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Emailing dealers to get best price

29K views 99 replies 45 participants last post by  bloomz 
#1 ·
So I think I want to buy a new Outback soon. I could wait for the 2016s too. My current car (05 LL Bean Outback) has 2 blown wheel bearings, and needs new tires.

Anyways, I read its best to email dealers for their best prices. How exactly do you work emails? I do have a trade-in. (2005 Outback LLBean). I live in Burlington VT but I'd be willing to drive to another state (but probably prefer to keep it in New England). I have family in Boston so that would be my ideal target, or maybe Manchester NH).

Should I test drive at my local dealership? I really just want to find out the best price and then decide if I should bite the bullet for a good deal or wait for 2016? I dont really want to haggle on the phone. I do have a $500 voucher from Subaru off the purchase of a new car as well, but it expires on 4/30/15. Hoping to find a Carbide Grey/Black interior 2.5 Limited with eyesight.

So what should I say in my emails? Should I state that I am looking for 2% below invoice? Or give them a price? I'm not a very assertive person and I'm having trouble deciding the best way to go about this. Thanks!

I'm finding with TrueCar, they send you a price, but then email you and call you. How to you get them to drop their price over email? If I'm going to be buying a car from a place that is a 4 hour drive away I only want to visit them the day I pick up the car!

Thanks for any advice!
 
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#2 ·
I contacted every dealer in my state via the contact us email box on their website. When they emailed back to respond, I sent them this:
Hi [salesperson],

I've been able to take several test drives and got to look at several trim and option combinations, and we've finally settled exactly what we want.

I plan on placing an order this weekend, and I'm contacting several dealers this afternoon to see who can give me the best price on the car. After reading 125 pages of posts on subaruoutback.org, I know that several dealers offer pricing a several percentage points below invoice.

Can you please send me your best offer for the following configuration (expected invoice/MSRP prices in parentheses):
2015 Outback 2.5i Limted PZEV
Twilight Blue/Slate black leather (28,417 / 30,295)
Eyesight/Moonroof/Keyless/Navi (2,493 / 2990)
Auto dimming exterior mirrors (171 / 264)
Rear bumper cover (61/ 95)
Total invoice price including $850 destination: 31,992

Please email me the out-the-door price, including any dealer/doc fees, tax/title/license/reg fees, etc It would be informative if you could break those out as line items as well, but I will be comparing the OTD price. I will be paying cash and I have no trade-in. I was told that there is typically an 8-12 week lead time, which is fine. Please let me know if that's not accurate.

If you need any more information from me to give a quote, please email me. I'll make sure to respond promptly.

Best regards,
[me]
It worked great. Essentially every dealer responded with a no-nonsense quote within 24 hours. I wrote back to my closest dealer and a couple others with low offers to see if they would beat the best price I got, and they declined, so I placed my order with the place with the best price.

Not sure how the loyalty coupon works--I think you have to take delivery (not place an order) by the expiration date, so that might complicate things.
 
#16 ·
Hi [salesperson],

I've been able to take several test drives and got to look at several trim and option combinations, and we've finally settled exactly what we want.

I plan on placing an order this weekend, and I'm contacting several dealers this afternoon to see who can give me the best price on the car. After reading 125 pages of posts on subaruoutback.org, I know that several dealers offer pricing a several percentage points below invoice.

Can you please send me your best offer for the following configuration (expected invoice/MSRP prices in parentheses):
2015 Outback 2.5i Limted PZEV
Twilight Blue/Slate black leather (28,417 / 30,295)
Eyesight/Moonroof/Keyless/Navi (2,493 / 2990)
Auto dimming exterior mirrors (171 / 264)
Rear bumper cover (61/ 95)
Total invoice price including $850 destination: 31,992

Please email me the out-the-door price, including any dealer/doc fees, tax/title/license/reg fees, etc It would be informative if you could break those out as line items as well, but I will be comparing the OTD price. I will be paying cash and I have no trade-in. I was told that there is typically an 8-12 week lead time, which is fine. Please let me know if that's not accurate.

If you need any more information from me to give a quote, please email me. I'll make sure to respond promptly.

Best regards,
[me]
I like this approach a lot; in fact, it's the one I used successfully to purchase my 2015 Legacy. As posted previously, I recommend that you exclude governmental tax, title, and registration for comparison purposes. Here are a few other suggestions, in no particular order:


  • Be professional. Do your research ahead of time and know exactly what you want. Don't waste the dealers' time; make it easy for them to respond. Besides, the more specific you are, the fewer opportunities for the dealers to manipulate the negotiations.
  • Know the MSRP and Dealer Invoice price for the exact vehicle configuration you want. Both are artificial numbers, but they still provide useful fixed benchmarks for price comparison purposes.
  • If you plan to finance your purchase, pre-qualify ahead of time with your bank or credit union. Don't waste everybody's time negotiating to buy a car you can't afford.
  • Negotiate the vehicle price based solely on a cash sale with no trade-in. Financing, leasing, and/or trade-in can always be introduced later and negotiated separately ... but only after the vehicle price is agreed upon.
  • Make it clear that you intend to make your decision and purchase a vehicle within a stated time frame (within a week, within a month, etc.).
  • Be discreet, but be honest. You don't have to tell them everything you know, but don't lie to the dealer if you expect anything approaching honesty from them in return. Always remember that dealers do price negotiations for a living, every day, while the typical car buyer only does it once every several years. If you think you can "outsmart" them, you will lose.
  • Always be prepared to break off negotiations if you detect dishonesty or incompetence. There are plenty of other reputable dealers to choose from.
  • Price isn't everything; focus on bottom-line value instead. Consider how much buying from a more convenient, more reputable, better established, or simply friendlier dealership may be worth to you.
  • I don't even consider line item prices when comparing price quotes. Again, focus on the bottom line; simplify as much as possible. A price of $24,500 for the vehicle plus a $500 "document fee" is just the same in my book as a flat price of $25,000 with no document fee.
  • I give extra points to dealers who are up-front about "document fees" and the like, as opposed to those dealers who don't reveal them until you ask, and even then may be evasive about the subject.
  • If you're buying under the Subaru VIP program, follow the rules. That includes not contacting the dealer until after you have a VIP certificate in hand.
 
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#3 ·
I would do your research on what you want and what you want on it. look up online a few places to see invoice price on your finial decision. Always check more than one site!!! Do the same for your trade in, what I did for my trade in was get 3 prices from 3 different sources than add them together and divide by 3.I wanted to be fair to the dealers also on my numbers. Then email as many as you can with what you think is a fair offer and see what they return to you. Then if you get a deal you like bring it to your local Subaru dealers (NOT EMAIL) since they will take you as a serious buyer sitting in front of them. Tell them you are here right now to buy a car once you leave it is on to buy the car from someone else.Good luck I am willing to bet if you call Subaru they will extend your coupon rather than lose a sale.
 
#4 ·
Strongly disagree with nyoutback15. Under no circumstances would I go in person to any dealership! Especially so if you are not an assertive person, as you describe yourself. My 2015 OB is the 4th car I have ever bought, over the past 25 years, and I have never once gone down to the dealership until it was time to pay. Before the internet I used the phone and simply placed a deposit with a credit card. With the internet it is way way easier than using the phone. Remember, their goal is to get you to waste time at the dealership, so that you make a deal with them on their terms. Don't do it! Do everything with email. Agree on a price for the new car first and then you can deal with the trade-in issue, or simply sell the old car on your own. But do not go to the dealership in person and DO NOT let them talk you into any maintenance packages or other such nonsense. You are looking for the "out the door" price, including taxes and ALL fees. Make sure you compare out the door prices from dealership to dealership, not just the sales price for the vehicle.
 
#12 ·
Do everything with email. Agree on a price for the new car first and then you can deal with the trade-in issue, or simply sell the old car on your own. But do not go to the dealership in person and DO NOT let them talk you into any maintenance packages or other such nonsense.
This is worth repeating. There's another reason to use e-mail exclusively: E-mail provides a detailed, written, and legally enforceable record of the negotiations. You (and the dealer) don't want any surprises. Don't delete any of these e-mails until you take delivery of the car, all the paperwork is complete, including registration, and the tags are on the car.

You are looking for the "out the door" price, including taxes and ALL fees.
I disagree somewhat. Tax, title, and registration are all government-imposed costs, beyond the control of the dealer and thus not subject to negotiation. What I recommend is that you focus on the price of the vehicle, delivered, including all options, accessories, and ALL "document fees" or "dealer fees." Whenever you see "document fee," "dealer fee," or "dealer surcharge," think "additional dealer profit."
 
#5 ·
As an aside, I think it is very nice of nyoutback15, that he or she "wanted to be fair to the dealers," but I can promise you that when the dealers have meetings with their sales personnel they do not say, "Hey, let's get out there and be fair to our customers."

As you might surmise, I have a rather dim view of sales personnel. But let's be real. Their job is to get you to part with as much money as they can. One way or another.....
 
#6 ·
khallock, THANK YOU for penning this post!!! Apart from my current vehicle, I'm in pretty much the exact scenario as you. REALLY wanting a '15, not sure if I should wait for the '16, etc....

Here's what I've done.... I went to the Subaru website and found dealers in my area and close by (250 miles or so). I've created a spreadsheet that has links, model info, package info, accessories, etc. My current list has 167 cars on it. Of those 167, 70 have sold (been removed from their respective dealer websites) since Wednesday 3/18. I'm hoping that I'm attaching the picture correctly for you to see what I've done. It's probably going to be small, but it should give you an idea. Where the VIN is red, that car is gone.

When I have submitted inquiries by the "Get your E-Price Now!" button, I generally get a quote that is 5-6% below MSRP. That's no haggling.

I really like emannths email and will most likely steal it going forward.

I also agree with dsbinder about NOT setting foot in the dealership, nor showing any mercy. I was once that way. "Hey, a fair deal is a fair deal." until I read the Edmunds series "Confessions of a New Car Salesman".

Good luck, and please keep us updated on your progress.
 

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#7 ·
I have USAA, so I used their website to start all of my emails. I would recommend you test drive the different models, figure out what accessories you must have, and some that you would like to have.

We tried to make a deal with our local dealer, but they wanted to play games instead of matching USAA's price so we left and I started dealing with different places via email. That was the best decision we could've made. Let the dealers know what you're looking for and that your currently working with another dealer, but they don't have the right color or some of the options. I think I had stay emails going back and forth with 4 different dealers a couple of them said they would beat any offer we had. 1 of the 2 couldn't get the carbide grey so we went wroth the other... they included all of the accessories I wanted and it still came out cheaper than our local dealer.

as far as the trade in, I just told them we hadn't decided if we were going to trade or sell it ourselves until we were in the price range we wanted to be. I was also able to get my trade in value from USAA. I told the dealer what I needed for my trade in before view email before I ever made the drive to see them so that I wouldn't be wasting my time.

this was my 2nd easiest car purchase so far.
 
#14 ·
A google voice phone # as well :) (which you then forward to your real #).

I found that ~1/2 the dealerships would play ball.. ie. honor your request for contact by email, etc... the other half would call and do everything they could to get you in the door without committing to anything in writing

Oh, and always ask for "out the door" pricing.
 
#9 ·
I had planned to email a bunch of dealers and make an offer. Here's what I had prepared:

I’M READY TO BUY

February 27, 2015

Within the next 2 weeks I will be purchasing a new 2015 Outback Limited 2.5 with Eyesight—optionpackage code #23 with no dealer-installed upgrades nor extended warranty, painttreatment, etc. Preferredcolors are Venetian Red or Lapis Blue Pearl.

Much thought has gone into the selection of this model. My research is done.

The price I am willing to pay is $30,000 including destination fee. On top of that I will pay a reasonable doc fee, any sales tax and plates. There shouldn’t be any other unexpectedcosts. I don’t have a trade and I don’tneed financing, so this will be a cash-and-drive deal. I am willing to travel from out of state forthis.

As you can see, I have emailed a fair number of Subarudealerships today about this. I am not a person who likes to negotiate norhaggle on price nor enter into long discussions so this just has to be rightfrom the start. There should be noreason to re-state any of what is clearly outlined above.

I expect that there will be several offers in my inbox inthe next day or so, but I will only communicate with the three dealershipsthat email me this exact deal. Ofthese I will choose the one that makes this transaction the most painless. Pleaseget back to me with your proposal.

Regards,

Here is my list of email addresses. Hope it helps!


List of emails—Subaru dealers

gmiller@grandsubaru.com

abel_correa@proctorcars.com

sgrey@grooveauto.com

cjacobsen@grooveauto.com

bethgrady@burlingtoncars.com

shannon.wagoner@randallnoe.com

representativereplies@andersonsubaru.com

randallnoesubaru@meetauto.com

andrenieto@subarugeorgetown.com

jamisonmabry@subarugeorgetown.com

bradharper_rogerbeasley@gs.reyrey.com

yourplanet@aol.com

dbrewster@planetsubaru.dealercrm.com

customercare@brandontomessubaru.com

kayla.lowery@randallnoe.com

bnealis@grandsubaru.motosnap.com

events@berteramotors.com

ashley@billmcbride.net

mcbridesubaruandchevrolet@meetauto.com

rdrouin@grandsubaru.com

kbatchelor@parkwayofwilmington.com

nealr@chryslerjeepsubaruofnorthbroward.motosnap.co m

brattleborobdc@bdctrack.com

internetsales@berteramotors.com

karenburval@brunswickautomart.com

klindemuth@gmail.com

ddandrea@grandsubaru.com

abensley@goldsteinauto.com

jamesharper1@mcdanielssubaruofcolumbiasoa.dealer.c om

rfrederick@hadwinwhitebuickgmcsubaru.motosnap.com

performanceclientcare@gmail.com

stevebaumgart@hadwin-white.com

cjacobsen@grooveauto.com

joanieschindler@proctorcars.com

West.Dupuis@contact.hendrickauto.com

Rebekah.Martin@contact.hendrickauto.com

jgrisso@quantrellauto.com

Kay.Palmer@contact.hendrickauto.com

Karen.Dudash@contact.hendrickauto.com

Maggie.McGee@contact.hendrickauto.com

mraugh@quantrellauto.com

davidellison@jimkerassubarusoa.dealer.com

sales@paulmoak.com

paulmoak@paulmoak.com

dbenson@subarubr.motosnap.com

dbarbera@subarubr.motosnap.com

ghios@mastrosubaru.dealerspace.com

subaruoforangepark@eleadtrack.net

mykolassakevicius@riversidesubarusoa.dealer.com

Sromee@hudiburgsubaru.motosnap.com

sking@bobmooreslredmond.motosnap.com

anowlin@hudiburgsubaru.motosnap.com

andersonsubaru@meetauto.com

loufuszsubaru@eleadtrack.net

mykolassakevicius@riversidesubarusoa.dealer.com

Sromee@hudiburgsubaru.motosnap.com

sking@bobmooreslredmond.motosnap.com

anowlin@hudiburgsubaru.motosnap.com

droman@thesportautogroup.com

npelaez_South_Orlando_Auto_Center@webcrmmail.adpcr m.net

assistance@plattnerocala.dsmessage.com

ksanborn@dealer-care.com

ppetrosky.plattners@r3.onbdc.com

internetsales_Subaru_of_Daytona@webcrmmail.adpcrm. net

leads@thesportautogroup.com

sali_South_Orlando_Auto_Center@webcrmmail.adpcrm.n et

sstinson@bobmooreslredmond.motosnap.com

dmcmahon_Subaru_of_Daytona@webcrmmail.adpcrm.net

wecare@plattnerocala.dsmessage.com

loufuszsubaru@eleadtrack.net

darbogast@fusz.com

bcanell@dealer-contact.com

shart@graysonauto.motosnap.com

nbailey@vicbaileyauto.com

jmeredith@vicbaileyauto.com


summers@bobrohrmansubarusoa.dealer.com

sales@premiersubaru.com

jpeterson@graysonsales.com

anson@stohlmanauto.motosnap.com

rjones@stohlmanauto.motosnap.com

R.scheitlin@rohrman.com

benningtonbdc@bdctrack.com

rthomas@moorechss.dealerspace.com

jdent@stohlmanauto.motosnap.com

jamisonmabry@subarugeorgetown.com

LindaVerbeten@SteveMoyerSubaru.cmdlr.com

patcorbett@minookasubarusoa.dealer.com
 
#10 ·
Wow, great advice everyone!

I am still so torn on going ahead with a 2015 or waiting for 2016. My 05 Outback is having little issues (probably wheel bearings again), needs new tires, etc...My husband can fix the wheel bearings himself so I guess we will go ahead and do that just so they dont take it off in the trade in value. I wouldnt want to drive it 4+ hours down to Boston if I do end up having to trade it in down there. It would be nice to have the new car in the summer since we have some trips coming up. I'm wondering that if I wait for the 2016 that I wont get the car until August or September.

The real reason I would wait for 2016 is because I am hoping they have a blue with black leather. But I do like the Carbide Grey with black.

I will make myself a new email address. Do you still give them your full name in the emails or on the email account?
 
#11 ·
If you are going to a dealer who wasn't your lowest internet price to get them to match it you wouldn't?? What would you do just go to lowest price one that could be 3 hours away with out trying????? I don't understand your thinking on that but hey if it worked 4 times for you in 25 years go for it. In case you haven't noticed these cars are not on the lot and have a 6 to 12 week wait. Also if your trade is something your bargaining with do you think they are going to give you top dollar without seeing it.. I drove 16 miles and to see if I could get what a 2.5 hour one way trip would get me. I got 3660.00 off sticker and a excellent trade in and had to order the car 6 weeks.You have to weigh all your options. QUOTE=dsbinder;2679945]Strongly disagree with nyoutback15. Under no circumstances would I go in person to any dealership! Especially so if you are not an assertive person, as you describe yourself. My 2015 OB is the 4th car I have ever bought, over the past 25 years, and I have never once gone down to the dealership until it was time to pay. Before the internet I used the phone and simply placed a deposit with a credit card. With the internet it is way way easier than using the phone. Remember, their goal is to get you to waste time at the dealership, so that you make a deal with them on their terms. Don't do it! Do everything with email. Agree on a price for the new car first and then you can deal with the trade-in issue, or simply sell the old car on your own. But do not go to the dealership in person and DO NOT let them talk you into any maintenance packages or other such nonsense. You are looking for the "out the door" price, including taxes and ALL fees. Make sure you compare out the door prices from dealership to dealership, not just the sales price for the vehicle.
I also agree with the second email since they never lose it and you will get junk emails for years to come.
 
#13 ·
Not saying this to be argumentative, but ...

That's $1,449 BELOW invoice on a new Outback, and $820 below what the Subaru VIP program gives us - and that's on a car with NO accessories. I completely understand about saving money when you're purchasing a car.

But also look at it for a second from the other side. I have the hottest selling SUV on the market, such that (for us, anyway) 9 out of the 11 I have coming in between now and the end of May (FDF 23) are sold before they get here. Which means I have basically no allocation or units to show anyone else - or simply to have to sell on my lot.

And every other dealer within 200 miles of me is in the same shape. Why would I lose on front end gross, you've already told me you're not going to finance with me so I have a chance to make something back, and this completely wipes out any holdback or gas allowances that I have? In other words - I'm going to LOSE about $800 net selling you this car. And you live far enough away that I'll never see you for service.

How exactly does that make financial sense for me?

Note also that I've read the 'Confessions of a Car Salesman'. I'm not disagreeing that at the time it was originally written that stores like that existed. I'm not disagreeing that there are stores like that now. But they're no longer in the majority. Because of the internet and the ability of people to find pricing and inventory, we have to change, and a lot of dealerships HAVE changed. Are there crooked car dealerships out there still? Sure - we have one in this town, and everyone knows who they are (as in, if you work for them, you're black balled from ever working at any OTHER car dealership in town.) But for basically everyone else - we're just looking to make a reasonable profit on a car that's limited in supply.

(In other words, as the discussion I had with my sales manager LAST July went - sure, these are just Outbacks, price them to sell. Then when I sold ALL of our allocation for two months in a row - before we even had any inventory - we had to adjust what we were doing and actually try to make a profit, because of supply and demand.)
 
#21 ·
Ok, how do I test drive one before all of this if everyone says "stay away from the dealerships?" I havent actually test driven the car yet. I just love the look and I love my current Outback, so assuming a new one will suit me just fine. Should I just walk into my local dealer unannounced and ask to drive one?
 
#25 ·
I borrowed one from a neighbor. I wanted a 3.6R and there aren't any to test drive.

"Stay away from the dealer" doesn't mean you can't show up at your local dealership and ask for a test drive of a 2.5 Limited. Just tell them you're test-driving several brands of car before making your choice. That will keep you away from the hard sell.

I looked at your email list. I think you're nuts. You really propose to spray emails around the country? A 2.5L Limited is a very common car. You should have no problem finding several either on dealer lots or with a port date in the next few weeks. You're really proposing to go from Burlington Vermont to Chicago or Florida to pick up a car? How is that going to save you money?

When I was chasing unicorns trying to locate a 3.6R with basically your same location criteria, I winter at Killington and summer in southern Massachusetts. I ran through a list of a dozen dealerships on their web sites. Kinney/Rutland, The Car Store (Norwich VT), Brattleboro, Concord NH, Manchester NH, Nashua NH, Somerset MA, Bourne MA, Rayham MA, Braintree MA, Norwood MA, Hanover MA. They all have the same a similar canned web interface. They all have a similar "Contact us" where you can paste what you're looking for. The lying bastards in Manchester got me in the door and bait & switched me trying to get me to order a 3.6R because they had none to sell. Everybody else gave me the straight story. The phone rang off the hook for a week but I located a car at a price I was willing to pay.

Since you're not doing a trade, you should be able to do everything remotely. Just be absolutely clear that you're demanding an "out the door" price quote and you'll walk away from the deal if you show up and they try to tack on fees at the last second. Vermont doesn't have transit tags. It's technically illegal to put your old plates on the car and drive it to Vermont Motor Vehicles to pay the sales tax, title fee, and registration transfer fee but when I asked the Rutland office in-person, they said everybody does it and not to worry about it. Just don't speed and get pulled over. I called my insurance company from the dealership to get it insured before I drove off.

Your goal is to get at least two dealerships who have cars you would be willing to buy. You can then play them off each other. Edmunds is saying the True Market Value for the car in New England is a bit over invoice. They're using registration data. VIP pricing would be great but I think you'd be doing well to get the car for a few hundred below invoice given how well it's selling. $30,000 on a $31,760 invoice price on a Ltd + Package 23 is quite aggressive. If you're willing to order one and wait 2 or 3 months, they'll be much more flexible about pricing.
 
#24 ·
Bought my 2015 in Jenkintown PA last month, via the internet. Didn't get anywhere near the killer deals you read about here, BUT I was very happy with the straightforward email response, 6% discount, trade-in, and overall process when I went to the dealership to have them view the trade-in.

6% is decent considering they had zero OBs on the lot, and most of the incoming units were already bought.

There were other dealers, via the internet, who offered no discount, or a stock reply asking you to call them, etc. I received on response that had a better price, for a unit they had on the lot. The dealership was farther away, the unit on the lot didn't have the exact options I wanted, and there was no telling what they would value my trade-in until I made the trip to their showroom.

With scarcity of OBs, I was content to take a smaller discount and a smooth process all around.
 
#95 ·
Curious, I am local to you and in the market for an OB. I am assuming you went to Glazmann? I have test driven as I am coming from 20 years of Honda ownership. I have also, never negotiated a price - bought them outright, not this time. May I ask, when you purchased via internet did you ask for a quote via email or did you send email asking for say a specific price point or what their OTD price was? With Covid a lot of the lots do not have ample inventory but ranging from 30-70 on lots. Any advice is greatly appreciated.:)
 
#27 ·
I am the one with the 86 emails. I planned to buy in the US and export it home to Canada. Then the Canadian dollar tanked so that became unprofitable. So instead I dropped that idea and I approached my local Ottawa dealer and offered him $37,168 Canadian ($29,500 US) plus tax out the door. That was too low for him until he thought about it and called me before I got home. We agreed on a price of $37,435 Canadian (29,700 US) plus tax. He said that I got a smokin deal for this 2015 Limited OB with eyesight. I'm ok with that. Do you doubt that he made money? Not me!
I say stick with a $30k price and tell your salesman that you don't want anything added to your car that doesn't come from the factory. Limited with Eyesight is totally loaded anyway. One poster on this thread is a dealer. He spouts that this is way below cost. DON'T BELIEVE HIM!
 
#28 ·
I emailed between three local dealers to get a good quote. Then you have to go in with the price in mind that you want and the price you want for your trade and stick to it. No matter how many times the salesman goes to talk to the manager, no matter how much whining about how they always charge for the coating because it's already applied, no matter how much they seem to be doing you a favor by coming down on their asking price...STICK TO YOUR PRICE. They'll eventually come around.
 
#30 ·
The Internet is your friend. Email all the dealers within what you consider to be a reasonable drive. I had a deal with a local Subaru dealer. It was an OK deal and lower than the other two local dealers. Thanks to the wait involved in getting the car, I emailed a few dealerships within two hours of my home. The prices were significantly lower. I took the $1,500 lower price I received 40 miles away to the dealer I had been working with. He basically took another $300 off and tried to convince me that I couldn't buy the car at the price I was showing him. I went the next morning to the dealer 40 miles away, bought the car at the lower price and then got my deposit back from the first dealer. The original salesman says to me: "You just made somebody else happy." Because the Outback was such a hot seller, he didn't care about losing my sale because he had it sold to somebody else.

I asked my new salesman if I would have received the same aggressive pricing if I had walked in off the street first. His reply: "No." We know that if we don't give you a great price in that email, we are never going to see you."
 
#31 ·
khallock - if I were you, I'd keep the 05 LLBeaner and have it fixed...my 2 cents...
I have a 2015 Outback now (as a loaner) while my 05 LLBeaner is being fixed (V-belt and plugs replacements). I am overall truly disappointed with the 15 Outback (interior, fit-and finish,power train, handling, seats, annoying turn signal clicking, Bridgestone OEM tires, etc, etc.)....I would think twice before parting with my 05 LLBeaner!
 
#57 ·
I traded in my '05 3.0 VDC for a 3.6 '15. So far the only thing I miss about my '05 is the massive sunroof and the dedicated button for the windshield wiper defroster. Everything else the '15 is leaps and bounds better.

Though which saying should I apply to myself...one mans junk is another.....or opinions are like... :)

I guess I also liked that it was paid off. Dealer financed me through tdautofinance. They seem extremely shady. I should have gone with my credit union at a higher rate.
 
#32 ·
I "built" the car on the Subaru website, filled in my contact info and got a "Excellent" price (per TrueCar) from my closest dealer. Went down to test drive and they did not have the car. I found the car at another dealer, showed them the offer and they matched it.

No haggling. Very easy. Great price.
 
#33 ·
That's cool and all - but many of the people on this site are getting prices way lower than the lowest price listed on truecar.

When I bought my car, I went in with the knowledge gained from this site and hit the sales guys right between the eyes with knowledge.

The price I got was off the charts via truecar.
 
#36 ·
Well I think I am going to bite the bullet this week and start sending emails. I'm going to emails dealers in VT, a few in NH and some in MA, maybe some across the lake in NY as well...we'll see.

I did test drive at my local dealer. Should I also email the sales person I worked with there for the test drive? He hasn't given me any sort of quote yet. My husband thinks I should try there first since I bought my current car off of them.

For other dealers, should I email only managers? What if I already filled out a TrueCar inquiry and got emails back from sales people there? Should I email those salespeople since they have contacted me about the TrueCar inquiry? Or should I go straight to managers?
 
#37 ·
@khallock My husband and I bought his Outback in 2012 and used a third party website to send our car request to several dealerships. Most dealerships now have Internet Sales Departments for exactly this. They're used to it. We got the best price in NH from Singer Subaru in Plaistow, NH. Our local Concord, NH dealership is the highest and I've heard others complain about their lack of flexibility on price. 3 years later (this January) we were looking to purchase an Outback for me. We did the same thing by sending out a multiple email request to several NH dealers. Again, Concord was the highest bid and again Singer gave us the best deal. They were aware that it was repeat business and appreciated that and possibly gave me a better price to insure that we repeated. Manchester, NH dealership was second best price and was willing to beat by "x" amount although when I told them the amount, they mentioned having to get approval. They were aggressive through email. I imagine they are even more so in person. I also didn't want to out the dealer that was giving me that best price and decided to repeat my business at Singer since we had a good experience the first time. This was for a vehicle I knew I would have to order. They estimated 8-10 weeks and I picked up my car in just over 9. Thought I'd give you my NH experience. Good luck!

P.S. Dealer is nearly an hour away from Concord and I did everything via email/phone until actual pick up. I did briefly test drive one here in Concord beforehand to confirm my decision to order.
 
#38 ·
@khallock I just ordered mine today after going through the same process that you are about to undertake. It was both exciting and scary and frustrating at the same time. I emailed 24 dealers. At the deadline, I had received quotes from 15 dealers and 7 of those quotes were at or below invoice. My best offer was 4.77% below invoice and I gave each of my three local dealers an opportunity to match or beat the price since it was over 2 hours of driving away from me. One told me that they (the competitive dealer) needed to have their heads examined for selling below invoice, one told me to essentially suck balls, he wasn't going anywhere near invoice, and the third played ball.

Here's what I'd offer in the way of advice:
-Definitely send to the Internet Managers. Some will deal directly with you, while some will simply act as a concierge and have a sales person get back to you.
-Be as specific as you can in your email. Specify the model, options, and accessories you want. Include the color preferences for outside and inside. The less ambiguity you give in the email, the more the only option they have is to give you the correct info the first time.
-Ask for specifics on dealer fees, taxes (if applicable), and tags/title. A smoking purchase price might not be so good after a $750 "doc fee".
-Create a method to compare apples to apples. I'm a data kind of guy. I geek out with spreadsheets and analytics. I created an Excel spreadsheet with the dealership, miles to the dealership, website, contact name and email address, MSRP, Invoice, offer price etc. Then I ranked each one so I could quickly and easily see the best offers. If you want to see it, PM me your email address and I'll send you a copy.
-Really understand the numbers. Know the invoice/msrp of each option/accessory/package. Again, Excel is your friend, and I have a model for that if you want it. I stated in my email what the invoice cost was, and that per the forums on this website, many dealers have been quoting below invoice. I blatantly ripped off @emannths email, but then modified it to meet my own style and voice.

Best of luck!!!

Here are the nuts and bolts of my deal:
2.5i Limited
Carbide Gray w/ Black leather interior
Moonroof/Keyless/Navi/Eyesight (Package 23)
Popular Package #5
Rear Cargo Net
MSRP: $34,578
Invoice: $31,928
PurPrice: $30,403
% off MSRP: 12.07%
% off Invoice: 4.68%
 
#39 ·
@bbgirl66 - I will definitely make sure to email Singer Subaru then. Thanks for that tip!
@ifontaine - I PMed you about your excel sheet. Would like to see it!

So this is what I would like to get

2.5i Limited
Carbide Gray w/ Black leather interior
Moonroof/Keyless/Navi/Eyesight (Package 23)
Rear Bumper Cover

I would like to send emails today, but what should I do about my local dealer? Since I already test drove there should I email the guy I test drove the car with? Or do I go straight to their internet sales person? I would feel a little bad to leave that guy out of the loop.

Should I even get a quote from my local dealer or save them for the end and see if they will match my lowest quote?

Thanks!
 
#40 ·
@bbgirl66 - I will definitely make sure to email Singer Subaru then. Thanks for that tip!

@ifontaine - I PMed you about your excel sheet. Would like to see it!

So this is what I would like to get

2.5i Limited
Carbide Gray w/ Black leather interior
Moonroof/Keyless/Navi/Eyesight (Package 23)
Rear Bumper Cover

I would like to send emails today, but what should I do about my local dealer? Since I already test drove there should I email the guy I test drove the car with? Or do I go straight to their internet sales person? I would feel a little bad to leave that guy out of the loop.

Should I even get a quote from my local dealer or save them for the end and see if they will match my lowest quote?

Thanks!
I'll send it over in a little bit.

For the local one, send it to the Internet guy/gal and explain to them what you are doing, but that you came in on xxday and xxxx showed you the vehicle. Because you knew you were going to go this (the email) route, you didn't want to spend a lot of his time when he could be working with other customers.

At that point, it's the dealer's decision on how they want to handle it and you've been transparent with them on your intent.
 
#42 ·
Singer is a smaller dealer so I didn't want you to overlook them.

Also, your sales guy may still get the sale. When we picked up hubby's 3 yrs ago, the internet guy did the delivery process with us. This time he was out and we were handed to a sales guy. I expressed my concern that the other guy wouldn't get credit for the sale. I was told by the finance guy that he can't anyhow. He gets sales credit from Subaru but not from dealer (or vice versa)...that gets assigned to sales guy regardless. Not sure if that translates to all dealers but good chance that it does.

I PM'd you some info as well.
 
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