[CaliforniaTitan]

Points to ponder from 'both sides' of the issue!

The good stuff is that yes, it does pay to do your research on vehicle invoice prices etc. This gives you a baseline figure for negotiating. Remember, it IS up to the dealer whether or not to sell you a car.

As for the other side presented by our sales associate that posted. Yes, business have to make money make no mistake. However, you know as well as I do that there are quite a few dealerships out there that have a statement such as "If we are not making XXXX number of dollars off a cash deal then no sale...IF they have a trade-In then the number XXXX applies".

The bottom line is buying a car is a negotiation. If a dealer wants to be stubborn and not give you XXXX for your trade or not come down on the price, you as the consumer have the ability to go elsewhere.
Dealers on the other hand live and die by reputation. IF they want a good one, they evaluate the deal not only in terms of numbers but in terms of 'how many other people can this person bring me' or 'What is our sales target for this month overall and for this specific model" and "What incentives is coperate offering me to move XX number of XX vehicle" etc.

Bottom line, there are two sides to the game. To win the game, both sides will compromise to a 'solution'. IF a compromise can't or won't be made...end game...move on to another dealer or customer.

Also....don't even bring up 'RESALE VALUE' because that is a myth. Value is determined by what someone is willing to pay for something. Someone who trades in cars in three years or less always ends up on the bottom side of a 'Resale Value' so this isn't even a good point unless you plan to sell it yourself and you might get wholesale book in most cases. I will give you a perfect example: 99.5 Nissan Pathfinder w/89k - Full Service records and not a scratch with brand new rubber etc. KBB and all the others list the 'Wholesale Value' as $13,800 in my region. I literally had to pull teeth to get $11,500 for the vehicle
using it as a trade-in..(Best price between 4 different dealers)..Why? Dealer greed and thier so called 'Black Book'. Argue all you like, but facts are facts.

The whole buying process is a numbers game....make the numbers appealing to both sides and a car is sold.


Chris