But respectfully, consumers don't need to have an "in" with and ad exec at a radio station or a history of "working with dealerships for 20 years" The last time I bought a new vehicle, I walked in with 3 things: 1) I didn't NEED the new vehicle, but it would've been nice to have. My existing SUV was working just fine and if I needed to walk away from the deal and keep it, I would've. 2) A printout from KBB (Kelley Blue Book), detailing exactly what my existing vehicle was worth, and 3) A printout from another website that tells consumers what new cars, with the exact options they want, should cost in their city.
I went into the dealership, shook hands with the sales guy, told him which vehicle I was interested in and we test drove it while his service guy drove mine. We went back into his office where he asked how much I wanted my monthly payment to be. I told him that was BS, because if I wanted my monthly payment to be $150, he could spread that car loan out for as many years as he needed to, in order to meet that. I told him I wanted to see the cost of the new vehicle I was buying and how much they were giving me for my trade. That's it, bottom line. He "went to see his manager" and came back with a bottom line number which was way off. I pulled out my printouts. I said "Here's where you need to be on my trade-in, and here's where you need to be on the vehicle I test drove today. You get me there, I buy. If you can't, I walk and take my existing vehicle with me". He went to talk to his manager again. Amazingly, he came back, having chopped several thousand $$$$ from their initial offer and got me within about $150 of where I wanted to be. I shook his hand and signed the papers.
As you say, knowledge is power...And with the internet and maybe a few apps, EVERYONE has the ability to have that knowledge.
