Get a better price and spendless time on the lot.
Steps
- Know what you want. Dealing with fleet sales will not only save you money, but it'll also save you time. Unlike the retail salesperson, a fleet seller isn't going to spend hours trying to persuade you to buy a particular car as you mull over your decision. They're trained to sell cars cheap and fast.[1] Know what model, options and colors you want before you contact a fleet sales department, and you'll get the most out of your transaction.Save upto 55% on insurance from 20 insurers. Get Free Quote
- Know what prices are available. Knowing the dealer's invoice price (what they paid for the car) and MSRP are important, but the key is to know the dealership's volume discount. Virtually all dealerships and fleet companies work on volume discounts. For example, a dealer might pay $20,000 for the car, but they might get a $3000/car rebate at the end of the year, completely negating their invoice price. Knowing the dealer's invoice price is only a very small part of the equation. Most dealer's would be happy to sell you a car "at cost" or below, knowing the real profit is in the volume bonus. Most dealerships will not hesitate in giving you this information, if you ask. Many online tools will also reveal this information. Most dealerships get anywhere between $200,000 and several million dollars in volume bonuses; hence, their 'invoice price' is not usually a true representation of their costs. But knowing the vehicle's MSRP is always a good place to start.
- Try the car you want. Go to any dealership and ask to test drive the car you're interested in. Don't even mention fleet sales yet. This is still the research phase. Make sure you fit in it. Make sure it handles comfortably. Take friends and get their opinion on how the back seat feels. Remember, you are about to spend a lot of money and a lot of time in this car.
- Write your specification. Decide what model, color, trim, and options you want on your car. This is your specification. Decide what parts of your specification are optional or negotiable. If you would prefer slate blue but will consider cobalt or want but don't require a sun roof, write that down, but don't disclose it right away. You can negotiate on these optional points later, if it makes sense to do so.
- Prepare financing for your car. If you will be purchasing your car on a loan, visit your credit union or bank and learn what rates are available. Get your own financing lined up. You can make this part of your negotiation later, but pin down the price and vehicle you want first.
- Shop around. When you know exactly what you want, you can save a lot of time calling around to different dealers in your area to find out what they have available and whether their fleet department deals with the public. It can be a little tricky, however, because retail salesman will want to divert your shopping to their own department, sometimes even pretending to be fleet salesmen.[2]
- Before saying anything, ask the operator or receptionist for the name of the fleet manager. If you are asked why you wish to know the fleet manager's name, say that you're doing research for your company's upcoming car purchase. Be as insistent as you need to be. Once you get the name, ask to speak to the manager and tell him/her that you are interested in buying a car soon. Give a specific time frame (e.g. three days, by the end of this week) to show that you're serious (and mean it!).[3] If the manager asks which business you're affiliated with, give the name of the company you work for.[4] Don't feel the need to lie, however, and say the car is for business use when it's not. Fleet managers are allowed to sell to private buyers, and if you handle the process professionally (rather than like the average undecided consumer) then the manager should have no problem doing business with you.
- Specify what you're looking for. Phone, fax, or email your specification to the fleet departments or managers at several dealers with a request for bids. Again, be sure it gets to the fleet department by using specific names and direct phone numbers or e-mail addresses. Note on the request for bids that you would like their best price and that you are asking other dealers. It should help to shorten the process. If you are willing to wait for the car you want to be ordered or transferred from another dealer, state that. If they have what you're looking for, make an appointment. If all you get is an invitation to come to the dealership without any kind of bid attached, ignore it; they probably don't have what you want and are hoping to convince you to get something else.[5] If they send you a bid that doesn't match exactly with your specifications, circle any discrepancies so you can ask about them later.[6]
- Contact as many dealerships as you can until you find one that has exactly what you're looking for. Your area, as far as car dealerships are concerned, should be pretty big. If you can save $500 or $1000 or more by going to another dealership, or get something much closer to what you want, it can be well worth a one-time drive to a dealer a few towns away. Wait for the various dealerships to respond with a quotation and compare the offers. Read carefully.
- Call during regular weekday business hours. Fleet managers and salesmen deal with businesses, which usually operate on that schedule.
- Negotiate. Contact the dealerships with the most attractive bids. If they left off or added a particular item, ask why, and ask them to requote the vehicle based on your specifications within 24 hours. In all of your phone calls, e-mails, and faxes (except to the dealership with the best offer), tell them what your lowest bid was and from what dealership (be honest!) and ask "Can you beat this?" Sometimes a dealership that's more "out of the way" will bump their selling price a few hundred dollars to move a stale car off their lot. After doing this, take your two lowest offers, and call the dealership with the higher one. Make a firm offer to buy the car at a price that's slightly lower (maybe $200) than the lowest bid; if they say yes, ask them to fax you that bid immediately and make an appointment to fill out the paperwork and buy the car. If they say no, call the dealer with the lowest bid and make an appointment to fill out the paperwork and buy the car (don't negotiate).[7]
- Models that are in high demand or that are sold firmly at MSRP (Saturn, Scion) will not fetch lower selling prices through this kind of negotiation.[8]
- If you're not seeing bids that you like, consider expanding your dealership radius, or shopping for a different car.
- Starting this process a week before the end of the month will get you better bids because that's when most dealerships are eager to move inventory.[9]
- Go to the dealership. Ask for the fleet manager by name. Be courteous and brief--that's how the fleet manager or salesman will usually be. Ask to see the car you're considering. Inspect it carefully and test drive it. (Even if you've test driven that exact model already, sometimes individual cars have manufacturing variations, and it's worth taking a quick spin to make sure everything's in good shape). Don't expect the salesman to be sputtering information or gushing with advice. You can ask to see the vehicle's actual factory invoice if you want, but the price is usually not negotiable, especially if you've gone through the bidding process as outlined earlier. The salesman won't negotiate for the same reason he won't pressure you--there's not a lot of wiggle room, and he's not trained to squeeze profits; he's trained to sell in bulk.[10] A simple "Is this the best price you can offer?" will open the door to any negotiation that might be possible; you don't need to haggle here. Make a decision to buy, or thank the salesman for his time and leave.
- papers ready for you.
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