I get a chuckle sometimes when people think they are getting screwed. The same people who are more than happy to pay a builder $500,000 for a property he/she has $300,000 into. Or, who doesn't even question paying 300% markup on electronics. If you are going to get screwed by every dealer, isn't that saying that every dealer is going to do the same thing? How does that differ from a gas station? One sells diesel for $3.14 and the one down the block sells it for $3.15. My point to this is that there are very few retail scenarios where you can go in an try for your best deal. Everywhere else, you just pay the price they have listed. If that were the truth with new car dealerships, I'd venture to guess that about 90% of us on this forum would have gotten a worse deal than we did. Dealers can fix the problem of the feeling of getting screwed in a minute. Charge everyone to MSRP and give everyone KBB dealer trade in value. Problem solved but now everyone is pissed.

As for me, I got high retail on my trade and bought my ordered 2018 PSD CCSB for $1500 behind dealer invoice, plus rebates, plus a $3000 PCO, plus another $500 for finance. I'm quite happy with my deal. Could I have gotten better? Yes, probably, but there is a law of diminishing returns. How much time, effort and loss of goodwill with my dealer is it worth for another $500? My dealer makes money and I get a deal I am happy with on a truck I love. If the dealer isn't making any money, then they close and you are an orphan owner likely with a longer drive for warranty work.

There's always someone who got a better deal. If the deal makes sense for you personally, you feel good about it and don't think they are trying to screw you, then what's to worry about.

 

"Dealer Invoice" is not what it used to be. People feel good about getting it for xxxxx under invoice but that term had been "gamed" by the manufacturers as well.

Clark Howard does a great job explaining this. https://clark.com/cars/eye-opening-t...invoice-price/

 

 

I read a couple of installments of the link. Bookmarked for future purchases.

 

Agree, it's not, but at the same time, everyone has to make a buck and at the same time customers have to feel good about the deal. It doesn't have to be a win/lose scenario. It's possible to get a great deal and have the dealer still make money. happens every day. Of course getting scalped on a deal does too. But those dealers usually don't stay in business under the same owner for long.

 

Hello we have a winner lol!!!!!

 

 

Well folks, I was searching on the internet for some other things and all of the sudden a screen popped up of my old truck on cars.com for 47,991. A lot better than 56,588 on the dealers direct website. They won't have any trouble selling that truck for that price. Good strategy for them to try to turn it over as quick as possible. Here is the link. I thought they were going to CPO it but I guess they decided not to.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/762769894/overview/

I totally understand it's the dealers objective is to make money, but they're not going to sell it when its way over retail to the point when they're selling brand new F150 Lariat trucks never titled for that much. There are a ton of 18s left on the ground.