What all do you use for Negotiation "tactics" when purchasing new ? i'm looking at trading in my 2013 F150 FX4 5.0 to a 2018 and interesting in finding out what everyone uses.. Do you take into consideration how long a truck has sat on the lot waiting to be sold ?

 

Do your home work and get pre approved if you can. Walk in tell them what you want to pay. Did this last month and had my truck in less then a hour. They tried one tactic to get me to use Ford motor credit. Told them there was another truck in Montgomery Alabama, which is 1.5 hr drive from my house. The salesman said would you really drive that far, I stood up and said I drove 2 hours to pick up a toy, a Polaris Ranger, almost in Knoxville Tenn. Do you think a 1.5 hr trip to pick up a truck is going to be problem. All the BS stopped.

 

 

This right here is so important. One thing to remember, the dealer and sales staff already know what to say and do as they practice this all day every day. I'll wager that we as a Ford enthusiasts community already have a stronger level of product knowledge than most sales people.

I typically seek out the vehicle that has the oldest state inspection sticker on it. They need to move this vehicle. If it works for me, great. If not, oh well, keep looking.

Ford's build and price has a payment calculator as well as most CU / bank apps. Us this before doing anything and prearrange your terms.

 

I sold cars years ago, and this is hands down the best advice you'll get. The educated customer gets the best deals.

Negotiate the price of the vehicle first, then apply rebates for your final price. Never negotiate based on monthly payment.
Negotiate the trade in (if any) separately based on the price they are going to pay. Never negotiate trade based on the difference.

Most car buyers focus too much on negotiating the price of the vehicle when that's really not where they will "lose" the most money. Dealers make more money on the back end through finance than they do on the actual vehicle itself. Getting pre-approved from your bank/credit union and knowing your finance rate before you ever step foot in a dealership makes you a winner in the car buying game. Have the finance manager try and beat your rate to get an even better deal. Other products in finance like extended warranty can be negotiated just like the vehicle, so never pay full retail price for those products if you choose to get them.

NEVER purchase paint protection, fabric protection, VIN etching, or any other "soft" products. Dealer markup on these is hundreds of percentage points.

It is ok to purchase accessories through dealers, many have learned to be competitive with the aftermarket. There's convenience factors to taking delivery of your brand new truck with a bed cover, mud flaps, etc already installed and ready to go. Research pricing and products ahead of time so you know what you want to buy and what a fair price looks like. Remember to include labor to install everything.

Again, it all comes down to educating yourself.

 

I've had good results negotiating for a vehicle towards the end (even the last day) of the month.

Good luck

 

I still like the days when a price is a price. When you went to a dealer there weren't any intensives, rebates, buy-backs or Lemon laws. The one price is what you paid. Who ever though all of this up should be shot. Whoops! I not supposed to say that.

 

Everything Pocket and 1carguy said. At the end of the month the dealer maybe willing to take a loss on a few vehicle if it gets them enough sold to jump up to the next rebate bracket from the manufacture. If you are able to sell your truck private party you will likely get more, it takes longer and is a pain dealing with tire kickers but it could be worth it. Use the ford financing to get the extra 500-1500, refinance with your CU/Bank the next week at a reasonable interest rate, don't listen to them if they try saying you have to wait 3 months, you don't they just want the kick back from selling a loan. Buy the truck you want, don't let them pressure you into something similar, if they don't have it and you don't want to order it just leave. A salesperson's job is to sell you something, not necessarily what you want just something and since there really isn't such a thing as returns its easy to push people into it.

 

I went to the Ford.com website and found the cheapest F-150 that had exactly I wanted in it.. 5.0L, 302A, 4x4, 6.5', 40/20/40 center console..

I selected all dealers within a 100-mile range and this one was 55 miles south. I e-mailed the dealer to see if it was available. Told him I wanted $10k off AND I wanted $24k for my trade-in. He tried to push me to another F-150, I told him the deal was off so he backed off and we agreed to $10k off MSRP for my new 2016 F-150 (down from $49 to $39) and settled for $23k for my trade-in.

My MSRP sticker had $51K then it was $2K off for the package discount from the manufacturer, not the dealer, so the total MSRP was $49K. A lot of dealers will try to claim the MSRP as $51K even with the $2K package discount. That's unethical and if your dealer does that, walk away.

My trade-in was a 2012 F-150 which I bought new for $29k four years before trading it in.. that's how good the resale value was!

 

Some hints for getting for the best deal:
- Pick a vehicle that is on the lot. If there are several very similar vehicles, even better.
- Check the build date of the vehicle - within the model year, the older the better
- Look for a vehicle that has a few more miles than the others, e.g. 50-200 miles.
- Add any doc fees or other prep fees to the price of the vehicle on your worksheet - make sure they know you consider *that* the price of the vehicle.
- Some say buy at the end of month, but most dealers operate per quarter, so some say buy at the end of the quarter.
- Do your own homework on "per month costs, not with the dealer. Only talk bottom line with the sales person, i.e all costs - trade (if any)
- Don't be afraid to make a low-ball offer - you're not committed to anything, you can raise the offer if you want - they won't say no, lol.
- Just say "no" to any extra nonsense (costings, wheel insurance, etc.) until you have time to evaluate them. You'll almost always end up still saying 'no" later.

 

One of the most critical factors in my opinion, is your timing. Of course, some luck is involved in that. Dealerships have to meet those quotas, and if you are there on the end of the month, have good credit and they know you can purchase, they will bend over backwards to get you in that new truck. If they happen to need one or two to meet that quota (which means more bonus money for them), they will lose money on your deal if they have to. I would never go truck shopping at the first of the month. The end of the year is even better, but then your choices are limited of course because of the availability of that years' trucks.
Even without the timing factor, if you don't get 15-20% off of the MSRP, then you did not get a good deal. They always get holdbacks and other "bonuses" from the manufacturer, even if they were to sell you at well below invoice. One of their golden rules is to not let you leave the lot, as the odds for you buying from them decreases significantly if you do. Most don't come back and will deal shop, and they know it. I personally will go just below invoice and then apply the rebates. Normally invoice is about 6-8% lower than MSRP, perhaps a little more. If people really believe invoice is truly what the dealer pays, it isn't. They allow people to see the invoice if they ask for a reason, and I guarantee you that dealership pays less than invoice. Yes, they should make a profit and they are in business to make money. It's up to you whether they make the most off of you or the next person. In a nutshell, there is some good info here: https://www.autocheatsheet.com/new-c...y-invoice.html

 

I had good luck shopping on line. Searched dealers within 100 miles until I found one l liked, got a good price quote and a quote on my trade in. Took the quote into my local deal and got a similar truck with more option for the same price. I went early in the day and told them I was on my way to that dealer but wanted to give them a shot to beat their price, not match it. I was close to walking out once, but once the sales manager saw my quote, things went quick. I refinanced a few days later for a much better rate than ford. So be sure to check new rates and refinance rates online before you go. Always be willing to walk out on a deal, there are lots of f150's out there.

 

I typically contact a (up to 3) dealers with a good reputation, send them an email....and tell them I am looking for "X" type vehicle.....to make it easy, how much over invoice (not including rebates, etc.)....and I want to see the state DMV documents for verification. This brings it down to a very simple price...……. although the dealer certainly gets incentives back from Ford for the sales as well..... but I have bought vehicles for $300 over invoice (plus incentives) (new or special ordered).

 

On mine, invoice was only $2k less than the MSRP. There was the $4,500 incentive, but I got $10k off the total price. That was for an XLT, lots of great deals. I generally don't expect that much of a discount on higher trim models though.

 

Do your research! Know what is in stock and know what you're prepared to spend! Don't go into the dealership until you've shopped quotes via email. The best deal earns them a visit from you to the showroom. Usually the first question out of a dealers mouth, is something akin to "What are you trading in"? Here's a Pro-Tip: DON'T LIE TO THEM! Every swinging dick out there will tell you not to disclose that you have a trade, and to spring it on them at the end of negotiations. Guess what? Believe it or not, car dealers are human beings and don't like being lied to! They can plainly see that you drove up in something, and chances are, you're not going to want to keep it. So right off the bat, you're being dishonest with them. Now they know that you're an "expert" at car shopping, because you read forums and websites devoted to "getting the best deal", and can now exactly predict what you're going to say to them next. So do you think they'll be inclined to work with you? You'll gather more flies with honey... Next: Unless you get a total sleazeball dealer (I still encounter them), most dealers will show you the MSRP and the "invoice" right up front. Basically they won't bother with MSRP and say, "here's what you'll pay". There is room to move on this, but not NEARLY as much as everyone on the interwebs wants you to believe, so don't be a total dick and try to offer them $10,000 under invoice and expect them to keep a straight face. Again, RESEARCH what rebates and incentives are available for you. Set a limit on what you want to spend and don't go over it! DO NOT negotiate payments, but negotiate selling price! You can figure out what you're comfortable paying per month, AFTER you establish HOW MUCH you're paying. Most importantly, just don't be a dick! Talk to a salesman like you're genuinely glad to meet them and want to have a conversation with them. People go to a dealership and just act like an idiot because they think that the salesman is their enemy. He is NOT. He has a job to do, just like anyone else. You would be AMAZED at how much better of a deal you will get, when you actually show respect to a car salesman! Good luck!