Go to a Toyota forum and find out what prices people are paying for the car around your area. That's the only way you're going to find out what you should expect. Truecar.com can give you an idea, but you can often get better deals than what's on Truecar.com. The only time I step foot into a dealership is for a test drive. Outside of that, I deal via email. I bought my current car in Houston after dealing via email. I never met the car or salesperson until I went to sign the paperwork. My next purchase will go pretty much the same way. And everybody knows the new Honda Accord is better than that Toyota Camry... :grin:
I think you can buy it for a lot less. Pretend you have cash in hand and, like smoove said, don't tell them you have that money down. Don't forget to ask for the "drive out" price. You're doing well, man. Good enough research and tips from these peeps that know a lot will help. Good luck!
I ended up going with the Chevrolet Equinox. I test drove a friends and the back seat room is very spacious for passengers. The vehicle has received some excellent reviews, especially in the safety area which was one of my biggest concerns and for an SUV it gets comparable gas mileage to the Camry. I negotiated (via email) for one and got a fully loaded 2012 for $23900. Very happy with the purchase. I'd like to thank everybody for the responses in this thread, lots of good information.
Congrats man.. thanks for this thread.. I've learned valuable info for when i plan to buy (used). Any regrets? mistakes? How was negotiation via email? did you guys send tons of replies?
Sorry, I've been meaning to post a reply to you. Well, the on big regret you have if they accept your offer right away is you're left wondering "Could I have gone lower?". I sent in an offer via email and I had not heard back the next day so I called the dealership and they said they were reviewing the offer and would get back to me. After they got back to me they let me know the offer was accepted. Now I am going to go to the dealership and test drive and if I do not like anything I can still just walk away.
Thanks man. let me ask you this, the deal that they accepted via email, was walk-out price? That includes tax, fees, and interest??
Taurus better than Camry? I'm sure you'll think otherwise after 3 years when your car's value is cut in half and you are having engine problems.
Sorry I didn't answer you before: Yes, a couple to maybe 3 or 4 thousand OFF. It would also help if your credit is good so they're not losing on the financing.
So... also looking to buy a new car. Trying the AAA Auto Purchase Program. Also emailing a few dealerships within a 30/40 mile raidus for quotes. Anyone ever use the AAA program? I assume it's going to be similar to Costco. The vehicles I'm looking at are compact hatchbacks. The Mazda 3 and Ford Focus are the two choices now.
So, I went through the Costco Program to shop for a Ford Focus. Not as pain free as they advertise. Costco forwarded me a contact at a dealership roughly 30 miles from my location. I went to the dealership and got the "Costco Price" quoted after presenting the Costco card. However, there is a catch: "Dealer Installed Options" totaling $1,000. These are "advanced alarms" "window tint" and "data dots." Told the dealer that I don't want any of these options. He tried to sell me on them. Got up to leave. He asked me to wait, went to some other guy, then agreed to waive the $1,000. We left and said we'd be in touch.
It did not include tax but that is OK because I had that set aside already. There were no additional fees on top of that (documentation fee, preparation fees, etc.) that they usually tag on. My financing was done through my credit union so it did not include interest.
