How to structure your offer...

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Smith [mailto:besmith3@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, July 07, 2008 2:21 AM
To: Margaret
Subject: Christian Car Buying Ministry serving you- How to structure your offer...

Once you identify the vehicle email me the details and I'll be happy to assist you in structuring your offer. Yes! It is your prerogative to ask the dealer if you can have your "AAA" certified mechanic inspect the vehicle you're planning to purchase. They will usually tell you it's been checked out by their mechanic before it was put on the lot unless they have something to hide they shouldn't have a problem with it. This is something you could ask before you make an appointment to visit the dealership.

Basically with the information I provided in the previous email you can confirm\check their selling price against the Kelly Blue Book selling price for that vehicle with the same mileage and equipment. If the dealers in line with the KBB pricing guideline and the mileage isn't extreme for that year vehicle (Average 12-15k miles per year) and your mechanic can confirm it's overall condition you have all the ingredients for a "Fair Deal".

Note: With imports VS domestic you can be more flexible with the mileage requirements because of the manufacturers proven track record for reliability, safety, and durability . I.e. with proper care and routine scheduled maintenance per the owners manual it's not uncommon for one to get 200-300k plus miles on certain imports VS half that for domestic brands.

As far as negotiating on a used vehicle it's hard to determine exactly what the dealer paid the seller therefore most people use KBB as a retail barometer for fair pricing.

Since you don't know exactly how much "Wiggle Room" you actually have to negotiate on a used vehicle this is where negotiating can become very stressful. If you notice that their not in line with KBB you can test the waters by making an opening offer $1,700 below their asking price. If they want to earn your business they'll usually counter with a higher offer.

Basically a simple way of submitting your offer consists of stating your OTD pricing parameters in your "Declaration to buy" i.e. " "Margaret agrees to buy and drive vehicle Yr/Make/Model VIN# today for $XX,XXX.00 OTD."
(Out The Door means your price includes Tax, License, Fees).

Your signature on this hand written "Declaration to buy" let's the dealer know that you want to do business with them providing they demonstrate their willingness to earn your business" by meeting your aforementioned terms as a "Contingency of the sale".


The questions you should ask yourself include but are not limited to the following:

"Compared to what I've seen do I really like this particular vehicle?"
"Based on my budget\product research is their asking price a "Fair Deal?"
"Am I prepared to walk away if they refuse to meet my OTD price?"
"Do I have time to shop around and investigate other units for sale?"

How to invoke the "Power of Silence" P.O.S -

Simply stated your "Declaration to buy and drive" will be: