With my last car, I talked to a sales person, made them an offer which they refused (and if they act like your offer isn't in the ballpark, it’s just their game, they are glad to get offers) and started to walk out. At the third dealership they took my offer, which was well below invoice. I refused any dealer installed options and did not buy any extended warranty.
In the case of my Ford truck, I responded to a newspaper add which seemed too good to be true, a price thousands of dollars below invoice. They spent an hour trying to get me to buy running boards, bug shields, bed liners additional tint (rear windows already had factory tint) and extended warranty. They pushed hard for the warranty. I passed on all.
As far as the 04 F150s, It might be too early in the game to get too much below invoice, but as the dealers lots fill up (and the 03's are gone) the ads will start to come out with lower and lower prices, just don't be afraid to walk out of a dealership. They need you, you don't need them. They are lucky to have us customers otherwise they be out of a job in a hurry. There is alot of competition in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Avoid impulse buys. So there isn't a secret, just use common sence and leave if you're not happy. You can buy almost any day of the year, the trucks will be there

 

Remember Big Jim, therealist is also the one who said there shouldn't be seatbelt laws.

 

shawnee88 -

Do not pay more than invoice price. As stated before in this thread, dealers pay much less than invoice price for the vehicle. A Blue Oval certified dealer gets 3% under invoice, at a minimum.

So, on a $30,000 truck(invoice price, MSRP would be close to $34,500), the dealer would pay about $29,100. That's a straight $900 profit for the dealer. Do you still want to add your 2-3% over invoice to that? There are suckers buying cars every minute, let them give the dealer a huge profit.

Dealers play hardball. They will almost always deny your offer. Stick to your guns. Know what you want to pay. And keep searching, in the end, they want and need your business. Leave the dealership at least once when negotiating. Remember to visit several dealers in your area.

Example would be on my truck. The dealer kept throwing numbers around and I wasn't biting. I had a pre-approved loan check in my pocket they didn't know about. Finally I said what I would pay, and pulled out the check. They would not go for it. I left the dealership. Starting 2 days later, they began calling me wanting to make a deal. I said I'd think about it and they kept lowering the price. In the end I paid less than I had originally said.

Also, think about the 2003 models on the lots now. They are on sale below invoice price around here. Do you think the dealership is losing money? I don't think so.

 

hmmm.... Are "deep6blue" and "therealist" one in the same...???

 

Amen, finally someone who has a good understanding of the whole game. I thought I was alone.
And remember folks, if there is anything you are not comfortable with at a dealer, just smile and walk away. If they have your information, they will be calling you the next day or so with better numbers.

 

I contacted 15 dealerships in my area. Most started at 1000 over invoice, within a few days I started getting 500 over, then 100, and finally I got a few offers for invoice.
This is my first "pleasant" car buying experience. Definitely the way to go

BTW, One dealer got mad and said he didn't make a dime at invoice, I countered by insisting he did, and then mentioned dealer holdback (3% and really 4.5% since they were blue oval)...He LOST IT. You'd think I told him his mother was a prostitute...I got out of there.

 

Thanks for the info.!.....Two more questions by the way,..............#1. If I am going with Ford credit on my future purchase, but I get the urge to walk away and talk to another dealer who may give me the price I want, can the other dealer get access to my previously-approved Ford credit application if we have a deal but they were not the ones who submitted it?

#2. Can rebate offers be applied to MSRP prices only or can an offer of "invoice price" minus any rebate offers be discussed, and has any one gotten this deal yet on the '04 model f-150? Thanks.

 

fatboy0103@***. - Definately not the same.

Perceptron - Good for you. Glad to hear you got a great deal. I think these dealers play so many sales games. I'm glad you caught him in his lie about making any money on the deal. I'll be honest with a dealer and ensure that he makes a profit, but don't give me any lies.

shawnee88 - About #1, I'm not sure if they can check on prior credit checks or not. I would think that they could, since it is Ford Credit (A Ford division in itself), but don't worry about it. Go for the better deal.

And, find out how much the credit will cost YOU over the life of the loan. An example would be if you financed $30,000 and got a loan that costs $1,000, that's $31,000 that the truck costs. If you go to a different dealer and get a deal for $29,000, and the loan costs you $2,000, then you really didn't get any better of a deal.

Also, if you try to get a special financing percent of say 2%, and you decide on a price of $30,000 with the dealership. But all of a sudden the dealership says that you are not approved for the 2%, they can only get you at 4%. This is a ploy to get more money. Take the difference of the cost of the loan and have them subtract it from the truck price. Remeber, they are controlling the numbers to make more profit.

About #2 - Rebates are applied ~after~ you have decided a price. Rebates are from Ford, not the local dealership. So, if you decide on a price $100 below invoice, the rebates will be applied on the invoice-$100 price.

One more thing, NO deals are for ONE day only. That is just something dealers say because the know if you walk out they might lose the sale.

I don't know everything about buying vehicles. I've just made a few mistakes and like to share what I have learned from them. My mistakes have almost always been made in haste.

 

Good info!.......thanks.