Negotiation suggestions?

[Gilgamesh]

Hello everybody I'm curious about any negotiation tips anyone might have whether it be those that have bought Stingers already or just have a lot of experience in buying cars and negotiating with the dealers.

When my car arrives and I go to purchase/lease I'm going to be at a disadvantage as my car was custom ordered and I didn't negotiate at all before hand to get some kind of agreement besides an estimate price for a lease which was MSRP with the dealership transportation fee. I ordered a GT1 AWD which comes out to $46,350 with that fee tacked on, but with the invoice price being $42,633 and depreciation being a big issue with KIA's I would like to get as close to the invoice price as possible. The downside is I have little leverage as it's custom ordered as mentioned before (supposed to be Snow White Pearl/Red interior).

Any tips on how I should negotiate this besides bringing up the invoice price and the fact that there are dealers selling the car at that price/below MSRP?

 

[iclicku]

What fee are you talking about? I dont know of any fee associated with custom predating a stinger. I've heard of people putting down a refundable deposit...but not some fee. Otherwise you could always walk away from the deal if you don't like the numbers.

 

[Gilgamesh]

What fee are you talking about? I dont know of any fee associated with custom predating a stinger. I've heard of people putting down a refundable deposit...but not some fee. Otherwise you could always walk away from the deal if you don't like the numbers.

It's not a fee associated with custom ordering a vehicle it's a dealership transportation fee that is tacked onto the MSRP. It's a fee that nearly every car manufacturer tacks on when you're building a car online to get an estimated price; it's factored in online since most dealers charge a destination fee.

The plan is to walk away if the price isn't right, but I'm looking for suggestions on how to get the best price. I feel like there are probably better options than just going in with, "This is what the invoice price is and there are other dealers selling for this price. What kind of deal are you able to make for me?"

 

[mldavis2]

If you go to the Kia web site and the Build page, the MSRP includes the $900 transport fee. Many dealers also must add an "advertising fee" which varies greatly. It is a fee used to pay for media advertising in your area. It is legitimate and adds on to the MSRP. But the MSRP includes the transportation fee so they shouldn't ding you for that. Usually (and in my case) we agreed on a net out-the-door price before they would order the car, including the trade-in amount if any.

 

[stingerick]

My suggestion is to determine your maximum buy price; not including rebates, lease or loan offers, or trade-ins. For reference, do a quick www.cars.com query to see the price range your specific car is selling at in your general area. Or, if your are a Costco Member, log onto their Auto Buy Program to get a local dealer quote. They are required to give you a printout of their pre-negotiated price. (I was able to secure $600 under MSRP) If you feel like you can do better... Take that information to any other dealer of your choice and see if they are willing to match, or beat it. And most of this can be done online via Email, if you're up to it. To be honest, I believe from reading the current postings, KIA USA is determining at the ports what assortment each dealer will receive per shipment. In effect, Your "custom order" is merely a holding spot until your specific car comes in and then you will be notified. Although not available on the official KIA configurator, I have already seen a few GT1's with Snow White Pearl and the Red Interior Package on the lots(here in California). Keep track of the inventory in your area so you can go directly to that dealer to negotiate a purchase, or let your deposit holder know that you want to talk price now that that "custom" car has shown up elsewhere, and you know they're not the only act in town. Hope I didn't really confuse the bejeezus out of you. Be patient, persistent and best of luck.

 

[Gilgamesh]

My suggestion is to determine your maximum buy price; not including rebates, lease or loan offers, or trade-ins. For reference, do a quick www.cars.com query to see the price range your specific car is selling at in your general area. Or, if your are a Costco Member, log onto their Auto Buy Program to get a local dealer quote. They are required to give you a printout of their pre-negotiated price. (I was able to secure $600 under MSRP) If you feel like you can do better... Take that information to any other dealer of your choice and see if they are willing to match, or beat it. And most of this can be done online via Email, if you're up to it. To be honest, I believe from reading the current postings, KIA USA is determining at the ports what assortment each dealer will receive per shipment. In effect, Your "custom order" is merely a holding spot until your specific car comes in and then you will be notified. Although not available on the official KIA configurator, I have already seen a few GT1's with Snow White Pearl and the Red Interior Package on the lots(here in California). Keep track of the inventory in your area so you can go directly to that dealer to negotiate a purchase, or let your deposit holder know that you want to talk price now that that "custom" car has shown up elsewhere, and you know they're not the only act in town. Hope I didn't really confuse the bejeezus out of you. Be patient, persistent and best of luck.

Well my custom order is supposed to be at the dealership sometime next week (I've had the VIN for about a month now). I had no idea the US was starting to get other Pearl whites with red interior as last I had heard they weren't going to be available to the US (partially why I thought I would have little leverage with my custom order) so that's definitely good to know! Now that I know my car isn't going to be 1/1 they can't hold that over me when negotiating a price. Sounds like my best bet will be getting quotes from other dealerships that to get me as close to invoice price as possible (my goal is invoice plus the $950 which excludes the lease cash).

 

[stingur]

Sounds like my best bet will be getting quotes from other dealerships that to get me as close to invoice price as possible (my goal is invoice plus the $950 which excludes the lease cash).

Yes. Start this process early. Use the kia inventory website to put in zip codes in and around your state with distance set to max to find dealers with inventory and more accurate description of car features (ex red interior): kia.com/us/en/dealers/inventory/stinger/2018/77840?trim=GT1

-- you can also use websites like cars.com to find dealer inventory w/ broader search area, but beware of bait and switch (cars.com price will be significantly lower than the price on the dealer's own website). Use the KIA dealer's website to identify a where they'll be at and see if you can find dealers around the area for lower spec'd items.

I got my GT1 black w/ red interior and the Drivewise package for <$43K before taxes - below invoice, pretty much. Had to drive about 400 miles to get it, but it was a helluva' deal, given GT1 w/ red + tech is so rare and dealers are generally charging a premium.

On my way to the dealer, I drove by a Kia dealer who said they could do a GT2 white w/ black interior for $47k OTD, but it would take a week for them to get it and I was driving up to finalize/buy one that day. I did, however, use this as additional leverage to bring down the price a bit at the dealer I was driving to.

Because of the allocation system enforced by KIA (sell one, get one from Kia) this dealer was willing to take a small hit so they could get their next Kia, as it's a numbers game at the end of the day. Remember, the brand perception of "Kia" in the eyes of most consumers is quite low (unfortunately)... paying nearly $50K for a KIA is unheard of, so these cars will often sit on the lot. Use it to your advantage, and don't be afraid to say use that 'card' in your negotiations w/ dealers, to make them come to your target-price.

 

[Gilgamesh]

Was that $43k before sales tax taking advantage of the lease cash?! Right now I believe I have to dealer worked down to $44k for a GT1 AWD, but that's before the lease cash is applied.

 

[stingur]

Was that $43k before sales tax taking advantage of the lease cash?! Right now I believe I have to dealer worked down to $44k for a GT1 AWD, but that's before the lease cash is applied.

No, I went the finance route, not lease. There was a $750 off w/ one of the rates and that helped me get the price down a bit and is factored into the price above. GT1 AWD for $44K seems solid, imo, as the AWD package is about a $2K upgrade (assuming it also has the Tech package...if it doesn't you really should get the Tech)