[agraves73]

First of all I want to thank you all for the great info., pics, and guidance i have gotten from reading from the forums! Do not own a ridge yet but I am looking to trade in my 02' Ford Sporttrac within the next 10 months or so.

Just a quick question:

My local dealer in VA has a RTL listed for $32,040.00 ,with the 17" wheels and XM radio being the only options ( i would love to add on a roof rack and bed extender to the deal). I know the honda site with the same options prices MSRP out to about $33,000.00. Since the explorer was the first car i really have experience haggling with a dealer about i'm wondering the best way to start figuring out where and how to get the best deal on a ridge. End of the month sounds like a promising time. I know some of you have haggled with dealers online pricing them out that way. Anyway, any suggestions on how to start the hunt? Not really looking forward to going into dealers and trying to avoid getting stuck there for hours dealin with a sales rep.
Thanks for any help, and great site, hope to officially be a "member" in a few months!

Aaron

 

[go4bal]

Aaron,

I used the purchase program at Sam's Club. They give you info. to local dealers. I got a price back from a dealer for a standard RTL for $27,883. I am planning to wait until the end of the month to see if I can lower that any more and then buy on Oct. 29 or 31. I know that they are a number of other pricing serves on the internet as well including www.edmunds.com.

David

 

[ingo_b]

Having just purchased my RL last week, here are a few points I learned/used during that experience:

1. Practice your poker face. If you even smell interested, they will pounce.

2. Know ahead of time what your price expectations are, and NEVER deviate. They will try the whole "it's only $70. Are you willing to risk losing your truck over $70?" They tried that garbage on me, and that pissed me off, so I turned it on them, "Well, are you?"

3. Don't be afraid to walk. I went in knowing exactly how long I wanted to be in there (1 hour), and even told them when I got there. ("I have to leave in an hour, so hopefully, we can get this done before then"). I allowed them to "check with the manager" twice before walking. My pet peeve is wasting time. I walked three times til they met my offer without any concessions on my part.

4. When negotiating, they will try to squeeze every penny out of you. When it gets hot, I found this line very effective: "If you can't meet my price, that's totally fine. I know what it's like to run a business, so if this is not feasible, no harm done. I don't want to waste anyone's time on impossible goals."

5. Another line I used when they try and pressure you into "buy now" - "I'm in the very fortunate position of having a truck that still works, so I'm not in a big hurry to jump at the first thing I see".

6. They may try to include something you don't want, and charge you for it. In my case, they had to "buy the truck from another dealer (which) comes with wheel locks. Unfortunately, since it's not from our lot, we cannot remove them." The locks were an additional $100. I told them flat out, no, and kept on responding as such til they got the point.

7. Remember that you have the money, therefore, you have the power in this relationship. Don't let them make you think otherwise.

8. One thing I learned in countless biz classes: never let them see you sweat. Lean back. Use short short, calm, collected answers - this carries a lot of power. Appropriately used silence is really effective, too. Prime example is during the test drive. They'll ask how you like the car, to which I respond in a non-chalant manner, "eh...it's ok", even though I was really thinking that this was the coolest thing since the microwave. The more you freely talk, the more ammo you give them.

I'm sure there's other stuff, and if so, I'll tack it on later. Good luck to you.

 

[Gretchen]

Wow! Great advice! When dh went in to buy his RL, he KNEW he wanted the blue one (the ONLY one anywhere near us). When they asked him what color he wanted, he just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want them to think that he had his heart set on that one.

 

[flymuck]

Wow! Great advice! When dh went in to buy his RL, he KNEW he wanted the blue one (the ONLY one anywhere near us). When they asked him what color he wanted, he just shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want them to think that he had his heart set on that one.

That's funny -- I knew I wanted the blue RTL, and went to test drive my first Ridge at a dealership where the only RTL they had was black. So the sales guy looked at me and figured, a) there's no way this person can afford to buy the RTL (esp. since he was selling it for MSRP, no discounts) and b) i have lots of blue non-RTLs I need to unload, maybe I can get them to agree to a lease instead.

I walked out.

 

[Webwader]

Anyway, any suggestions on how to start the hunt?

There are several sites where you can get a no-hassle online quote from a local dealer. Two of the larger ones are Edmunds.com and Microsoft CarPoint.com. Build your desired RL online, select the dealers you would like to receive quotes from, click, and wait.
The RL is the third vehicle I have purchased from an online quote and all have been at or below dealer invoice.

 

[agraves73]

Thank you all for the information. I will try some of the online services and see what i can come up with (I had no idea sams club offered this service)! Ingo_b, great buying tips!!! Thank you so much, like the buying checklist I will print your advice out and study it before I attempt a dealer visit! I love some of the lines you provided---I know alot of it is keeping your impulses and excitement in check.
I look forward to becoming an official member in the future to this great site!!

thanks,

Aaron

 

[Guest]

Thank you all for the information. I will try some of the online services and see what i can come up with (I had no idea sams club offered this service)! Ingo_b, great buying tips!!! Thank you so much, like the buying checklist I will print your advice out and study it before I attempt a dealer visit! I love some of the lines you provided---I know alot of it is keeping your impulses and excitement in check.
I look forward to becoming an official member in the future to this great site!!

thanks,

Aaron

WE look forward to you becoming a ROC family member too!!
Good Luck.
LR