When buying a new car can i ask the Dealer to show Invoice or Invoice Price?

Question

Hi,
I am trying to buy a new car and like all of us did some research on Yahoo Autos and other websites. In most of the cases these websites show Invoice Price and MSRP which i understood as the Price at which the Dealer got it from the Manufacturer(Invoice Price) and MSRP-as the Market price at which they are supposed to sell.
When i actually approached the dealer they are not willing to show the Actual Invoice. If i ask them an Invoice Price they will scribble some price on a piece of paper and show it, which may not be really true.
Question--Is it possible to get to see the actual Invoice(or Actual InvoicePrice) which the Dealer got from the manufacturer?
Also from my experience the Invoice Price shown on the Yahoo Auto is different (much lower) than the price actually given by the dealer

Answer 1

Some dealers will show you actual invoice prices, some won't.

However, the invoice prices you find on the Internet, such as Edmunds.com and Yahoo Autos, are generally accurate -- to a point.

They will not contain some additional costs that the dealer considers part of his invoice costs, such as regional and national advertising costs, which can be a few hundred dollars or more. Edmunds and Yahoo can't include these costs because they vary by region and even by dealer and are charged to the dealer by a regional dealer's association, not the car maker.

In some cases, the dealer's distributor may add some charges, such as those added by Southeast Toyota to cars sold by Toyota dealers in the Southeast U.S.

Furthermore, the invoice cost of dealer-added or distributor-added equipment won't show up on Edmunds or Yahoo.

In short, a dealer's actual cost will nearly always be higher than the manufacturer-only invoice price you find on the Internet.

Answer 2

A legit dealer should be willing to show you the invoice, not just scribble the price on a sheet of paper. It's not a secret. Go to edmunds.com and print out the invoice. Then ask the dealer. If he doesn't show you the invoice sheet, and instead just scribbles a number down, and the numbers are different, present your numbers and ask why the discrepancy. Then ask again to see the invoice. If they continue to not show you, get outta there.

You can even call ahead and ask the salesperson to have the invoice ready for you. Keep in mind that invoice IS what the dealer pays for the car and that, as a good consumer, you should allow the dealership to make a fair profit. Be prepared to offer to purchase the car a little above invoice, say 1-3%. That's a fair deal for you.

But if they give you some BS why they can't produce the invoice, go to the next dealer. In any big town there's competing dealers. One of 'em will show you the invoice, no problem.

Good luck

Answer 3

You can ask, but it's a waste of time. Various dealer incentives and bonuses will add to the dealer's profit in spite of what the 'invoice' says. Use Consumer report's service or edmunds.com to build the invoice of the car you want. If the only cars the dealer has are loaded with unwanted stuff, just ignore whatever these options add to his 'invoice' and base your offer on the invoice of the car you want. Just be ready to walk out (slowly), if the dealer won't negotiate to your desired price. You can always buy it elsewhere, or you can come back. Go shopping at the end of the month when the salesman is getting nervous about making quota. When he says " I'll have to check with my manager, while he 'checks', leave his desk and have a long, slow pee in the bathroom. Comb you hair, admire your handsome face in the mirror and return at a slow saunter. Before he can say anything, ask if there's a soda machine, as you could use a coke or a cup of coffee. Then slowly go and get a drink, while he ponders whether or not to lower his price.

Answer 4

Some dealers just won't do it.

Others will. I have seen dozens of invoices (but then, that's what I do -- put people in contact with fleet managers). Even so, I've never seen an actual BMW invoice.

Do your homework -- go to http://www.edmunds.com/ or http://www.kbb.com/home.html and find out what they say the invoice is. Then you can tell the dealer how much over invoice you think they are offering. THEN, if they tell you that's not the true invoice price, you just tell them to prove it! Show me the real invoice!

The reason the actual invoice is often higher than the Yahoo Auto (or KBB or Edmunds) price is that there are advertising costs and other stuff that add to it that those sites do not include.

Answer 5

You can always ask, but that doesn't mean they have to show it to you. The car business is a profit business. People have this idea that they are getting cheated if they don't "steal" the car from the dealer. On the average a car deal only makes 7% profit. Amazing that people argue about such a small amount. No one seems to have a problem paying 125% profit at a clothing store, or 300% at the jewelry store. Even WalMart averages 62% profit.

The point -- don't think you are entitled to buy the car for what the dealer owns it for. He is entitled to make a profit, and the salesman is entitled to make his commission, which contrary to popular belief is not a great deal of money per car.

Answer 6

You can ask and they can show or they don't have to show you. The thing to remember when you are buying a car and want it below invoice is....
the salesperson has to feed their family and the utilities and rent have to be paid.

You don't have to buy the car but try to keep in mind that they are not always out to rip your head off....

Do you get to ask the store what they paid for the shirt you are buying or the drug manufacturer how much they paid to make the pill that they are overcharging you for??

BUT - to answer your question - unless you are the buyer of the car from the manufacturer you can not see what they actually paid for the car. Even the invoice they have and keep on file is not actually what they have to pay for the car.

Answer 7

Go to www.edmunds.com, you can do your research there to find outall the info you ever wanted to know about any type of vehicle and some good methods for negotiation.

Good luck, I hate buyinhg a car because I hate dealing with car sales people. Unfortunately, I will have to be in the market for a new one in a few months. I am trying to get everything I can out of my current car.