Learn me: Truecar

Edit: searched this and got nothing.. So here goes.

So I just checked out Truecar and created a profile. Can't say it was all intentional. I picked a car style and got some prices immediately. A click or two later and my inbox is going ding ding ding and my phone rings. Some dealers seem pretty hungry to earn my business. Has anyone had good or bad experiences with Truecar?

My goal is to buy a new car, free of dealer installed E36 M3, for the price stated online, using Regional manufacturer 0.0% financing. I intend to tell them that and see if they want my business....

I've been on the site. I just wonder how accurate the data is. Are users just saying "I got it for this price?" If so, I don't trust that data. We all want to brag about what a great deal we got on something, which leads me to believe (silly as it sounds,) that people would fudge the numbers by a grand or more.

What I did was submit an interest on a specific year, model, accessory package and color. This resulted in three local dealers (metro ATL) being listed with a deal available.

For each dealer, I received a Truecar "certificate" that supposedly represents a car on the lot - specific year, model, accessory package.

Then I was asked on the phone what color I want.. I was told that the discount from MSRP on my "certificate" would be honored for any car I end up buying. Fair enough. I already identified what I'd like to buy.

I was sent a car to look at, in a follow up email. It said it sits in FL, has a handful of dealer installed options.. Doh!

I said I want a car that is naked, straight from the factory, no salad dressing, nothing. I said I want the 0.0% financing. Waiting to hear back.

To be less ambiguous. I'm pricing a 2013 Prius "Three". Leftover stock.

Gonna sell my 2004 Odyssey LX that I have owned since new (never wrecked outside my own garage, with a binder with every service receipt). I may even list the van here on the board.

I used them this year. Worked like a charm. Shopped by price and it was easy-peasey.

Truecar charges dealers $400 for the privlege of giving you their car. Imagine me telling you how much you are going to sell your car for. You are not going to like it. Don't expect a lot of warm fuzzies.

So what's the best way to A) determine optimum price and B) execute the deal without the typical salesman/manager song and dance?

I used Truecar and Edmunds true price to establish the upper limit of what I was willing to pay. The car in question is in relatively high demand, so it was only a little over $1000 below MRSP.

I went to dealer #1 and offered $500 below that amount. They wanted to play car dealer games so I said to them "okay, I will go to dealer #2". They let me walk out the door, so I knew I was close.

I made the same offer to dealer #2, they came back with the same counter-offer and I got up to leave. 5 minutes later I had a contract presented to me with my offer price. The whole thing took 15-20 minutes from the moment I walked on the property.

That does not include the post-purchase pitch for paint protection, etc. but the F&I girl had an extremely short skirt so that waste of time was bearable.

My conclusion: Truecar will get you a good price, but you can do a bit better if you are willing to play hardball.

Truecar appears to only be for new cars?

Only time I've ever bought brand new, I got every dealer within 300 miles of me in a "bidding war," for my business. Not all wanted to play along, some blatantly lied to me about pricing, they were selling TDIs well above MSRP through "adjusted market value," and told me I didn't have a prayer of getting below MSRP. I sent a few emails to said dealers after I bought our car with specs & what I paid, as well as what I thought of their bull E36 M3. Didn't really accomplish anything I know, but made me feel better.

It took time, I was on the phone or emailing for about a week. Whittled it down to the last two dealers, we were down to $100 or so difference between dealers, and then the winner threw in Bluetooth, sold!

So the idea of Truecar is to save you that week or so of haggling? I'd be surprised to get as good of a deal as I did, through a service like that, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong, and save myself some headache when I'm ready to purchase again.

• Lee

ls1fiero wrote: Truecar charges dealers $400 for the privlege of giving you their car. Imagine me telling you how much you are going to sell your car for. You are not going to like it. Don't expect a lot of warm fuzzies.

That's the beauty of capitalism, not every dealer has to participate. Every dealer will piss & moan about customers "wasting their time." At busy dealerships, the ability to get a customer through the entire process in an hour or so can be well worth the $400. Think of truecar as supplying extremely pre-qualified leads.

Back from the dead...

I'm helping someone buy a new Honda. I emailed the only dealer who had the color in stock and they sent back a price. It was actually $540 below the Truecar target price, which was also lower than I had expected.

For a second time, the Honda dealer beat Truecar by $500, including freight.

I used TrueCar 2 years ago and had a great experience -with a Honda no less. Got a CRZ for $400 under MSRP when every other dealer I called/visited wanted $800+ over MSRP back then. (Low production numbers combined with being in Northern California where these little guys were in high demand)

I guess the Honda specific rule didn't come into effect for me since it was still above invoice.

I read an article a few months ago that seemed to say TrueCar use to get you a better deal than it does now. Now it seems it is best used as a tool for a starting negotiating price at a dealer that doesn't use them. Theoretically, all else being equal, dealerships that don't "advertise" through TrueCar should be able to give you a better price since they don't have to pay TrueCar fees.

Resurrecting this yet again, does anyone know if Truecar is only for cars that are on the lot? Or if you can use it to negotiate for a car that needs to be ordered?

The particular car I'm interested in is listed as "late availability" for the color which I'd want, so pretty sure nobody has one on a lot.