Thinking of Buying a Yaris, Help Please!!!

[R2D2]

Here's a few of the principles I follow when purchasing a car.

1. Do your homework and know as closely as possible what you want before you get to the dealership, right down to the color. Supplement this with what you see on the lot and what you learn during your test drive. I have "built" vehicles on manufacturer websites, printed them off and taken them to the dealer with me. Make it known to the salesperson exactly what you want and be firm. They can and will get you exactly what you want if you know what that is and make it known. They can dealer trade for it, they do it all the time.

2. Be patient. Car dealers love impulsive people who buy the same day they test drive without shopping around. The ball is in your court and you have nothing to gain by being in a hurry.

3. After you have decided exactly what model/equip/color you want get prices from at least 2-3 dealers and start a bidding war. Municipalities and companies buy this way all the time and you should too. Besides, they're bidding on the exact same car with the same equipment. Chances are one of them will want to sell a car more than the others and they will be willing to go lower on price than the others. Don't tell them the other dealer's prices, just tell them another dealer is offering a lower price and give them a chance to beat it. It can take quite a few phone calls back and forth as this process plays out, but in a recent purchase it worked out to saving me about 500 dollars an hour, which is a lot more than I make at work. In my experience the bids keep getting lower and lower until one or two cry uncle. It's amazing how much lower than msrp you will be when this happens. Reward the low bidder with your business.

4. Negotiate based on actual price of the car, including all fees, taxes, etc. Make sure they understand this. I always tell a salesperson this up front so it's easier to comparison shop. I always make it known that if the price is 1 cent higher when I arrive to close the deal that I'm going to walk. So far I've not had to do this.

DON'T base your negotiations on x dollars per month.

4. Refuse to talk about your trade until you have already agreed on the price of the car. This way they can't play smoke and mirrors and manipulate what you're actually getting for your trade by working it into the price of the car. Research book value on your trade and decide what your willing to take for it before you start negotiating.

It's not necessary to be rude while doing this you just have to be firm. It's not a process I enjoy, but it is a necessary one. After all, it's the dealer's job to get your money and your job to keep it and a happy arrangement can be reached.

Good luck,

R2