• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

TrueCar anyone?

Share this page

Gliderman8

Gliderman8

Great Pumpkin
Gold
Country flag
Online
We are looking to replace my wife's car; has anyone utilized TrueCar to obtain the best price?
Just wondering what your experience is if you used them. Can you negotiate the same or better on your own?
Before I go shopping, I want know the best price I can shoot for,
 
Thanks Tom. I can't help but wonder if they are all marketing outlets for the dealers?
Will check out Consumer Reports.
 
Looks like you have to subscribe to CR to get a price :grumpy:
 
Thanks for that info Steve. That's good reliable info to have.
 
Have used Costco out here. They link you up with a nearby dealer and you get the invoice plus some small amount. Interestingly, they still will deal... and I've actually played one Costco dealer against the other and received well below invoice (as dealer incentives were going on). It's ESSENTIAL to find out what the dealer paid for the car first. I thought you could get close to that from Edmunds.com.
 
Following on Mark's comment - One thing to watch out for regarding the "dealer invoice". That's not usually what the dealer actually paid for the car. It's created by the dealer to give the potential buyer a talking point. Dealers often buy wholesale in a "block" price, so there's no real "specific car invoice" - other than what the dealer makes up.

Something I learned from Consumer Reports online, which for $19/year is definitely worth it.
 
Elliot, you know we just got a car.
I tried Costco for one but the Costco deal depends on the model.
We bought our 09 Honda coupe with it and it was a great deal.
I priced a Honda van here with them and it was 1K under list which I thought was crazy.
The van I did buy I checked the Trucar quote on it and I ended up paying less (the advertised price).
I guess what I am saying is. (Can you end a sentence with "is"?) It depends on Vehicle and model
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm Sure the dealer invoice listed price is not real, but it's a starting point.
 
... adding... the deal you'll get will be directly related to the popularity and availability of the car. Some makes/models are very difficult arrange deals, while others easy. I've also noticed substantial variations in regional prices (like gas) - which several websites will provide.

I hate buying new cars. :cool:
 
Mark I have to agree with you; I also hate buying a new car. I've already been to about five showrooms and haven't met one person who actually knew what they were selling and who was professional.
The best line I got was a salesman that told me the car had a 6-speed CVT transmission. I scratched my head and said "really?"
 
Elliot - in my 60+ years of buying a car, the only technique that ever worked for me was to do my own research, decide what model and options I wanted, and set my top price.

Then start talking with the salesmen. They *hate* that kind of prep.

And keep asking "so, is your offer the *total bottom line price*? (and get it in writing before being introduced to the friendly local business manager, whose job it is to sell you more stuff after you've agreed on the final price.)

Onward through the fog.

cartoon0714.png
 
Ah, yes, the old "manager approval" talk. I often walk out at about that time.
The very best part of the experience, if there is one, is knowing you'll just walk away when you want to.

IMHO, the best thing that has happened with new-car buying (in recent years) is the ability to research the true car price AND then to negotiate over email! Talk about your arm's-length negotiations; I did this with my wife's Prius... and that was sort of fun (or at least satisfying). Had two dealers competing and finally one went as low as possible, then threw in oil changes for 25K miles. The price was really good (and that was back when one could still get a federal tax break for a hybrid).
 
I don't buy new cars, so not much help with the original question, I did try to work with truecar I think or something like it, but there were no participating dealers in my area. I will say that the dealers in my area were not inclined to deal or dicker at all on either new or used cars, if I tried to knock more than about $500 off they acted offended and all but booted me down the road.
 
I've never had the money to purchase a new car, but I did just buy a used one for my kids. Went to the dealer looking at a Ford Escape. They were asking $5500. I asked what they could do. Right on cue he walks off, comes back later and says $4500. I tell him I have $4000 burning a hole in my pocket. He thought about it for a second. I then said I ONLY have $4000. The TOTAL price must be $4000 or no deal. "No problem" Also washed it, replaced the windshield and filled it up.
 
Not a new car but when we bought the Saab, I was just looking at it. Saw it online at a local Lexus dealer and it was on the way to the Audi dealer where I wanted to see an A4 they had. Bottom line is, I had no intention of buying the Saab before seeing the Audi. So I was fully prepared to just walk away. That really makes the whole experience a lot nicer. It also ended up making a better deal for me.
 
I agree with what many others have said, if you want to get a deal you have to make it a rational decision and stick to your guns, I made my best offer on a couple cars and when they didn't get near it I walked away. When I got the car I wanted a actually gave my offer, didn't hear back for awhile, I wanted to call them again, but I waited, eventually got it for what I asked. Also bought the car site unseen, but it was low miles from a new Acura dealer, and worked out great.
 
Back
Top