Shady_panda
This is a hard call, let me put it in perspective I picked my 2010 3.8 with 42K on the speedo, added the "full wrap" for $1,100 (and no the full wrap is not a sandwich) that extended the warranty out to 10 years or 100K bumper to bumper my out the door price was $18.3K.
Now this said one of the reasons that I think I got the deal that I did was this car was a lease trade in that sat on the lot for close to 5 months! I had been looking for some time and this car kept showing up but I never paid attention because it was over 300 miles from home. Month after month the price kept going down and down, and that sparked my interest, what was wrong with the car? The only two reasons that a dealer can not sell a car is its over priced, or there is something wrong with it.
So I call the dealer speak to some sales person, and say that I'm interested in the 2010 3.8 that they have on the lot. I let the sale persona know what my deal needs to be at and what I'm willing to buy the car for (be fair when giving your price) then I ask what is wrong with the car, as I've been searching for about 7 months and I have seen this car on his lot for close to 5 months, he says to me that they do not know why they can not sell it, and as a matter a fact they are about to wholesale the car the following week if its not sold by the weekend. Now it was a Monday when I called and the month was ending that same weekend, so now I knew that I was negotiating from a strong point! In my experience you never "negotiate" in the dealer, the sale teams are trained to see when someone is willing to negotiate for hours on end the sales team call this a "fish" and it shows weakness and interest in the car because you are willing to "negotiate" and they will use this to the dealers advantage. What I have done is never negotiate in person, this is done over the phone after to have personally seen and driven the car. You call the dealer back and ask to speak to the used car sales manager, you give them your best and fair price and tell them that your offer is good for 48 hours. What will happen is now you are negotiating for a "strong point" the dealer now has to meet your offer and work your deal or find another person who is willing to buy the car in the sort time that is left in the month. The dealer knows that if they wholesale the car they will lose even more money and time something that dealers are not to keen of.
So the sales person call me back the same day and give me their deal, its not what I wanted so I thank him for his time and I hang up. He calls me back the next day to tell me how good the car is the and that there is some interested in it also, so I tell him that is great and if they can sell it then that is great and I'll just keep looking. Now its Wednesday and the sales person call me again asking me if I can go that same day, I remind him that I'm 4+ hours away and I'm not going unless I know that I have the deal that I need, he go on to say that I I can't make it today then will wholesale the car that's when I know I'm negotiating from the Strong point so I tell him why wholesale the car and loss more money meet my deal and we are all happy. He tells me that he can not, so I politely thank him again and tell him that I will keep on looking. Thursday comes around the sales person calls me again first thing in the morning and says this and I quote "how soon can I come up to see the car and take it for a drive" I reply If you have my deal then I can leave working early on Friday drive up that night and be at the dealer first thing in the AM. The sales personal goes on to tell me that they can do "my" deal I ask him to email me the paper work so I can go over it and if everything is in order I'll be on my way.
All the paper work was in order, I call him back and let him know that I'll see him first thing in the AM Saturday 1 day before the end of the 5 months that it was on the lot. I drive up inspected the car for about a good hour, took it out on the road for the longest road test that I have ever been on a good hour and a half, back roads, surface roads and even on the highway. By the time I get back to the dealer it was about a hour before they where closing so all the paper work was laid out on a deal for me to sign and with in that hour I had my keys in hand and walking out the door with "my" deal and my new to me 2010 3.8 Genesis.
Shady_panda the moral here is wait for your car it will show up, and be smart and negotiate your deal from your strong point not the dealers!
