Hi everyone,

This is just a general question. I'm currently helping a friend purchase a new car. I have been quoted a price by a dealership for +$500 over invoice. When we came in to sign the paperworks, the dealer showed me a piece of paper stating this is their invoice. The price on the sheet is about $500 more than the listed price on both Edmunds and MSNauto. Is this another one of the dealership tricks???

Thanks.

 

I would be interested in this as well

 

I'd take those listings in and ask the dealership why there is a price difference. Ask them to match it or no deal

 

im not in the car selling business, but the invoice shouldn't shift more than a few dollars. $500 is a huge discrepancy and i would be cautious before purchasing a car from them.

 

I have been in the business, and this is what I can tell you.

The invoice can change throughout the course of the production cycle (meaning, different cars of the same model year with same options can have different invoice prices, depending on production date, if the price was changed mid-year). Internet sites (edmunds, truecar, amex, carsdirect, etc.) do not typically reflect this.

The invoice can vary if the manufacturer tacks on a regional advertisement fee. Internet sites SOMETIMES reflect this, but not always. This is partially why they ask for a zip code (but it is more so they can turn you into a lead for a local dealership).

If you doubt the invoice on an Infiniti, ask a sales manager to pull it up on the internet system (nnanet)


@OP: where exactly is the price inflated? Every price (base + options) or something tacked on at the end?

 

In my experiance, Infiniti invoices were just about dead on. Toyota, well, "imaginative" IMHO. I just kept in mind *my* target price and compared dealer offers against it and each other. I wouldn't be shy about showing your numbers to the dealer and asking. Could be an option, maybe dealer cash etc. ??

 

Definitely print out what you found on Edmunds or the internet and take it in with you. there could be different options, destination charge (junk but hey, it's there!) or a bank fee or something along those lines that they add in to the price.

Just get a detailed listing printed out and hold it up to your detailed listing that you brought with you and go through the numbers one by one. It's not a race and if the dealer is not patient, ask for a quiet desk that you can sit at and tell him/her to chill while you figure out what the difference is.

If they are good, they'll help you do it. If not, then make them wait. Remember, they want to sell you a car. You just want to make sure you understand what is going on 100%. Just tell them that you don't want to drive the thing for 3-7 years and every day wonder "did I get swindled when I bought this or did I know what was printed on the bat when they hit me over the head with it?"

Tell the dealer that you want to refer people back to them but you need to be comfortable with all of the numbers to be able to do this. If they argue that logic then they really don't know what they are doing.

Good luck and let us know what the differences are.

Jay