Car Shopping - How to figure out factory to dealer incentives?

quote:

---

How to figure out factory to dealer incentives?

---

Keyword. Factory to Dealer. Not factory to customer. Not being a smartass; just saying; they are sometimes hard to find.

I can tell you Honda's....

When it comes to buying cars, people worry far too much about rebates, incentives, etc. - there is only one way to get the best deal possible: shop around with as many dealers as you can.
I had to buy one of my sons a car this past weekend, and I needed to do it locally and do it quickly. There are multiple rebates floating around right now (military, college grad, uber driver, etc). I went to the first dealer (shopping for a '17 Hyundai SE, auto, w/popular equipment package). The first dealer ended up around $2,100 off sticker after the factory rebate and dealer discount. That was the best he could do unless we qualified for any of the other rebates. Checked with 2 other dealers and they were all within $200 of that price, and none of them could do any better. Pulled a price out of my arse, and they all hemmed and hawed about "if you can get that deal, good luck and buy the car from that dealer." Within 6 hours I bought the car for $3,200 off sticker, which was over $500 less than TrueCar's expected value.
If I could have shopped a 500 mile radius like I normally do, I could have found an even better deal. I was limited by the circumstances at hand. But people need to get rid of the mentality that revolves around trying to find out what the best price is based on what internet car sites say and what they can find out about rebates and incentives. The ONLY way in my mind to get the best deal is to FIND the best deal with due diligence. There is always a dealer out there who has a particular set of circumstances that will allow them to beat any other deal around. If you limit yourself to one car at one dealer, you're screwed. Someone, somewhere, usually has that same car available (usually many dealers) and will give you a much better price. On my Jag, I found a deal that was $6,000 better than the "next best" deal I could find in a 500 mile radius. On my Vette I found a deal around $5,500 better in Texas and Atlanta than any of the local dealers would give me. You HAVE to shop multiple dealers and be willing to travel to get the best deal if you truly want a deal.

ETA: I just browsed the "Will Cover" method...did not read the whole thread. It's great for negotiating with one dealer, but anyone who deals with one dealer is foolish. If you play several dealers against each other, you don't even have to use tactics. Dealers will continue to beat each other's deals until they can't any longer.

assume you are shopping for a Honda? what difference does a factory to dealer incentive make to you? you are going to make the dealer an offer and he is going to either accept it or counter.