If you’ve been eyeing a pickup truck but the sticker price leaves you faint, take heart. There is a way to buy a new pickup truck without paying full price. Pickups have accounted for 50% of vehicle sales for years, but sales are sagging as consumers prefer the convenience of crossovers and SUVs. You can take advantage of soft sales to get better prices on a truck. If you are willing to be flexible in your truck manufacturer, you can potentially save even more money by looking at less popular brands. We’ll take a look at how to buy a truck without paying full price.
pexels.com
Who Leads in Mid-Sized Pickup Sales?
The leader in truck sales is the Ford F-series, followed by the Chevy Silverado and Ram trucks. However, two trucks, the Toyota Tacoma and the Chevrolet Colorado are booming in popularity. Each have a 25% increase in sales from 2017 to 2018. It’s going to be harder to get discounts on these models, so consider GMC, Honda, and Nissan trucks for the best discounts. If your heart is set on one of the big three, you can use the others brands to your advantage as you negotiate prices.
Negotiating Your Best Deal
Buying a truck and getting a good deal takes a homework. Start online. Read reviews, compare important features. Known what the MSRP, invoice price, and average transaction prices are. You want to pay between the invoice and the average price.
Next, check out rebates and offers. Always pick the one that will save you the most money over the long run. Get a “soft” quote from your financial institution for how much you can borrow and at what interest rate. Don’t have them do a “hard pull” as it will lower your credit rating for a few months. You can compare that loan with the financing the dealership is offering. If math isn’t your strong point, there are good online calculators that can help.
You can search online for a truck that meets all your desires. You may be able to find one at another dealership who will give you better terms. If you are making on offer in person, try shopping at the end of the month, when dealers have quotas to make and go in toward the end of the working day on Friday to take advantage of dealers wanting to start their weekend.
Write down what you want and what you have researched. There’s a reason salespeople don’t like prepared buyers! It’s harder to distract them with features and colors.
Warring Dealerships
The competition between brands and even same brand dealerships can benefit you. If you live in an area with multiple dealerships for your chosen truck and each one has a truck you like, see who will give you a better deal. They want to sell the one on their lot!
In order to beat the competition, dealerships are offering huge discounts, more financing options and special sales through the year. Use those to your advantage – but always read the fine print on the dealership website. Some of those discounts are only for specific vehicles!
What Sort of Discounts are Out There?
Keep in mind that all these discounts come with conditions. You may be able to purchase an “older” model for far less as well, so don’t discount last year’s brand-new truck that that been whiling away on the lot.
Ford Motor Co.
The ever-popular F-series ranges from the 150 to the workhorse 350. The base models are nice enough, but these trucks come with serious bells and whistles as you move up the styles.
There are offers that include discounts for students, military, first responders, and brand loyalty. Some can be combined, others are stand-alone. Ford Motor offers financing that is competitive to or better than most banks or credit unions.
Ram
Ram trucks, the Fiat-Dodge truck offerings, are well-known for their durability and performance. Ram offers incentives on their work trucks – those meant to be more than fancy cars.
They offer terrific incentives for military, lease holders, and even for people with sub-prime FICO scores. Chrysler Capital is offering excellent rates, with as little as 0% for 36 months.
Chevrolet
Chevy trucks include the super popular Silverado and Colorado. Chevy offers a variety of offers for loyalty and leases. As of early 2019, the Colorado has an amazing 0% financing for 36-72 months.
How Do I Find These Deals?
Do your homework by searching reputable sites. Write down what you want. Negotiate firmly. And don’t be afraid to walk away. Dealers desperate to make a deal will offer you even better incentives to come back.
