Romulus

I'm helping my aging parents shop for a new car and need invoice info. Truecar seems to have gone down the toilet in the last year or two. Not only does it not tell you what price dealers will sell for (it just tells you which dealers have the car in stock and says to contact them for price), the "invoice" price it gives is thousands off from what I've found on other sites like edmunds.

What website is a good reference these days? They're looking at base model camry's and prius v's.

the kid C6

I saw your question earlier today, and I see that no one else responded.
Frankly, dealers don't want you to have that kind of information. The dealer invoice doesn't reflect any incentives from the manufacturer. You've got the sticker price, the invoice price, the dealer price, plus add ons, less financing ...
That's why you can't find accurate information on the 'net. It all depends on the particular franchise and how you intend to pay for the car, your credit rating, how many cars you've purchased on credit in the past. It's not as simple as people think.
In the interest of disclosure, I work for a dealership.
My advice, stop looking at new cars, and find a good used car. There are lots and lots of lease returns that are in excellent condition, from people who think they "need" a new car every couple of years.

Btw, good article I found with Google -- http://www.clarkhoward.com/eye-openi...-invoice-price

Romulus

Thanks for the reply.

They prefer to buy new as they always keep their cars until 200k or they become unreliable (They are not car people and buy the base model.. as long as it runs, they're happy). Their current camry is 9 years old and nearing 200k. You probably know more than I do, but my impression is that the overall cost of used cars has risen greatly in the last decade and for a few thousand bucks you can buy a brand new car over the cost of a used one with ~25k miles.

I realize dealer's true cost is very protected and invoice isn't their real cost, but it's at least something to walk in the door with other than MSRP.

What research would you suggest for buying a new car?

the kid C6

And as soon as you drive the new car off the lot, it depreciates and becomes a used car.

If it were me, I'd work from the other end and have your financial ducks in a row. How much down payment, FICO score, or simply pay cash, etc. Walk in with your numbers prepared, so they know you're serious. It's a business and cars are merely a commodity.

I remember a customer who wanted to buy a Challenger, but his FICO score was in single digits. I think he was a little surprised that they wouldn't sell to him.

Look at the vehicle options, figure out what you want vs what you need, right down to the color. If your local dealer doesn't have it, they can trade for it with another dealership.

Shop the last couple of days in the month, on the chance that the dealer hasn't met his sales goal. Don't be afraid to walk out.

Wanted to add, I keep my cars a long time, too, so I understand.

Romulus

They're cash buyers so will wire/write a check for the full amount, so things are squared away on their end.

Regarding price of the car, how would you approach the negotiation?

the kid C6

I am not a good negotiator (I don't work in sales), so I hope someone else will contribute! It's like negotiating anything ... you start low, they start high, and hopefully you meet somewhere in the middle and everyone is happy.

I came back to remind you that the 2017s will be rolling in soon, so you can probably get an excellent deal on a 2016 if you can wait a few months.

MVR 155

Use Edmunds for invoice price and then use this link (also from Edmunds) to know what the dealer holdback is by brand.
http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/dealer-holdback/

This will give you a solid place to start...... Keep in mind that there can be dealer cash or volume incentives on top of invoice/holdback. A dealer that moves a crazy amount of volume is likely to get additional incentives from the manufacturer and they can/will often pass that on to the consumer. For example, the dealer I bought my new Yukon Denali from last fall is the 2nd biggest volume dealer in the country. They had the best price hands down by $2-3K over any other dealer I contacted. Use the tools available and shop around for the best deal.

Gary '09 C6

also use the AAA pricing service to supplement the above data...

Romulus

Sweet, thanks guys.

the kid C6

FYI, the 2017s are here now (I guess foreign cars ship early?). Use that information when you negotiate.

aligator

My advice is to get 6 or 8 Sinday newspaper ads(i know you go online) check for specials model for model. Go to the dealer with a pad. When they give you a price, write on your pad " what am I paying for"? Check each item $ for$. When you go into the Finance Office be on alert like if you were walking in the worst neighborhood of a big city. Don't buy anything in the finance office. That is the back end of the deal. One of the latest pitch is clear plastic they put at doors edge and back of door hsndles. They may even throw in a couple thousand dollars and say they are buying down your intrest rate. Just my thoughs. Typing on my phone please excuse fat fingers.

jw38

Nice 3 year old thread resurrection.