How to Find The Best Deal

New car buyers are often uneasy. There is a nagging fear they will be had when they finally sit down to negotiate with their local dealer.

The first step to getting a great deal is to know what your new car is worth - and there are plenty of automotive research websites that will tell you. In the end however, you still have to sit down and negotiate with the dealer and play their same old dealer games.

Fortunately a new website has come online that will help turn the tables in your favor. At AutoBidsOnline.com, you can get invoice pricing, MSRP, rebates and other incentives for virtually any make and model car. But unlike the other sites, AutoBidsOnline is designed to keep your personal contact information completely private.

The other sites? Their goal is to capture your information and sell it to as many dealers as possible. How does that sound?

But perhaps the best thing about AutoBidsOnline is it will allow you to negotiate the price of your next new car completely online.

Once you have decided which trim style, options and color best meet your needs, you can submit an anonymous Buy Bid which will be distributed to the AutoBidsOnline Dealer Network.

In what is essentially a Reverse Auction, dealers compete to accept your bid. They may of course counter your bid but they are incented to accept your offer as quickly as possible because if they don’t, someone else might.

On the other sites, you enter your personal information in addition to the specifications of the car you want. This information is then sold to their dealer network and you start to receive phone calls and automated emails trying to get you to come to multiple dealerships.

You already know the car you want, you already know what it is worth, why waste your time going to the dealership?

Of course, you will also likely need financing. If so, check out all of your options ahead of time. Contact your local banks and credit unions. Call an independent leasing company like D&M Leasing in Texas. Shop around for the best terms and the best rates.

Lastly, you should have a realistic idea about the value of your trade. You will likely come out ahead if you choose to sell it yourself but you should always take it to CarMax for their free, no-pressure appraisal.

If you decide to trade it directly with your dealer, you should honestly assess its condition. Owners tend to think their vehicle is Extra Clean when it is likely just Average. Depending on your vehicle, this can be as much as a $2,000 difference.

Finally, you should be aware of the costs a dealer may incur after your trade. Reconditioning it for sale sometimes includes replacing the tires an oil change and a tune-up. It almost always includes a complete detail. And if the dealer cannot sell it on his used car lot? He must pay to send it to auction and assume the risk it may be worth less 60 days from now.

The bottom line is get your ducks in a row. Know what your new car is really worth, arrange for financing that meets your needs and credit and try to sell your trade to CarMax or a private party.

Do all of these things ahead of time and you will certainly find that you have gotten a great deal.