Buying car out-of-state -- Unsure how to handle


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Old 01-29-17, 09:22 PM
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Buying car out-of-state -- Unsure how to handle

I'm in PA and looking to buy a car from IL. It's not a common make/model, which is why I've had to look out-of-state.

I test drove the car at a local dealership that only had one in stock that didn't suit my tastes. This dealership is where I'll be having the routine maintenance and any warranty work done. I'd like to somehow buy it through this local dealership, but not if it means that I'll have to pay significantly more.

Is it recommended to buy the car directly from the dealership that has it, or through my local dealership? If I order through the local dealership, which dealership should I be negotiating the price with?

I want to figure this out before speaking to either party.
 
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Old 01-29-17, 11:46 PM
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Couple options. Your local dealer has the ability to search stock from all over the state/country to locate a specific model that you want and they can then have that car shipped to you. The down side is that you will have to pay the extra cost of shpping the vehicle to your local dealer.

Or, you can go directly to the dealer that has the vehicle and buy directly. All the states work with each other to collect sales taxes etc so there is no issue there.

Assuming you can manage the logistics of getting to the car you will save the shipping plus it puts you in a little better position to get a deal, coming from out of state.
 
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Old 01-30-17, 02:30 AM
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which dealership should I be negotiating the price with?
Whichever one you purchase the vehicle from/thru. You are more apt to get the best price buying the vehicle from the dealer that has it. As stated above you need to figure out if the added inconvenience works for you.
 
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Old 01-30-17, 03:41 AM
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New or used car? If used be sure to get a inspection from a independent mechanic.
 
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Old 01-30-17, 04:50 AM
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Although buying from the local dealer would seem to be better in terms of warranty service, special treatment would be rare. In other words the local dealer should treat you the same regardless of where you buy it. Consider having the distant dealer remove or not attach their sticker to it to keep it less obvious it wasn't purchased locally.

In these times, sales from other states are common and local dealers should not be trying to leverage those sales by being less cooperative on service. Service is a good business all by itself, they need to be grateful you bought their brand.

Bud
 
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Old 01-30-17, 06:56 AM
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Thanks for the help, guys.

The car is in the Chicago area and I'm in the Philadelphia area. I would be having the car shipped regardless of who it's purchased from. I'm not sure if that changes your answers.

I searched online myself to find the vehicle in question with its specific colors and options. I'm thinking I may have the local dealer search the inventory nationwide in case they can find any that I missed. Barring that, I suppose I'll reach out to the IL dealer and work out a price.

Btw, if I did purchase through my local dealer, who do I negotiate the price with?

This is for a new car.
 
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Old 01-30-17, 07:01 AM
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If you buy thru your local dealer - that is who you negotiate with. The negotiations might be hampered some because the dealer is subject to the other dealer's pricing.
 
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Old 01-30-17, 08:00 AM
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Does this mean that the price will be higher because both dealers have to build in a profit margin?
 
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Old 01-30-17, 08:38 AM
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Again, there will be extra shipping costs so you may find that you're in no position to bargain the price to start with in addition to the shipping.

Your best purchase price is when there are lots of similar models sitting for a long time on a lot, your situation is the exact opposite!
 
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Old 01-30-17, 09:43 AM
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Marq1- The car I'm looking at is a 2016 Alfa Romeo 4C (last year's model). Most dealerships may have one or two of these and they are usually pretty well discounted. For example, the two I'm looking at are discounted at $8k and $12k under MSRP. I'm, of course, just trying to figure out how much more I'd be able to get off the price, especially if I were to buy through my local dealer.
 
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Old 01-30-17, 09:44 AM
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Just repeating what others have said, the pricing is simple; you negotiate with the dealer you are buying from, with no negotiations with their source. It's done every day. A dealer says yes they can get the car that you want, and they may or may not say that it's coming from the dealer in the next town or wherever. The only difference in this case is the distance, because many times the same dealers buy and sell back and forth, but not real likely these two have. Regardless, whatever deal they work out is between them, and completely separate from your purchase. But it can get more complicated, because dealers have quotas, and I don't know, but have heard, that sometimes it matters whether they actually sell to a consumer or trade with another dealer. And, if the car that you want is in some way unique, maybe a premium or limited run color, it is entirely possible that the dealer holding that vehicle isn't willing to negotiate down far enough to make it worth your local dealers time. Yes, if the nearest one is three states over, I would expect to pay something for transportation, but, again, these guys do this every day, so they can probably get it to you for less than if you were to go fetch it yourself.
 
 

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