Any advice on negotiating a better price on a special order? I know the invoice price, and being sold straight off the truck should save the dealer some money, but I would think having a non-refundable deposit on the car compromises my position.
1) Generally, they would have to have you specifically sign a document stating the deposit is nonrefundable. They can't just 'say' it or write 'all deposits are nonrefundable', they have to have you sign a contract to the effect that that backing out of the order is going to cause them some loss (IE, they'll have to discount the car to sell it to another person) so the deposit is nonrefundable.
2) If you already paid a deposit, your negotiating position is lowered.
3) Depending on manufacturer, there are sometimes organizations/employers that will get you specific 'employee' or 'partner' discounts that some dealerships hate but most will take and it removes negotiation from the process.
4) You can always negotiate, but keep in mind that dealerships don't build the cars. It's not hard to find what actual cost is (not listed invoice which is usually inflated to some degree) if you dig through enough online. Generally the only time you will be able to get the car for 'less than cost' is when some kick back from the manufacturer is on the line: model liquidation (year end), the dealership is 7 cars away one-two days from end of quarter from being number 1 in the [area] and achieving a massive bonus, etc. But these generally all mean you are not ordering.
5) Certain high demand cars you will have to know somebody (Hellcat, GT350, etc.) even to get MSRP with no ADM.
6) Season can play a big role (RWD car in winter months in snowy area).
7) Manufacturer rebates are money for 'you' essentially, your negotiations with price with the dealer shouldn't include them if you are doing it right.
8) If you come to the dealership prepared and find the right sales guy and basically present yourself as a straight-shooting, no baggage guy (no trade in, own financing preapproval, etc.) the dealership will be happy to make $500 holdback on a sale because it's basically no risk, no work. If you have to wait to sell a car or insist on a trade that could have diminished value by time you see it (especially for foreign or preorders) then you won't negotiate from a strong position.
If you already put your deposit down, the best you can do is go to another dealership, tell them you put a deposit on an order for $x and you want them to beat it. Of course at some point they might just say "well he's willing to walk out on that deal so..." and there's not enough room to go down to make them take it. Of course that is mitigated against what type of vehicle. If it's a saleable vehicle (ie no outrageous options), you have more room since dealers are more likely to take the risk.
It's not rocket surgery, you just have to know the numbers (and not listen to the 'how much do you want to spend a month???' BS) and be prepared to walk when things don't go your way. As long as the dealer is able to make some money on it, >A< dealer, somewhere, will take the deal. The question is how much legwork is worth how much money. If you could walk now and lose $500 with an offer to save $1500 from the dealer down the road, you save money even if you eat the deposit. If they made you put a huge deposit down... well...
Of course this is all general (and simple) advice because you asked for tips without giving any details at all and the details are 95% of the game.
