An extremely effective technique is to negotiate with car dealerships by email. It allows you to control the situation by having car dealers compete against each other, instead of competing with you. Negotiating by email can be done from the comfort of your computer, tablet or smartphone. This keeps you from driving from dealer to dealer spending hours haggling over price.
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Need to buy a car, but don’t have time to do the research? Use my fast and simple new car buying cheat sheet to guarantee you pay the best price.
Popular New Car Pages
The general idea behind automobile new car price quote sites is for you to submit a request for a quote, pick the lowest one, and go to the referred dealer and buy your new car.
95% of the time when you receive a discounted price quote from an online company such as Ryde Shopper, Motor Trend, and Cars Direct it’s a pretty good deal. You’re happy with the price quoted, and go to the dealership to test drive and buy the car. However, you’re not looking for a fair price this time…You’re looking to buy your next car for an AWESOME PRICE!
RydeShopper has one of the largest new car dealership networks in the world. Select the make and model you’re interested in and they will instantly search clearance pricing within your local area. Don’t forget to select as many dealers as possible to increase your chances for the greatest discounts and savings.
Edmunds is one of the oldest and best new car research and review sites on the internet. Their huge dealer network allows you to shop, research and compare millions of new cars so you can find the exact vehicle you're looking for.
MotorTrend is one of the best kept secrets on the Internet. Best known for their automobile magazine, MotorTrend has a vast dealer network across the nation. Their referral service is 100% free and there’s no obligation to purchase. Just pick the vehicle you’re interested in, select local dealers, and receive discount pricing.
CarsDirect has been in online vehicle research business since 1998 and has all the right tools to help you find your next car, truck or SUV. They offer a no-hassle experience from configuring a car to making the final purchase. You’ll find your next car quickly and easily.
Analyze deeper - Insider car buying tips
The following email technique works, I’ve personally seen this and many variations of the following come through my dealership’s internet department. The dealer is backed into a corner and the only way out is by discounting the car’s price even more or bowing out altogether. Feel free to copy and paste the following letters for your own personal use, make sure you change the names of course.
Although you put “contact preference – email” when submitting your quote requests, some dealers may still call you, don’t worry; they’re just trying to get you to come to their dealership first. If you’re not comfortable talking to salespeople on the phone, answer the car and tell them, “you would prefer to correspond through email only.” Politely ask them to respect your wishes and send you an email. The last thing they want to do is lose you as a sale because of a phone call.
At this point, you’ve already received your new car price quotes from at least seven different dealerships. If you haven’t done so, use Ryde Shopper and Motor Trend and get them now. Weed through the quotes, placing duplicates or bad quotes to the side. Once you have them narrowed down, we can get started.
You may or may not get a call and/or an email from a dealer. If you’re not comfortable speaking with them on the phone, politely tell them, “you prefer to do business by email and will not do business with them unless they respect your wishes.” Most of the time the dealer will contact you by email, there may be a short letter that accompanies the quote that looks something like this:
Example Email from dealership internet manager.
Mr./Mrs. Car Buyer,
You’ve made an excellent choice of vehicle, we can’t keep these cars in stock. I understand you’re an educated shopper by using this online service, you must see that $XXXXX.XX is an outstanding price and I’m sure you want to take advantage of it immediately.
I would like to discuss with you some of our great financing programs and extended warranty options available for this vehicle also.
When would you like to come in, finish up the paperwork and take delivery of your new car?
Thank you,
Internet Manager
Sales@abxmotorcars.com
No matter what the quote was, you’re going for a better deal. You should always respond to this call or email the exact same way as below. (cut and paste if you’d like):
Car dealership email template #1
[Insert Internet Manager’s Name]
Although I thank you for your quote on the [enter year, make, model] and I’d really like to buy the car from you. Your quote of [$XX,XXX.XX] takes you out of the race.
I’m sure your Customer Satisfaction Index Survey is important to you and I’m prepared to give a 100% score to whomever I buy my next new vehicle from.
I would also like to mention that I’ll be servicing my vehicle at the same facility that I purchase from.
If you’d like to submit another quote today, I’d consider it.
Yours Truly,
Mr./Mrs. Car Buyer
[Your e-mail address]
Send the above email to every dealer that sent you a competitive quote. If you don’t receive an initial contact letter from a dealer, be proactive, find the email contact on the quote and send the above letter to them. Believe me, they want your business and you’re setting yourself up for another round of price quotes with even deeper discounts than before.
You will continue doing this until all the dealers stop responding. Once they stop, you’ll know you’ve received their rock bottom price.
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Take the guesswork out of trading your car.
[OPTIONAL] After you’ve received your lowest price quote and the dealers and the dealers have stopped responding. You can “go-for-broke” with the below letter at an attempt for one last discount.
Car dealership email bonus template
[Insert Internet Manager’s Name]
I’ve narrowed my car buying decision down to just you and one other dealer. Although your prices are very close, I’m prepared to buy the car from you if you will throw in [window tint], in writing, at no cost to me.
Yours Truly,
Mr./Mrs. Car Buyer
[Your e-mail address]
Personally, I’d only ask for something inexpensive like, window tint, pinstripe, floor mats, locking lug nuts, cargo mat, etc. You may or may not get it, but if you don’t ask, you won’t receive. These items are fairly cheap for a car dealership and they’re commonly used to push a car buyer over that’s sitting on the fence.
You’ll either get another quote from the dealer or you won’t. If you don’t get another quote, you’ll know the dealer gave you their best price in the previous email. Again, a dealer WANTS to sell you a car.
Last car dealer that responds with the lowest bid wins!
Give yourself a huge pat on the back, you just negotiated an OUTSTANDING price. However, now is not the time to let your guard down. There’s still many ways a car dealer can take advantage of you in other areas of the car buying process.
As the old saying goes, “knowledge is power.” This certainly applies to knowing how much your vehicle is worth to a dealer.
Find your vehicle’s trade-in value here.
Negotiate deals - Insider tips for car buying
