. If either did not meet my satisfaction, I would find another dealer. Wash, rinse and repeat.

 

The price is a big deal and I would agree with the above. Work each vehicle at invoice cost, helps if vehicle is on the lot, means they move inventory.

The back side of this deal is the relationship you build after the sale. The dealership I go to, I have purchased 3 SD's and an Expedition within the last 3 years. When I go in for oil changes, general service, or just to BS with the sales staff or the diesel tech. I get all kinds of info on what's going on, who's and what's are selling well, little things like getting the pre-release stuff they get when they go "train" on new vehicles. (I have the pr stuff for the new F150's, got the SD DVD and pre-release info on our 6.7's)

Also, my dad wants a new 150 so the sales manager called him and asked him what he wanted on it because he was about to order 20 of them, no obligation.

Just throwing stuff out there.

 

Best thing to do is have your finances in order before you go in (whether you're paying up front with cash/check, or know your credit score and have some financing setup). Then once you have that squared away, do research as suggested (like Edmunds.com) and know the prices and incentives for the vehicle you want. If you're trading, know the NADA, KBB, and also the going rate on craigslist. Use those numbers to come up with a reasonable price for your trade. Once you know the prices of the vehicles, have your finances setup, you leave very little wiggle room for a dealer. I've never had to spend too much time negotiating for my vehicles because I had my info up front. I did have 1 bad experience when purchasing my last car (Saturn Sky Redline). They tried to mark it up and everything, but I held firm and got the price I wanted on financing terms that I knew was good. As mentioned previously, they will try to slip things in, one thing they accidentally slipped in was a free for life oil change program on my Sky (200 bux), which only took pure synthetic oil (as their contract stated they only changed the oil with the GM recommended oil which for my sky was Mobil 1 5w-30 full synthetic). I took full advantage of that and got my money out of it before trading my vehicle. Thankfully when I bought my F150, I dealt with a smaller dealership which was up front in pricing and I didn't have to haggle all that much.

 

I agree with most of what Jus2shy says and would like to add that knowing as much about the vehicles and the options is the key to getting a decent price. Let the dealers make their money selling to people who think some off of the MSRP is a great deal (trust me, they exist!).

I usually do my research from the internet to determine what options are available and how they are packaged. I can't tell you the number of times a sales person tried to sell me an option that was included in a package!

From there I make a spreadsheet with the options listed (using the manufacturer's codes) and no prices and another for myself with the prices. I usually scare the crap out of the first sales person I talk to because I am basically ready for battle. You will know pretty quickly if they are going to play. In today's economic climate a number of dealers are willing to share a part of their dealer holdback because their overall sales numbers are off or they may lose an allocation because they haven't sold enough of a model.

Buying off of the lot is tricky. Most manufacturers will consign a percentage of the dealer's inventory for a set period of time. After that they pay for it. If you catch them at the right time, they may be motivated to move the product. Almost always what I find is that the vehicle doesn't have all the options I want or ones that I absolutely don't want (how they determine what options to put on a lot vehicle is a whole another thread )

I have bought 14 new vehicles over the past 30 years and everyone except for that Saturn "she had to have now" were ordered. It is a pain to wait for an ordered vehicle, but the anticipation is half the fun.

 

Great feedback all, thanks for this.
Couple more questions;

1) having never ordered a vehicle before, would one be best to negotiate the sale price pre, or post order?

2) when working against invoice on the 2011 SD's, what is the typical holdback %?

3) should I use Ford.com as the source of truth for specific option prices, or these also inflated?

Thank you for sharing your experience/ best practices, all.

 

Here are my thoughts:

1) You definitely get the price down and agreed upon before placing the order. If you use edmunds.com, you will have the invoice price and that is the number I would work from.

2) The dealer holdback on these trucks is somewhere between $1,300 and $1,700 depending on model. They also are entitled to sales incentives but the guaranteed money is the difference between sale price and dealer cost. Most dealers won't go much below invoice unless they are hungry or need your business (just make sure they stay in business for your order to come in!).

3) Edmunds is pretty good about the option list. Sometimes you will find a new option not listed, a conflict not indicated or second half build option listed but without a date (like this year's rear window defroster and the backup chime options). That is where the Ford site helps. Build the vehicle on Ford's site and then do the same on Edmunds. You will find dealers that just won't work with you. Don't be afraid to walk away from them. Even if your closest dealer is not the one taking the order, they still want the warranty work. I always try to remember the fact that I am the customer and it is my money they are trying to take! Good luck!

 

My experience with Edmunds (which was good) is that I walked in to purchase an Expedition with invoice in hand. I showed it to the finance guy, he gave me his copy and said "actually, I'm a couple hundred dollars lower than you are".

It was a good laugh.

 

I had a similar experience only to find out that I had an option listed as a standalone when in fact it was included as part of a package. I found you need to really understand how the options and packages are put together.

 

When I bought mine.We where going to trade in my suburban and my G8 GXP. For the F250 and a Taurus SHO. But they wouldn't move on the SHO.