In the UK there are websites that automate this for you such as https://www.carwow.co.uk/new-car-deals

Could be a good business idea if this doesn't exist in the US

How did you handle the extra fees and charges that appeared on the final paperwork and that had never been discussed?

I would have walked out. But the emails I sent always made it clear I am only discussing total price, inclusive of everything. The few that were not able to clearly respond to my emails, I ignored.

I have only bought 2 cars in my life, the same way, so my data set is not extensive. But I did get the idea from reading about it on forums, so I presume others are getting it done the same way.

Actually, Costco has a program where the total out the door car price is set and non negotiable and I would assume the dealer would not want to screw you as that could cause you to report them to Costco and then Costco to sever ties with them.

What I did is start at the Costco price and email a bunch of dealers and let them know I am interested if anyone wants to beat that price.

How did you find out the Costco price? I tried this and it only told me the dealer who was their designated Costco liason, but, absurdly, wouldn't show me the price.

Yes, the dealer contracted with Costco has to give you the price, but I believe the benefit is that the dealer will not yank you around with various options and up charges or last minute surprises. They should be able to email you an out the door price per whatever agreement they have with Costco and you should be able to shop that around at other dealers.

Of course, this may have changed due to recent circumstances.

Ask for “out the door price”. It makes it an apples to apples comparison. For my last car, 30 minutes of phone calls to the “online sales manager” pretty much zeroed in on the lowest price I would get in my area, and this matched the KBB forum prices I was seeing.

Or… just by a Tesla. I hate that I am a fanboy, but I am. Great sales process, great car.

Bingo. I thought I finally had the procedure down last time around. I found similar models, sent them my terms over email, and let them know I wouldn't put up with games and would walk the minute I detected any BS.

Several dealers seemed to know the type of customer they were dealing with, and for the most part, played things straight.

A month or two later when I was reviewing my account on the credit company's site, I discovered some sort of financing charge for $1500. I have no idea how they managed to slip it in - maybe I could have got it removed if I complained. But at that point, the sale was made and the creditor would blame the dealer, the dealer would blame the creditor, and it wasn't worth the fight.

They just cannot be trusted - it's inherent in their business model and how the various teams (sales, financing, etc) all earn their commissions.

…$1,500 is not worth the fight? All you have to do is ask them to prove where you agreed to it. You either missed it when you signed the paperwork, or they are stealing from you.

> All you have to do is ask them to prove where you agreed to it.

I'm sure I did "agree to it"... on page 18, paragraph 3, subsection 4 - right there in the 6pt font where it states I understand I'm liable for applicable dealer-financing surcharges, etc. which can be applied at some later date.

The big dealerships have learned to cut out the bullshit. They make money on volume, turning cars off the lot quickly, rather than trying to maximize profit on each sale individually.