It seems to make sense to learn as much as you can about the car you want before you go into the showroom. By pinning down the model and options I am looking for will hopefully avoid some of the confusion of trying to sort it all out in the midst of a face to face sales spiel.
In my case, I had already decided on the make and model, so I needed to compare the standard features of the three options being offered. I used the manufacturer's web site as a starting point and it was quite helpful. The middle option had all of the features that I wanted except for an upgrade to the radio/CD player. The site also supplied the MSRP which gave me a starting point on price.
As previously mentioned, this quest is a little different from my previous car-buying experience. First of all, my old car is getting to the point that it's becoming more and more expensive to maintain, and while 115,000 miles is not considered to be high for this car, a few recent repairs have provided the handwriting on the wall. Also, we will be taking a cross-country trip early next year and I don't want to deal the breakdown risk. The second consideration is the fact that I am now retired and, unlike previous car purchases, I need to be sure to get the best deal, even if it requires some leg work. I am envisioning visiting a number of dealers and flogging them into a bidding war which will get me a good price.
My next step is a visit to Edmunds.com which is reputed to provide the actual expected sales price. I am buoyed up by tales of friends who have been successful in getting dealers to accept the Edmunds price. The Edmunds price for my selected model is about $4,500 less than the MSRP. This is great. I haven't even left my house and I've knocked off $4,500. As a last step, Edmund's recommends requesting a free on-line quote from a dealer. This sounds painless and it would give me more ammunition when I actually get to the dealer.
I quickly discover that the quote will be supplied by a dealer that is forty miles away in a nearby state. It appears that my two local dealers don't participate in the online quote derby. Nothing ventured, etc. I request the quote and sit back and wait. Not for long. The phone rings and I am talking to a guy from the dealer who tells me that he really can't give me a quote on a 2009 model because they don't have any. The new models are trickling in and he has at least six customers lined up and waiting. He suggests considering a 2008, so I tell him to send me the info on what he has. A short time later, I receive an email linking to a site for a virtual test drive. No price quotes are included. I write this experience off. I wasn't going to use this dealer anyhow and decide to check around to see if the local dealers have any 2009's.
Neither of my local dealers are showing any 2009's on their web site new car inventories. I start thinking that a 2008 might make sense. The cars don't change that much year to year, and the prices should be better on a 2008. I revisit Edmunds and price out the 2008 version. As suspected, the Edmunds price is a little lower.
I finally bite the bullet and call the local dealer that is closest to me and the one with whom I would just as soon do business. The Sales Manager takes my call. His story regarding the 2009's sounds a lot like the out-of-state guy and I wonder if they are all reading from the same script. He does have a a few 2008's and we set up an appointment for the following morning. As I fall asleep that night, I wonder if these guys have missed the articles about car sales being at historical lows.
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