cars.com price vs 'real' price

[nhsjpeterson]

I've just gotten interested in the Singer. I want yellow, or if not that, black that I would re-paint to orange/black.

In using cars.com, I have found a few yellow stingers listed at a very good price. Yet when I visit the actual dealer webpage, they are either at MSRP, or even well above. One dealer showed the price on cars.com at under $38,000, yet their own website shows it at over $44,000!

I'm not much of a car guy, and had never used cars.com before. Is this a typical 'scam' used by the dealers to drum up interest?

 

[iclicku]

I've just gotten interested in the Singer. I want yellow, or if not that, black that I would re-paint to orange/black.

In using cars.com, I have found a few yellow stingers listed at a very good price. Yet when I visit the actual dealer webpage, they are either at MSRP, or even well above. One dealer showed the price on cars.com at under $38,000, yet their own website shows it at over $44,000!

I'm not much of a car guy, and had never used cars.com before. Is this a typical 'scam' used by the dealers to drum up interest?

Unfortunately it is all to common. It's a tactic to get you in the door so to speak. There is a section on the forum on how to go about buying the stinger and you could apply what you learn there to any car purchase. It would be wise of you to learn as much as you can there so you don't pay more than you have to.

 

[mldavis2]

There are several things to beware of. One is bait and switch. Except that they aren't switching cars, just switching price.
Another is showing MSRP and then adding on a boatload of pure profit crap that you probably don't want or need but which goes with the car such as pinstriping for $400, paint sealant at $800, nitrogen filled tires at $300....the list is endless.
Finally, watch out for fees and things they sneak in at the last minute like advertising fees that don't show on the sticker.
Get a firm price on the car -- bottom line total. Don't get trapped into playing the "how much a month" game where they can bury stuff in the monthly payments you don't see.
Start knowing the true MSRP from the Kia web site which includes shipping to the dealer (usually $900). Dealers can customize the window sticker to make it look like factory stuff. Don't bite on that. Then recognize that the Kelly Blue book figures for dealer invoice price is about $3,000 below the factory MSRP (NOT the dealer manipulated MSRP,) so they make that much profit on sale on factory MSRP PLUS they get other incentives and quota allowances we don't see. If you have a trade-in, know the Kelly Blue book value of that trade-in (use a condition level one notch below what you think it's worth). Don't give your trade-in away.
If dealers try to hide stuff, that means they are dishonest. Walk away and find an honest dealer.

 

[Waynerm002]

From what I have experienced, the cars.com price is what the "internet" sales folks lists and if you come in and talk to the "regular" sales folk, they try to get you on the MSRP+ whatever price. If you send them an inquiry through cars.com and make the deal or appointment to test drive there, then the internet price is honored. You have to ask for the internet sales personnel as it seems the other guys don't look online to see what their own shop is listing on other websites.

 

[mldavis2]

That would suggest, @Waynerm002, that the "internet sales folks" are the sales manager and you are bypassing salesmen, much like a commercial deal for a business. Good if you can get it, but if you just show up, you will be immediately intercepted by a salesman who then becomes part of the profit chain, and if you don't need his/her assistance, you are paying for something you don't need. That's why I spec my car out and go in with a paper in hand and ask for a quotation. The salesman can't do anything but walk you to the sales manager because salesmen cannot make deals or price cars.

 

[Waynerm002]

You got a point there, they are typically listed as Internet Sales Managers.

 

[nhsjpeterson]

Well, I found one Cars.com dealer who had Sunset Yellow GT for $37,395. I called them up and they confirmed that they would sell it to me for that price (+$199 in some other costs). I said I would take it and started setting up a wire transfer for the full price (dealer is 700 miles away), but at the last second I changed my mind. Hopefully in a couple of years they still have that color (or orange) and I can afford the GT 2.