Thanks for that info.in regard to add ons, I'm never clear on exactly what a particular trim level includes as standard items and which additional items can be added and at what cost. What's the difference between the terms MSRP and "invoice" ? Is invoice the price you might negotiate down to plus tax, title , etc?
On another thread on this forum I was reading that people had gotten a price as much as 2-3 thousand under MSRP...is that or react ? You can find the thread as some thing like "what did you pay for your Subaru " or something like that.
In basic terms, Invoice is the price you can expect the dealer paid for the vehicle. MSRP is obviously the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price.
These are the two basic monetary numbers you would want to know before attempting to buy a NEW vehicle if you plan to haggle and attempt a better deal. First, never pay MSRP. If you do then you probably just got screwed. Second, Invoice is not exactly what the dealer paid because of manufacture to dealer rebates or incentives to dealers that are not available to you. These actually allow dealers to purchase the vehicle below invoice. This is how you are able to buy a vehicle below invoice, if the dealer chooses to pass some of the savings along to the buyer. It is very difficult to figure out exactly how much a dealer will have in the vehicle but, that's not important. Just remember that they will typically never have more than invoice invested in the vehicle.
Edmunds.com is a good place to start to research with their TMV or True Market Value. This allows you to get an idea of what the invoice price, MSRP price, and an average price real buyers in your region are actually paying for a particular car. You can use the TMV to help negotiate a better price at time of purchase. Truecar.com is another useful site. They provide all the info as edmunds.com but take it a step further and allow you to actually purchase a vehicle at a discounted price. This might not be a bad way to purchase a vehicle if you don't like to haggle or are not experienced at purchasing a car. It allows you and the dealer to get a FAIR deal, which ultimately should be your end goal. Remember though, if Truecar.com doesn't have your preferred dealer listed just print out the coupon for the other dealer and bring it to your dealer and ask them to match it.
After you learn this I suggest you educate yourself on vehicle financing before you go to the dealer, you can get screwed even worse. Good Luck!