College Applications

Understanding The New Car Invoice Cost

New car dealers buy their vehicles from the manufacturers, paying the new car invoice price, which is essentially the wholesale price on a new car. The dealers then sell their vehicles to the public at higher retail prices, usually close to the sticker price. So car buyers who want a great deal must first learn the new car invoice prices before they start negotiating. Although it may seem like a mystical figure to most, it could be uncovered. When a client does some comparison shopping they will see that there is a often a big difference between dealerships’ asking and selling prices. Because this difference exists, one must search for the wholesale cost in order to save money. The wholesale cost the dealer pays to the manufacturer is the same across the board, meaning that Dealer A pays the same price as Dealer B for the same vehicle. However, there are further costs added to the new car invoice price that the dealer must pay, such as the transportation and delivery fee. However, this number is the same regardless of the location of the dealer. This figure is just tacked on to the individual cost of the vehicle that is passed on to the consumer. Where things change from one dealer to the next is the financing that dealers take out directly from the manufacturer to pay for their vehicle purchases. They must pay interest on this financing.
It is quite easy to do the math, meaning if a car sells quickly then there are minimal interest charges. However, if the car sits on the lot for an extended time, its costs add up. These loans are known as floorplans and in addition to these, there are also other fees known as holdback. After the vehicle is sold, the holdback fees are rebated back to the dealer by the manufacturer. In addition to the above charges, there could be advertising fees added onto the invoice price. These fees can come directly from the dealership or from a regional dealer group. After having pointed out all these various added charges and fees, the consumer has to figure out a way to purchase a brand new vehicle below the wholesale cost. The consumer should always be prepared to act and act quickly when opportunities arise, such as with a slowdown of sales. Car manufacturers will do all in their power to push out vehicles sitting on dealers’ lots because they end up losing more money. It is simple math that a dealer will not order new vehicles if his lot is full. So the manufacturers usually step in to provide incentives in order to push more sales. These incentives come in a variety of ways, such as rebates, interest free loans, reduced lease rates and other deals under this umbrella. It is important to explain that consumers must be reasonable when expecting to purchase below the invoice price. If there is no help coming from the manufacturer, it just isn’t possible because this really is a combined effort. Consumers who miss out on a temporary incentive should know that these programs are often followed by new programs that might be even better.