Vehicle purchase hacks & tips here; it's long but detailed

[Kenv24]

I didn't read the OP's post..... yet....but here's my summary. Go to a Ford dealership....make sure to bring your phone. Log into your bank's online app. If you have enough money in your account....BUY the truck. If you don't...wait until you do. Thank you.

Sponsored

 

[pigsareus]

Most people hate the car buying experience; I don’t. I love it. I love the back and forth and treat it as a game I am determined to win. I don’t understand why car dealers make it so painful to buy vehicles; the process is slowly changing but for most people it is like getting a root canal without any anesthesia.

Here’s a couple of things I have learned and pass them on to you to help ease the pain of buying a Maverick (or any vehicle). I recently bought a “new” 2025 Maverick at a great price and while I can’t assure you that you will save a bunch of money, some of the items here might reduce the stress.

Understand dealer financials-A car dealer makes money on both sales of cars (new and used) and on service. Service generates 40%+ gross margin vs maybe 2-3% on new sales and 10% on used sales. (I didn’t even address in-house financing which is also a huge profit center as well) Generally, the dealer has 90 days financing from the bank to have a vehicle on the lot interest free. After that, they start paying the bank for having the vehicle. The manufacturer offers them a guaranteed profit in the form of monies called holdback which can range anywhere from 1%-5% of MSRP depending on the model. This is sacred money to a dealer, and they are highly reluctant to dig into his pool to make a deal, but under some circumstances will do so. So, when you sit for 4 hours and think you have beat the salesperson into submission and he sighs and tells you he is not making any money but will sell at his Invoice cost plus $100 to make both sides happy, understand they are making the $100 PLUS the holdback monies as well. He just made 2-3% which is average. It’s not much but the true goal is to move units. (They will attempt to make more profit from you once they get you with the finance dept to finalize the deal.) Making their sales goals from the manufacturer helps them get more popular models allotted to them later. A dealer will take an actual small loss on a sale if they need to make a sales goal. Making the goal unlocks a bonus from the manufacturer back to car 1 sold in the quarter. They might lose $1000 from your sale but unlock 10’s of thousands of dollars in total for the cars they sold in the quarter once they enter the bonus round from the manufacturer.

Know your type of dealer- Are they a small town “aw shucks” store, a no haggle, “our price is clearly posted” store, or large volume “turn ‘em and burn ‘em” multi-location chain store? All of them negotiate. They just do so quietly and in different manners. The trick is to determine their method of doing so then using the same language to engage them. The small-town store is less pressure-filled, but they are also least likely to deal aggressively initially. They will wait for the “right buyer” to come along. The fixed price store does not consider offers and will deal only when presented with confirmed, in-writing, competitive offers usually at the end of the quarter. The high-volume dealer has plenty of inventory and you can score some great deals anytime but will subject you to thumbscrews and water torture as you deal. Remember, though, they all want to sell a vehicle. Your job is to find their hot button and not only push it but make it totally inoperable after pushing it so hard and so often.

Do your pricing research-Know what others in the market are paying for your vehicle. Autotrader.com and cargurus.com is where I got a lot of my pricing info. I even built a simple excel sheet consisting of the date I first noticed the vehicle, the dealer’s name, the VIN I was interested in, and the price. Over a month’s time, it was interesting to see how some had moved and some had not. You want to make a great deal, but you must be reasonable. There is a difference between an aggressive offer and a lowball offer. An aggressive offer is backed up by facts, competitive info, and history. A lowball is just a number tossed out to see if they are dumb enough to take it. They aren’t. You lose credibility when you lowball a dealer. Know your numbers, defend your numbers, and stick to your numbers, but don’t be foolish. No one is in business to give you a vehicle.

Study the inventory-From above, a car on the lot sitting there over 90 days is now moving to the top of the list the dealer wants gone. Ask them how long the car has been there. Check the build date on the window sticker to determine how old the car is. An older vehicle begins to accrue “curtailment payments” the dealer pays to the bank to keep it. Dealers are in the business of selling cars, not owning cars. Every car that they make a curtailment payment over is now beginning to become something they don’t want to own. Of course, this isn’t always a hard and fast rule, but those vehicles tend to show up on inventory reports that need to be addressed sooner than later. The smaller dealers are notoriously slow to clear these units from inventory. Target the “turn and burn” dealers for deals on a vehicle that has been in inventory a long time.

Scrutinize the sales structure-Study the details of those hot prices. They are not always as attractive as they appear. I bought a 2025 XLT at end of Q1 2026 when Ford had $2500 customer incentive money available in my market. One dealer (not mine) advertised a hot price on a loaded XLT of $33,800 which was $38,000 MSRP- “our” $700 discount-$2500 Ford money-$500 First responder discount -$500 first time buyer money. The only problem was I wasn’t a first responder, not a first-time buyer, and the $2500 Ford money is to me, the buyer, not to the dealer. So, $1000 of those monies don’t apply to me and the dealer is assuming I will use the $2500 directed toward me against the price of the vehicle. I probably will, but I may want to take a vacation or buy some furniture with that money. It’s not for the dealer to decide how to apply it. So, I asked the dealer for the cost-vehicle only. I can do basic 4th grade math and subtract the rebates myself. Suddenly, my vehicle-only price is $37,800. Most people would see that price and simply keep looking elsewhere. The dealers know this, so offer these low prices IF you can meet all the conditions. A discount of only $700 on a MSRP $38,000 2025 model year vehicle when 2026 models are on the lot is weak; truly weak. Negotiate the price of a vehicle without rebates, then apply them after you agree on a price. Insist on all price quotes for “vehicle only, pricing out the door (OTD) including tax, titles and license (TTL). No dealer add-ons, no rebates, no additional dealer profit and a clear line-item breakdown of all costs. If they can’t or won’t do so, tell them goodbye.

When should I buy-Dealers work on a quarterly basis. I have bought cars on both Dec, 31 and March 31 in the past. EOY is truly prime time, but EOQ is almost as good. They are trying to make their quarterly sales goal and if they are a unit or two short, they will cut a deal to get the volume even if it is unprofitable. If not at the end of quarter, the end of month is also a good time as they are tracking their running rate for the quarter. If it is not EOM or EOQ, avoid the weekend as this is the busy time when Mom and Pop are out “looking for a car”, the managers are busy with others, and your offer is more likely to be rejected because you are a savvy buyer and will take more of their time. Make your contact late Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. The weekend is over, they know where they stand, and now they are concentrating on deals to make their goals.

Drop the emotion-This one is hard, but, necessary if you are trying to score a deal. When someone says,” well, I wasn’t intending to buy a car today, but I got a great deal!”, most of the time they left a lot of money on the table. Do not show excitement or frustration; remain calm and neutral. Emotions cause fatigue and fatigue causes errors. “I’ve sat here for 5 hours; I just want to get this over with!” At that point you are most vulnerable and dealers know it. The “grind” is designed to wear you down. There is no need to be in a dealership any longer than 2 hours tops to wrap up a deal and send you on your way if you have nailed everything down in advance. If you do get frustrated, leave. As a serious buyer, they will call you back. See “Stay off the lot” below for more.

Who do I address: Your first contact is with the internet guy. Bypass the guy that runs out to meet you immediately when you enter the lot. He is the gate keeper. His job is to extract as much money from you as possible but has no power to decide if they accept your offer. If you make what he thinks is a lowball offer, he won’t even present it to the floor manager. He’ll leave the office, grab a cup of coffee, let you cool your heels for 10 minutes or so, then come back and tell you that we can’t do your offer but “we can do this”. And he talked to no one in authority the whole time. Like any successful negotiation, you want to deal with the person who can make a decision. The lot guy isn’t it. Remember, he and the sales manager have two different goals: The salesperson is trying to get as much commission as possible; the sales manager is tasked to move units profitably but still recognizing the need to meet volume goals and act strategically. Your aggressive low-price offer might fit into their need to make their sales goals. When contacting the internet person your name and contact info is in their database. The sales manager is going to know you have made an offer, even if it is rejected. You become someone they chase later when they need to move a car, and you are still in the market.

Stay off the lot- Get a confirmed written (or text ) message price before doing anything. You don’t step foot on the lot until you have an agreed price. Ignore the “Come on in and take it for a test drive” invitation. Don’t waste time on test drives. You only need to test drive 2 vehicles: the first one to see if that model works for you and the second one you intend to buy. If the model isn’t for you, you move on to something else. If it does work, they all drive the same. You just test drive the one you intend to buy BEFORE signing any paperwork. Note any minor deficiencies upon arrival such as lot scratches, small dents, etc but don’t mention them to the salesperson. Then as you are finalizing the pricing paperwork and the price has been agreed, list these items to be corrected as the ’We Owes” part of the contract. Do not rely on verbal promises to correct or address anything. We Owes are an enforceable part of the contract. (You don’t mention them in advance of price negotiation as the dealer sees these as costs that affect his front-end gross profit. Addressing them after you have an agreed price for the vehicle, he now can allot this to the service dept. side of his ledger which is separate from the sales side.)

Conduct all negotiations electronically, preferably by text- I physically visited only 2 dealers for my purchase: Once when I first test drove a Maverick to see if I really was interested in buying one and then when I picked up the one I purchased. In the meantime, I was in contact with 5 other dealerships getting pricing. Of course, they all wanted me to come in. I communicated with them electronically and did so at my convenience. I wasn’t going to sit on their lot for hours. I simply told them I had driven the model, liked the model, and was prepared to buy today if they could meet my number. It’s 2026; everything is done by text now.

Remain Flexible- but firm The more “I gotta have’s” you tell the dealer about on a vehicle, the less bargaining power you have. Now, don’t settle for something just because it is a good price. Be willing though to give up some options/colors/services if you want a good price. You need a tow package, but do you need the carpeted mats? Use that as a throwaway item. They can’t come down $500 to make a deal? Insist on a bed mat if you go the extra $500. Can you live with a different color? Every time you make a price concession, ask for something in return (one year’s free oil changes, battery/add on’s, etc. at dealer cost). From above, the more items you reveal that you want, the less leverage you have.



Deciphering dealer language-A common question along the lines of, “So, what do we need to do to earn your business today”? will be asked at some point. The answer: “Your best price possible”. That’s it; “Your best price possible”. Do not answer with a number, a range, or a desired payment amount. The conversation is now shifted back to them to set some type of term of offer. The first one in any negotiation to stake a position loses. Make them give you an opening position you can use as a boundary to see their thinking. The reluctancy to consider your offer of “We’ve had a lot of interest in that vehicle, I’m not sure we can do that” results in you replying, “But I am here now. And that is what I am willing to pay.” Put the dealer in the position of having to “go first”. Listen closely to their language and make sure their actions match it. Ignore the drama; it’s all for show.

Do not be afraid of the word NO-I declined a counteroffer on a 370-day old Maverick that had racked up a couple of curtailment payments after repeated back and forth offer emails with the internet guy. We were only $500 apart but at that point the vehicle was simply not for me. After telling him I was done, the internet guy thanked me and wished me good luck. 2 hours later the Sales manager jumped into the email thread and asked, “Out of curiosity, what would it take to get this deal done?” This is a desperate plea to keep me on the hook as they really need to move a vehicle in their inventory that is over a year old. They have made multiple curtailment payments and any hope of profit on this vehicle is long gone. They have eaten through their holdback monies and will have to at a minimum provide a new battery and probably some new tires which is going to cost them more money on a vehicle that has been sitting for over a year. Why would I buy a year-old car when I can get a new model year car for a few hundred dollars more? At this point, they are just trying to stem the monthly bleed they are experiencing. I could have held their feet to the fire and even dropped my offer another $500 (and they probably would have agreed to it) but, I was done. No is a powerful word in negotiations. Do not be afraid to use it.

Wrapping it all up-Behind the service dept. the finance dept is a key component of dealer profit. A dealer can make more profit here than on the actual sale of the car. Be sure to be careful and pay close attention to everything happening here. Unlike the terms and conditions that no one reads when installing a program on their computer or owner’s manual on your new TV, you HAVE TO understand and read everything put in front of you to sign. Do not be rushed and do not be afraid to tell the finance person that you might need 15 minutes to go through all the paperwork. Suggest they go get a cup of coffee and you will wait for them to return if you finish up early. Make sure the “We Owes” list anything you want addressed; do not rely on verbal promises. Many times, the We Owes are “forgotten” or left blank during the closing process and if they are, you have no recourse if something is failed to be addressed later that was committed to verbally. Financing options are negotiable as well. Get a quote from your bank in advance to compare interest rates. If your credit is a bit shaky, they might jack you up to a random number. Don’t be afraid to make a counter proposal. Ask if the rate quoted is the buy rate (what they are quoted from their bank) or sell rate (the amount you are being quoted now). Deals are commonly lost inIthe finance office on this point. Insist on no dealer add-ons (VIN etching, undercoating etc.). If they tell you that all their cars receive this treatment and can’t be removed, then have them subtract those add-ons from the agreed price. Nothing is final until you sign on the bottom line. Know what you are signing.

That’s it. I am not a know-it-all and don’t have all the answers. I am, though, not afraid to push back and am more than ready to advocate for myself if conditions do not align with my goals. You can do it too. It might feel a bit uncomfortable but remember you have the power. They must sell THEIR vehicle. You can buy ANY vehicle

I don't put up with any of that BS - if/when they start playing games I have zero problems just leaving after giving them one last chance - I'm not a sitting duck for them to shoot - there are plenty of dealerships I can go to, eventually one of them is going to sell me the vehicle at the price I'm willing to pay - and if they don't oh well.

 

[pigsareus]

I don't put up with any of that BS - if/when they start playing games I have zero problems just leaving after giving them one last chance - I'm not a sitting duck for them to shoot - there are plenty of dealerships I can go to, eventually one of them is going to sell me the vehicle at the price I'm willing to pay - and if they don't oh well. I finance thru my credit union where I've been for 40 years, I get the best rate from them and it's a simple no hassle process.

 

[Prickly Pear]

I had deja vu reading about your hot price on a loaded XLT - same thing happened to me. I found mine online with a price around 3K under MSRP. Texted the dealer with the vin and said that was the truck I wanted for the "sale" price. I was informed the sale price had every possible rebate applied to it, some of them possibly mutually exclusive. I was not happy and disengaged with the dealer. Within the hour I got a satisfaction survey from Ford, which I used to unload on the dealer - deceptive sales practices, bait and switch, the whole 9 yards. Got a text the next day with an offer for $2435 under MSRP. My wife said screw them and hold out for the full 3K, but I took the offer and bought the truck. Not sure if it was the survey or one of the end of the quarter things mentioned, but I'm pretty happy with the truck and what I paid.

 

[Cherokee]

I don't put up with any of that BS - if/when they start playing games I have zero problems just leaving after giving them one last chance - I'm not a sitting duck for them to shoot - there are plenty of dealerships I can go to, eventually one of them is going to sell me the vehicle at the price I'm willing to pay - and if they don't oh well.

Wisdom.

As others have said, I’ve been at it longer than the salesman.
They are not your friend, they are a necessary cog in the wheel or the dealers would not have them.

As soon as the dealers figure out the Tesla Robot would make a much better salesman they will bring them online.

The way I tell I got it right is partially verified in this forum, reading about all the crazy prices people pay.

For example, I bought a 2024 on the last day of 2024 for 36,000 plus the triple T,
Tax, Tag, and title.

Most paid around that time 36,000 to 39,000 for a year end 2024 AWD Lariat Ecoboost.
The not so well trained buyers often paid 40,000 or more.
It used to be common knowledge that if you got below the sticker price by $3,000 you did alright.
If someone found this easy they got played like a violin. It was a year end model that HAD been on the lot for three months.

Special order buyers pay more period.

Mine was on the lot three weeks. It was a late last run 2024.

They played me well.
They parked it on the showroom floor under the best lighting,
It was Hot Pepper Red,
Had the clown interior,
Had the Ecoboost,
It was a Lariat.

I sat in it, that sale was in the bag. They knew it.
I got the $36,000 after a $1,500 military discount that I think they made up when I was getting up to leave, without the truck !

I scared the sales lady saying,
Well, my 2021 Bronco sport is really nice, I’ll keep it and check out a few larger volume dealers in Chattanooga and Atlanta.

Funny how the value of my trade suddenly increased and a military discount appeared out of no where.

Did I win the jousting match ? Not really.
I just made sure I didn’t get screwed.

But again none of what I said applies if your after a current new model year and the demand is high.
Or the dealer is a greedy SOB.

 

[samspritzer]

Excellent article even though I knew most of the tactics and how to deal with them. One of the most common ones around here is to make you sit and wait for them to come back because "they have to get approval to lower the price they quote you". I give them 5 minutes tops and then walk out. Some of them chase after me but "sorry...too late!".

The other thing to consider is if they don't have the vehicle you really want, such as color, they'll tell you they will find it and let you know when it comes in. Move on....see next paragraph.

Also, I read elsewhere that an initial email to the internet guy listing precisely what you're looking for in a vehicle but leave out the add-ins since you can get them cheaper elsewhere or they become bargaining chips as mentioned in the article. There is no harm in sending the email to as many dealers possible but a trick to use..,send the email to yourself and bcc all of the dealers you want to send to. This way they won't know who or how many got it.

And don't worry about who will service it. All Ford dealers are required to honor warranties regardless of when purchased. And lastly, don't forget the extended warranty!

 

[samspritzer]

Once the legacy automakers die, dealerships will die with them. And the legacies will die - they are dinosaurs in an age of mammals (Farley said Ford has a $2,000 penalty on every car to support dealership profits).

For those who absolutely hate buying cars (I love the process, but I've been doing it for five decades now), I recommend an inexpensive professional buying service like CarEdge. Or just get a Tesla or Rivian or Scout or Lucid - no dealerships.

https://caredge.com/

The problem with Car Edge is your information is shared with the dealer. As I mentioned in my reply above, when reaching out to them you should provide as much information possible in what you're looking for. For example, I started to process for a Honda CRV (the missus' car) and it didn't even list the Hybrid as an option. At the end, it asked me for contact info with the fine print saying it will be shared with the dealer. And it only allowed me to select 2 dealers max. out of three when there are at least a dozen within 50 miles of me.

 

[VICKY]

Most people hate the car buying experience; I don’t. I love it. I love the back and forth and treat it as a game I am determined to win. I don’t understand why car dealers make it so painful to buy vehicles; the process is slowly changing but for most people it is like getting a root canal without any anesthesia.

Here’s a couple of things I have learned and pass them on to you to help ease the pain of buying a Maverick (or any vehicle). I recently bought a “new” 2025 Maverick at a great price and while I can’t assure you that you will save a bunch of money, some of the items here might reduce the stress.

Understand dealer financials-A car dealer makes money on both sales of cars (new and used) and on service. Service generates 40%+ gross margin vs maybe 2-3% on new sales and 10% on used sales. (I didn’t even address in-house financing which is also a huge profit center as well) Generally, the dealer has 90 days financing from the bank to have a vehicle on the lot interest free. After that, they start paying the bank for having the vehicle. The manufacturer offers them a guaranteed profit in the form of monies called holdback which can range anywhere from 1%-5% of MSRP depending on the model. This is sacred money to a dealer, and they are highly reluctant to dig into his pool to make a deal, but under some circumstances will do so. So, when you sit for 4 hours and think you have beat the salesperson into submission and he sighs and tells you he is not making any money but will sell at his Invoice cost plus $100 to make both sides happy, understand they are making the $100 PLUS the holdback monies as well. He just made 2-3% which is average. It’s not much but the true goal is to move units. (They will attempt to make more profit from you once they get you with the finance dept to finalize the deal.) Making their sales goals from the manufacturer helps them get more popular models allotted to them later. A dealer will take an actual small loss on a sale if they need to make a sales goal. Making the goal unlocks a bonus from the manufacturer back to car 1 sold in the quarter. They might lose $1000 from your sale but unlock 10’s of thousands of dollars in total for the cars they sold in the quarter once they enter the bonus round from the manufacturer.

Know your type of dealer- Are they a small town “aw shucks” store, a no haggle, “our price is clearly posted” store, or large volume “turn ‘em and burn ‘em” multi-location chain store? All of them negotiate. They just do so quietly and in different manners. The trick is to determine their method of doing so then using the same language to engage them. The small-town store is less pressure-filled, but they are also least likely to deal aggressively initially. They will wait for the “right buyer” to come along. The fixed price store does not consider offers and will deal only when presented with confirmed, in-writing, competitive offers usually at the end of the quarter. The high-volume dealer has plenty of inventory and you can score some great deals anytime but will subject you to thumbscrews and water torture as you deal. Remember, though, they all want to sell a vehicle. Your job is to find their hot button and not only push it but make it totally inoperable after pushing it so hard and so often.

Do your pricing research-Know what others in the market are paying for your vehicle. Autotrader.com and cargurus.com is where I got a lot of my pricing info. I even built a simple excel sheet consisting of the date I first noticed the vehicle, the dealer’s name, the VIN I was interested in, and the price. Over a month’s time, it was interesting to see how some had moved and some had not. You want to make a great deal, but you must be reasonable. There is a difference between an aggressive offer and a lowball offer. An aggressive offer is backed up by facts, competitive info, and history. A lowball is just a number tossed out to see if they are dumb enough to take it. They aren’t. You lose credibility when you lowball a dealer. Know your numbers, defend your numbers, and stick to your numbers, but don’t be foolish. No one is in business to give you a vehicle.

Study the inventory-From above, a car on the lot sitting there over 90 days is now moving to the top of the list the dealer wants gone. Ask them how long the car has been there. Check the build date on the window sticker to determine how old the car is. An older vehicle begins to accrue “curtailment payments” the dealer pays to the bank to keep it. Dealers are in the business of selling cars, not owning cars. Every car that they make a curtailment payment over is now beginning to become something they don’t want to own. Of course, this isn’t always a hard and fast rule, but those vehicles tend to show up on inventory reports that need to be addressed sooner than later. The smaller dealers are notoriously slow to clear these units from inventory. Target the “turn and burn” dealers for deals on a vehicle that has been in inventory a long time.

Scrutinize the sales structure-Study the details of those hot prices. They are not always as attractive as they appear. I bought a 2025 XLT at end of Q1 2026 when Ford had $2500 customer incentive money available in my market. One dealer (not mine) advertised a hot price on a loaded XLT of $33,800 which was $38,000 MSRP- “our” $700 discount-$2500 Ford money-$500 First responder discount -$500 first time buyer money. The only problem was I wasn’t a first responder, not a first-time buyer, and the $2500 Ford money is to me, the buyer, not to the dealer. So, $1000 of those monies don’t apply to me and the dealer is assuming I will use the $2500 directed toward me against the price of the vehicle. I probably will, but I may want to take a vacation or buy some furniture with that money. It’s not for the dealer to decide how to apply it. So, I asked the dealer for the cost-vehicle only. I can do basic 4th grade math and subtract the rebates myself. Suddenly, my vehicle-only price is $37,800. Most people would see that price and simply keep looking elsewhere. The dealers know this, so offer these low prices IF you can meet all the conditions. A discount of only $700 on a MSRP $38,000 2025 model year vehicle when 2026 models are on the lot is weak; truly weak. Negotiate the price of a vehicle without rebates, then apply them after you agree on a price. Insist on all price quotes for “vehicle only, pricing out the door (OTD) including tax, titles and license (TTL). No dealer add-ons, no rebates, no additional dealer profit and a clear line-item breakdown of all costs. If they can’t or won’t do so, tell them goodbye.

When should I buy-Dealers work on a quarterly basis. I have bought cars on both Dec, 31 and March 31 in the past. EOY is truly prime time, but EOQ is almost as good. They are trying to make their quarterly sales goal and if they are a unit or two short, they will cut a deal to get the volume even if it is unprofitable. If not at the end of quarter, the end of month is also a good time as they are tracking their running rate for the quarter. If it is not EOM or EOQ, avoid the weekend as this is the busy time when Mom and Pop are out “looking for a car”, the managers are busy with others, and your offer is more likely to be rejected because you are a savvy buyer and will take more of their time. Make your contact late Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. The weekend is over, they know where they stand, and now they are concentrating on deals to make their goals.

Drop the emotion-This one is hard, but, necessary if you are trying to score a deal. When someone says,” well, I wasn’t intending to buy a car today, but I got a great deal!”, most of the time they left a lot of money on the table. Do not show excitement or frustration; remain calm and neutral. Emotions cause fatigue and fatigue causes errors. “I’ve sat here for 5 hours; I just want to get this over with!” At that point you are most vulnerable and dealers know it. The “grind” is designed to wear you down. There is no need to be in a dealership any longer than 2 hours tops to wrap up a deal and send you on your way if you have nailed everything down in advance. If you do get frustrated, leave. As a serious buyer, they will call you back. See “Stay off the lot” below for more.

Who do I address: Your first contact is with the internet guy. Bypass the guy that runs out to meet you immediately when you enter the lot. He is the gate keeper. His job is to extract as much money from you as possible but has no power to decide if they accept your offer. If you make what he thinks is a lowball offer, he won’t even present it to the floor manager. He’ll leave the office, grab a cup of coffee, let you cool your heels for 10 minutes or so, then come back and tell you that we can’t do your offer but “we can do this”. And he talked to no one in authority the whole time. Like any successful negotiation, you want to deal with the person who can make a decision. The lot guy isn’t it. Remember, he and the sales manager have two different goals: The salesperson is trying to get as much commission as possible; the sales manager is tasked to move units profitably but still recognizing the need to meet volume goals and act strategically. Your aggressive low-price offer might fit into their need to make their sales goals. When contacting the internet person your name and contact info is in their database. The sales manager is going to know you have made an offer, even if it is rejected. You become someone they chase later when they need to move a car, and you are still in the market.

Stay off the lot- Get a confirmed written (or text ) message price before doing anything. You don’t step foot on the lot until you have an agreed price. Ignore the “Come on in and take it for a test drive” invitation. Don’t waste time on test drives. You only need to test drive 2 vehicles: the first one to see if that model works for you and the second one you intend to buy. If the model isn’t for you, you move on to something else. If it does work, they all drive the same. You just test drive the one you intend to buy BEFORE signing any paperwork. Note any minor deficiencies upon arrival such as lot scratches, small dents, etc but don’t mention them to the salesperson. Then as you are finalizing the pricing paperwork and the price has been agreed, list these items to be corrected as the ’We Owes” part of the contract. Do not rely on verbal promises to correct or address anything. We Owes are an enforceable part of the contract. (You don’t mention them in advance of price negotiation as the dealer sees these as costs that affect his front-end gross profit. Addressing them after you have an agreed price for the vehicle, he now can allot this to the service dept. side of his ledger which is separate from the sales side.)

Conduct all negotiations electronically, preferably by text- I physically visited only 2 dealers for my purchase: Once when I first test drove a Maverick to see if I really was interested in buying one and then when I picked up the one I purchased. In the meantime, I was in contact with 5 other dealerships getting pricing. Of course, they all wanted me to come in. I communicated with them electronically and did so at my convenience. I wasn’t going to sit on their lot for hours. I simply told them I had driven the model, liked the model, and was prepared to buy today if they could meet my number. It’s 2026; everything is done by text now.

Remain Flexible- but firm The more “I gotta have’s” you tell the dealer about on a vehicle, the less bargaining power you have. Now, don’t settle for something just because it is a good price. Be willing though to give up some options/colors/services if you want a good price. You need a tow package, but do you need the carpeted mats? Use that as a throwaway item. They can’t come down $500 to make a deal? Insist on a bed mat if you go the extra $500. Can you live with a different color? Every time you make a price concession, ask for something in return (one year’s free oil changes, battery/add on’s, etc. at dealer cost). From above, the more items you reveal that you want, the less leverage you have.



Deciphering dealer language-A common question along the lines of, “So, what do we need to do to earn your business today”? will be asked at some point. The answer: “Your best price possible”. That’s it; “Your best price possible”. Do not answer with a number, a range, or a desired payment amount. The conversation is now shifted back to them to set some type of term of offer. The first one in any negotiation to stake a position loses. Make them give you an opening position you can use as a boundary to see their thinking. The reluctancy to consider your offer of “We’ve had a lot of interest in that vehicle, I’m not sure we can do that” results in you replying, “But I am here now. And that is what I am willing to pay.” Put the dealer in the position of having to “go first”. Listen closely to their language and make sure their actions match it. Ignore the drama; it’s all for show.

Do not be afraid of the word NO-I declined a counteroffer on a 370-day old Maverick that had racked up a couple of curtailment payments after repeated back and forth offer emails with the internet guy. We were only $500 apart but at that point the vehicle was simply not for me. After telling him I was done, the internet guy thanked me and wished me good luck. 2 hours later the Sales manager jumped into the email thread and asked, “Out of curiosity, what would it take to get this deal done?” This is a desperate plea to keep me on the hook as they really need to move a vehicle in their inventory that is over a year old. They have made multiple curtailment payments and any hope of profit on this vehicle is long gone. They have eaten through their holdback monies and will have to at a minimum provide a new battery and probably some new tires which is going to cost them more money on a vehicle that has been sitting for over a year. Why would I buy a year-old car when I can get a new model year car for a few hundred dollars more? At this point, they are just trying to stem the monthly bleed they are experiencing. I could have held their feet to the fire and even dropped my offer another $500 (and they probably would have agreed to it) but, I was done. No is a powerful word in negotiations. Do not be afraid to use it.

Wrapping it all up-Behind the service dept. the finance dept is a key component of dealer profit. A dealer can make more profit here than on the actual sale of the car. Be sure to be careful and pay close attention to everything happening here. Unlike the terms and conditions that no one reads when installing a program on their computer or owner’s manual on your new TV, you HAVE TO understand and read everything put in front of you to sign. Do not be rushed and do not be afraid to tell the finance person that you might need 15 minutes to go through all the paperwork. Suggest they go get a cup of coffee and you will wait for them to return if you finish up early. Make sure the “We Owes” list anything you want addressed; do not rely on verbal promises. Many times, the We Owes are “forgotten” or left blank during the closing process and if they are, you have no recourse if something is failed to be addressed later that was committed to verbally. Financing options are negotiable as well. Get a quote from your bank in advance to compare interest rates. If your credit is a bit shaky, they might jack you up to a random number. Don’t be afraid to make a counter proposal. Ask if the rate quoted is the buy rate (what they are quoted from their bank) or sell rate (the amount you are being quoted now). Deals are commonly lost in the finance office on this point. Insist on no dealer add-ons (VIN etching, undercoating etc.). If they tell you that all their cars receive this treatment and can’t be removed, then have them subtract those add-ons from the agreed price. Nothing is final until you sign on the bottom line. Know what you are signing.

That’s it. I am not a know-it-all and don’t have all the answers. I am, though, not afraid to push back and am more than ready to advocate for myself if conditions do not align with my goals. You can do it too. It might feel a bit uncomfortable but remember you have the power. They must sell THEIR vehicle. You can buy ANY vehicle

WOW, I walked in December 2022 and said I wanted to order a Maverick and needed it before my summer vacation 2023. My salesman Orlando at Sarasota Ford sat down with me and I got my truck May of 2023. GREAT experience and guess I am missing something. ha ha ha

 

[scottjl]

Anyone, anywhere in the US, can join the Illinois Farm Bureau. $20 to join and you get a $500 Ford discount, among many others. Note you need to be a member 30 days before you can claim the discount. You can join on-line, it's easy. For maybe 20 minutes of my time, $20, I saved an additional $500 on top of other disocounts.

https://www.myifb.org/

 

[denis4x4]

I'm 85 and I've bought a lot of new cars. For the past 33 years I've lived in a small community where most dealerships are family owned with deep roots in the community. I know for a fact (even though it's frowned upon) that my local dealer will give me service preference over the neighbor that bought his truck online three states over. Too, I was involved in some charity fundraisers and local dealers are a major source of funds. The local dealer supporting community events deserves my support. How many local youth soccer teams have jerseys with JOE'S DIGITAL TRUCK SALES on them? Finally, the money I spend with local dealers stays in the community. And, yes, I'm old fashioned and believe in supporting local businesses. Flame on!

 

[bajesus8]

Are we not just doing the Granger Ford 3% under invoice order thing to avoid all these dealership games?
-If we can wait until order banks open for the new model years in the fall
-dont mind road trips

GREAT DEALS @ GRANGER MOTORS- 3% BELOW INVOICE PRICE ON 2026 FORD MAVERICK ORDERS! | MaverickTruckClub - 2022+ Ford Maverick Pickup Forum, News, Owners, Discussions

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

28 States prohibit manufacturers selling cars and trucks directly to the public. I believe most on this site will be gone before we'll see the laws changed.
*Yes I'm aware some EV "Tesla" manufacturers have been Exempted in some states.

 

[Shack Miller]

Wow Gang! Great conversation and tips from all; Score one for the Shack man! As this is a Maverick owners forum, obviously most of you already have the vehicle and know most of this. My goal was to help anyone visiting who didn’t already own one (like me previously) how to secure one with the least amount of stress. These tips are transferable whether you are buying a house or a secondhand dining room set at the antique store as well. I hope I gave you the confidence to be a good negotiator.

Some points of clarification:

• I am not anti-car salesperson. (I am a salesperson in a different industry. Could you tell?) We all have to make a living. Including the car guys. My objection, though, is most car salespeople are like Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation: He has the pool already installed in the backyard from the commission he is going to make from you. Believe it or not, the sales profession is very easy: Determine what the customer wants, deliver what the customer wants, and do it in a honest, timely, and fairly priced manner. If that is accomplished, they could have an Olympic sized competition pool installed in the backyard. Sadly, most of these people have a kid wading pools because they didn’t listen to the customer or tried to score the pool in a single transaction.

• I purposely did not discuss the car buying services I like to negotiate (My wife calls it arguing.) The car buying services eliminate the negotiation part of the equation, but they appear to limit (I will leave it to you who use these to correct me here) the dealer network resulting in limited inventory. I believe Costco only deals with one dealer per brand per metro area, which means you cannot cross‑shop multiple stores for the same vehicle. From above, at one point I had contacted 6 Ford dealers for pricing. And playing one dealer against the other is a great way to get them to keep chasing you for your business, Also, in rural areas, fewer participating dealers means lesser discounts and some dealers restrict the level of trim they offer through the programs. Lastly, the fixed price programs do not adjust for the aged or prior year left over units. (the ones I pursued). I like to work in the shadows as well and don’t care to share my info for a dealer to contact me. I will contact them at my convenience. Regardless, the buying programs are great routes if you don’t want to “play the game”. You can save money, but they don’t necessarily have the lowest price every time.

• @denis4x4 I was not denigrating the local dealer. They really do deliver the personalized service and you are correct: they have deep roots to the community. They are, however, reluctant to wheel and deal. I note a local small-town dealer still has a 15 month old Ruby Red XLT, (tow, black appearance , spray in liner, 19 inch wheels) a beautiful vehicle that he is still holding out for at $36,800. He’s got the same in a 2026 in Azure Grey WITHOUT the XLT Luxury package (heated seat and wheel) at the same price. I’m never in the vehicle long enough to worry about staying warm.

• One other thing on using"NO"-Because the dealer comes back with a counteroffer from your offer, doesn't mean you counter with a higher number from your starting point. You tell them, "Well, I appreciate the effort, but my offer is still X". It's perfectly OK to stick with your original number. Make them work for it. At some point, you will probably have to budge, but remember, when you do , ask for something in return.

Let's keep this going. You are all contributing good info here.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Wow Gang! Great conversation and tips from all; Score one for the Shack man! As this is a Maverick owners forum, obviously most of you already have the vehicle and know most of this. My goal was to help anyone visiting who didn’t already own one (like me previously) how to secure one with the least amount of stress. These tips are transferable whether you are buying a house or a secondhand dining room set at the antique store as well. I hope I gave you the confidence to be a good negotiator.

Some points of clarification:

• I am not anti-car salesperson. (I am a salesperson in a different industry. Could you tell?) We all have to make a living. Including the car guys. My objection, though, is most car salespeople are like Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation: He has the pool already installed in the backyard from the commission he is going to make from you. Believe it or not, the sales profession is very easy: Determine what the customer wants, deliver what the customer wants, and do it in a honest, timely, and fairly priced manner. If that is accomplished, they could have an Olympic sized competition pool installed in the backyard. Sadly, most of these people have a kid wading pools because they didn’t listen to the customer or tried to score the pool in a single transaction.

• I purposely did not discuss the car buying services I like to negotiate (My wife calls it arguing.) The car buying services eliminate the negotiation part of the equation, but they appear to limit (I will leave it to you who use these to correct me here) the dealer network resulting in limited inventory. I believe Costco only deals with one dealer per brand per metro area, which means you cannot cross‑shop multiple stores for the same vehicle. From above, at one point I had contacted 6 Ford dealers for pricing. And playing one dealer against the other is a great way to get them to keep chasing you for your business, Also, in rural areas, fewer participating dealers means lesser discounts and some dealers restrict the level of trim they offer through the programs. Lastly, the fixed price programs do not adjust for the aged or prior year left over units. (the ones I pursued). I like to work in the shadows as well and don’t care to share my info for a dealer to contact me. I will contact them at my convenience. Regardless, the buying programs are great routes if you don’t want to “play the game”. You can save money, but they don’t necessarily have the lowest price every time.

• @denis4x4 I was not denigrating the local dealer. They really do deliver the personalized service and you are correct: they have deep roots to the community. They are, however, reluctant to wheel and deal. I note a local small-town dealer still has a 15 month old Ruby Red XLT, (tow, black appearance , spray in liner, 19 inch wheels) a beautiful vehicle that he is still holding out for at $36,800. He’s got the same in a 2026 in Azure Grey WITHOUT the XLT Luxury package (heated seat and wheel) at the same price. I’m never in the vehicle long enough to worry about staying warm.

• One other thing on usng "NO"-Because the dealer comes back with a counteroffer from your offer, doesn't mean you counter with a higher number from your starting point. You tell them, "Well, I appreciate the effort, but my offer is still X". It's perfectly OK to stick with your original number. Make them work for it. At some point, you will probably have to budge, but remember, when you do , ask for something in return.

Let's keep this going. You are all contributing good info here.

RE: COSTCO I haven't bought with Costco Auto but, I believe not all vehicles are available, manufacturer may be involved, you will have a contact that has been trained for costco, possibly through dealers fleet sales (qualify for fleet pricing, etc?). Costco participant will show up here, I expect.

 

[tpollauf]

If you have enough money in your account....BUY the truck. If you don't...wait until you do. Thank you.

Excellent advice! Haven't financed a car in over 20 years. Cash is King, just don't let the dealership know that till it's time to sign all the paperwork!

Sponsored