Sabs
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- May 8, 2018
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A different approach may help.
Not a lot of dealers are willing to jump right to offering to sell to you below invoice. There are some out there that will start with a very aggressive price to get you in the door, but it doesn't sound like that's the case in your area.
First off, if you've not already mentioned to the dealers that traveling is a hassle, I wouldn't do so. You have to be willing to make the trip, but walk away if the dealer won't make the deal you want when you're there in person. It's a pain, but if you want a really low price, you have to be willing to sacrifice a day of your time. If you aren't willing to do so, it's probably best to shoot for invoice price.
I would start with your preferred dealer, whether it's the closest one or the one with your first choice of color/trim.
Familiarize yourself with lease sheets and what all the numbers mean. Write up your own with your local registration fees. If you're doing a lease buyout, the main number you want to look at is the net cap cost. That's everything you'll pay for a buyout except the $300 buyout fee, local taxes, and the finance charge on the first month's payment. It does include title/registration fees and the lease acquisition fee.
Tell them you'll drive in and buy today (or whatever day you're going in) if they will sell stock #xxxxxx to you at a net cap cost of $xx,xxx. They should be able to simply say yes or give you a counteroffer in the ballpark.
Agree to meet if they accept your number. If they're higher, you can contact your 2nd choice of dealer. If the 1st dealer was close on price, tell dealer #2 what their number was and ask if they can do better. By this point you should be at or very close to your number if it's doable in your area.
If this all sounds like too much time or hassle, don't feel bad about paying a little more. It does take extra time to get a rock bottom number, and not every dealer will go for it. The extra time and stress isn't worth it to everyone. You're still getting a fantastic car with no competitors near its price range using the current lease cash.
