[Cillacede]

All,
In my car buying experience, I’ve always believed it’s the kiss Of death to spend more time at the dealership than is necessary when car shopping. The more time you spend with the S.A.,the lower your negotiation ability becomes. A phone call or email with a decisive offer = less time S.A. spends with you and increases the chance for them to make a quick and easy deal. I negotiated my spouses’s brand new 718 GTS 12% off MSRP by calling and making an offer immediately, instead of going to the dealership. However, now that I’m in the market, there are a few pre-owned vehicles on the lot of our local dealer I want to look at. I’m concerned this reduces my negotiating “power” by going there for a test drive and spending time there. Also, there’s one S.A. I don’t like there and I don’t want to work with him. I got a better deal negotiating my spouse’s car on my own, at a different dealership than dealing with him many months ago. Thoughts? We only have one Porsche dealership in our area.

 

[EuroKip]

Repeated visits to a dealer in my mind doesn’t constitute desperation. On the contrary should translate to an educated buyer. Remind yourself of the golden rule - Man with the money makes the rules. You have the power to align yourself with dealer staff you feel the most comfortable with. All the dealer can associate with your repeated visits is that your actively in the market and you favor a Porsche. I recommend educating your self with negotiation skills that can be found on YouTube and various publications. I recently negotiated a new car purchase for a family member. I started my introduction by stating that I love the car buying process and that what ever happened today it would turn out with a win in my favor . I went on to clarify that if I didn’t get my deal , the time was well spent knowing that it wasn’t the right deal for me today and on his end it was wasted time spent in a no sale. As my nephew drove off the lot with his new car , the sales manager said to me that he couldn’t remember a time when someone had so much control in the process and got such a skinny deal. I had gained his respect in the process and he welcomed me back .

 

[Cillacede]

Thanks for the response EuroKip. I might use your line word for word. When I negotiated for my husband's car last summer, I watched numerous Youtube videos on how to negotiate and read up a quite a bit. I should say that I feel one additional factor that stands against me is that I am a woman, and SA's tend to discount my negotiating skills immediately. Being matter-of-fact and frank when you are woman can sometimes come across as "bitchiness" and some people do not respond well to that. I am more than happy to walk away if I don't get the deal that I am looking for, so perhaps that all that needs to be said!

 

[EuroKip]

To further the discussion, I recommend the teachings I learned from Chris Voss “ never split the difference ‘’.
There are many YouTube videos. The twist on this negotiation process is getting your counterpart to say ‘’ No ‘’
it’s quite remarkable. As an example : You might say, ‘’ Would it be ridiculous for me to expect to get the best price you have ever offered a woman ? ‘’ It really takes them off guard in a world where everyone is looking for (and defending against ) a yes. You can practice this in daily life and relationships as well.

Would it be crazy for me to expect to hear back from you after you discover this ?

 

[Cillacede]

As a trained clinical psychologist, I love this approach. I will try it!

 

[Third]

All,
In my car buying experience, I’ve always believed it’s the kiss Of death to spend more time at the dealership than is necessary when car shopping. The more time you spend with the S.A.,the lower your negotiation ability becomes. A phone call or email with a decisive offer = less time S.A. spends with you and increases the chance for them to make a quick and easy deal. I negotiated my spouses’s brand new 718 GTS 12% off MSRP by calling and making an offer immediately, instead of going to the dealership. However, now that I’m in the market, there are a few pre-owned vehicles on the lot of our local dealer I want to look at. I’m concerned this reduces my negotiating “power” by going there for a test drive and spending time there. Also, there’s one S.A. I don’t like there and I don’t want to work with him. I got a better deal negotiating my spouse’s car on my own, at a different dealership than dealing with him many months ago. Thoughts? We only have one Porsche dealership in our area.

There's enough written about negotiation to make for a lifetime of reading. That said, what I have found to be the most important aspect of a successful negotiation is the need to learn what's important to your counterpart before you start. Not knowing, or incorrectly guessing what it is they hope to get out of the deal may be the single biggest impediment to the best deal possible (for both of you!) When it comes to buying a car, thinking that price is the most important element to both sides (or even to either side for that matter) can be a big mistake.

Most every deal is unique, so it pays to know exactly what what variables are in play. Again using car buying as an example, on the last day of the month it may not matter to you whether you drive a car away that day or the next. But as we all know, the difference can be huge to a dealer who's one sale from meeting a manufacturer's incentive for the month.

As it was once explained to me by a business school professor who teaches negotiation strategy, your objective is not to get a bigger slice of the pie than your counterpart, but to ensure the pie that you split is as large as possible for both of you. The only way for the latter to happen is for both sides to understand as best as possible what the other wants to get out of the deal. (By the way, you've already written enough for me to know that price isn't everything, and in fact it may not be the most important thing, when it comes to this transaction for you. The dealer has more in it than money as well!)

 

[gatorfast]

I would suggest just going to the dealership to see/test drive the car to determine if you really want it. Then leave and say you have to think about it and if you do in fact want it i would conduct all negotiations via email/text/phone. No point in sitting there for hours.

You could also try asking “would it be crazy if you paid me to take this vehicle off your hands?”

 

[GregW]

As a (now retired) negotiator I like the approach of John Cadogan. It's all about buying cars and is available on the UTube. Note: he is an Australian and his videos are sometimes rude, crude, and full of Aussie humour. NSFW😁