The Luimi

In the new car business, dealerships purchase their vehicles at the new car invoice price and then mark them up to what is known as the sticker price in order to sell them to the public. This is why it is important for car shoppers to know the new car invoice prices in order to get the best deals on new vehicles. This actual figure seems to be quite mystical to the general public as well as to employees of the dealership. Only the owners really know exactly what they paid for each vehicle at the wholesale level. However, when shopping around for the best deal, we find that one dealership may quote a particular price, then a completely different price will be quoted at the next dealer. To begin with, every dealer pays the same amount to the manufacturer for the same vehicle. The numbers change with the added charges and fees that are tacked on to each dealer, like delivery fees and transportation charges, all of which increase the invoice price. No matter where the dealership is located with regards to distance from the manufacturer, each one pays the same amount for delivery. These fees are simply added on at the retail level. An interesting fact is that most dealers will order vehicles from the manufacturer with borrowed funds whereby they are responsible to pay interest on those loans.
Floorplan is the term used in the industry to describe such financing to dealers. If a vehicle sells quickly, there will be less interest to pay, thereby reducing expenses so the dealer makes a bigger profit. What is commonly referred to as holdback is where the dealer gets a rebate from the manufacturer after the vehicle sells. Dealer advertising is another charge that is tacked onto the invoice, whether these are direct advertising campaigns from the dealer or from a regional organization of dealers. Now that all that is said and done, you have to figure out how to buy a new car below the invoice price. One way to do that is through taking advantage of slow car sales where there is a buildup of inventory on a lot. It certainly is not the ideal situation, for both the dealers and the automobile manufacturing company. If there is an abundance of inventory on a lot, the dealer simply won’t order more vehicles. Therefore, in order to be profitable and move their inventory along, the manufacturers provide incentives to both dealers and consumers. We have all heard of the various incentives they offer, like zero percent financing, low lease rates, rebates, etc. New car dealers can only have these special sales when the manufacturer steps in. Therefore, a consumer cannot expect to purchase below the invoice price if incentives are not in place. They are expected at some time throughout each year, and they have expiration dates. When one ends, a new program may begin in order to do away with the old and bring in the new.