Good price for '16 Limited MT?
 

Long time listener, first time caller with a "am I getting a good deal/could it be better?" question.

A little backstory: My '06 Civic Si met its end on the freeway in 2012 (not my fault) and I replaced it with another Si at that time. The BRZ had just come out so it was going to be a wait to get one and the price was a little more than I wanted to spend then anyway.

Fast forward 4 years and I've got the BRZ itch again. I've always wanted one, but I think I'm finally ready to pull the trigger. I'm looking at a '16 DGM Limited MT and there's several of that exact one in my area. I've talked to a few dealers and the best internet price I've been quoted is $26,098 before taxes and fees. Factoring in a rough value on my trade-in brings it to $27,344 OTD. Tax is only on the difference after trade-in here.

Based on what I'm seeing online, this seems to be a good price, but I'm wondering if I should try to negotiate down a bit even though it already seems pretty low.

My question is two-fold: what has been your experience negotiating down from an internet price, which tend to be significantly below MSRP if not invoice, and is $26,098 a good price to pay considering the current BRZ market?

Good price can be a regional things so is hard to answer without some serious research. What they sell for within a 100 mile radius of where you live is really the only way to look at pricing. Sounds like you have done your due diligence so you may have already answered your own question.
Still never hurts to try to bargain though. You never know what they may do to sell it to you. Also keep in mind that if they won't bargain price they may be willing to talk options such as extended warranty, tint, snow tires, etc.

What is the MSRP on the BRZ? $26k sounds about right depending on what accessories were installed. The 2016 Limited 6MT I bought I got $2,500 off MSRP, which I felt was a good deal. I am in the Midwest though and it is winter so the market isn't exactly hot here right now.

The MSRP is $28,772. It has the chrome trim, rear bumper appliqué, wheel locks, and auto dimming mirror.

Considering the stock that I see available, the market seems pretty cool right now here in the Northwest as well. It's also the end of the month so I figure that works in my favor a bit too.

In 2013 I got an Frs for $20k OTD because someone drove it for a couple hundred miles over a weekend and returned it(two day "cooling off" policy lol). Thus making it "used". Killer deal but I had to fight tooth and nail with the dealership over what's considered "new" and how you define "sticker price".

Tl;DR: don't pay sticker price, that's the sucker price. Buy "used" and save on the depreciation. These are not high volume cars with tons of people lining up to buy, these are sold to enthusiast in a niche market, use that to your advantage.

Also all that dealer mark up crap can be removed if you're really persistent about it. They tried to tact on $500 for the scion film guard bullshit that was already installed, told them I'm not paying for it, take it off the bill and the car. Guess who still has the film guard bullshit and didn't pay for it? This guy.

Sales guys are SHARKS don't go easy on them. They are not your friends, they are not on your side. Don't listen to them, just read what's in print and evaluate.

Id say a good price on a '16 BRZ is 24-25k. Believe me, Wait till December and they'll be begging you to take it off the lot to make room😂

Invoice is about $2,000 off MSRP. $500 below invoice is fairly doable, $1,000 below invoice is a bit of a stretch, but I guarantee you dealer is going to be selling a new BRZ for $5,000 off MSRP, or roughly $3k under invoice.

Since they're asking $26,100, I'm thinking of counter offering $25,000 and then being willing to settle around the $25,600-$25,700 area. This would put the OTD price at about $26,800. My current car is fine so I'm willing to play the walk away card if necessary

This could be a regional thing(we have sunny winters lol), but I had no problem negotiating an offer that was well below (1-2k off)MSRP from both Subaru and Toyota without stepping foot in a dealership. Don't buy into the fluff they try to add, or the mark up hype, Don't let them "work" the numbers. Find a decent dealership that will talk straight numbers without all the "add-ons". I think 2-3k off MSRP is do-able in 2016, and I think with the right financial planning(down-payment,trade,good credit...ect) an invoice can be even lower. I waited till the end of November, got all my ducks in a row and pulled the trigger. But it just so happen I stumbled on one that was slightly "used" and invoiced well under MSRP.

Good luck. Report back.

If you really wanted a BRZ, you wouldn't be as concerned with how much you're getting the car off invoice.

At this point, the fact that you want the lowest possible just shows you still lack certainty in your decision and you are probably going to be selling the car as soon as you realize you pulled the trigger on the wrong car.

Edit: If you're getting the car for 26,098 the dealership will only be making a couple hundred dollars of profit. When an internet salesperson gives you the best price quote, they are knowledgeable enough to know that you are going around asking other dealerships too. They're trying to earn your business, so when you come in to their dealership interested in the car, they sure as heck know they may have quoted you the lowest price you received. So when you come in an ask for another $1100 off the quote, it could make them a little hostile and uncomfortable. It's not a smart move and you'll be inviting yourself into a bad sales experience. The experience goes both ways, and needs to be a mutual agreement.

This was my approach to getting my BRZ. I felt that the price agreed upon was enough for both parties to walk away satisfied; that I got a good deal and the dealer didn't take a loss.

You make a lot of fair points. I totally understand that they're running a business, not a charity. That being said, I am interested in getting the best deal I can. While I know that 25k is highly unlikely, I feel like I need to try to negotiate beyond the first number they come back with. Just like I can walk away if I don't feel a deal is good enough for me, they can stand firm at a price. Once that happens, I can make a decision about how I want to move forward.

I went to a dealer today that I've been in email contact with and had a chance to drive another BRZ and it only reaffirmed my decision to get one. They low balled me hard on my trade and while they ended up coming up a bit, it wasn't quite close enough to the values I'm seeing online.

Thank you to everyone on the input on my purchase decision so far. I look forward to joining the twins club very soon!

I've mentioned my purchase experience in other theads, but the interesting part was that I walked into the dealer and agreed to purchase a slightly used BRZ for an advertised price that I didn't try to bargain down. My weapon was having done lots of research online using, for example, cargurus.com. These websites vary, and some of my cohorts here may know bad stuff about some of them, but they can be very useful. My 9 month old, lightly driven jewel was on the lot five days when I phoned in a deposit and drove up to get acquainted. The price was acknowledged a bargain. A very friendly and respectful transaction. New cars are often listed as well.

But I remember as well, 30 years ago, an Audi dealer with pen poised in the air, asking me if I wanted pinstripes, or polyglycoat, or several other extras. I guess he didn't know I had already given the car a careful inspection in the lot and I knew the car had all that stuff already installed. Dishonest dealers used those tricks then, and many of them still do. Heed the warnings. :thumbsup: