Should car dealerships have the capability of negotiating via email or text?

Agree to a price before you go in. Tell them to kick rocks if they don’t want to make it convenient. They’re starting to hurt with all the inventory on the lot. They screwed us for the last couple years so let them suffer.

I don’t like to waste too much time with this process. I prefer to work with local dealers that I know and know me. I don’t engage with them before knowing what the fair market price is for that vehicle though. I prefer dealers that are local and may even already have a business relationship with my family - those always have a huge advantage all things being equal. I always make sure to give people in my network a fair shot.

I also don’t buy exotic cars or whatever the "it" vehicle is at the time. I admit that I get tempted by some Porches, but I will never buy anything exotic like that. And cars like Land Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW have a very bad reputation for requiring excessive maintenance as they age - and that costs time and money that I would rather not burn just to have that brand. My wife doesn't love my preference for domestic or Japanese vehicles - she really wanted a Range Rover last time, despite the domestic alternatives being substantially cheaper, more reliable, and easier to service locally.

My preference is to stick with reputable brands and models that have been in existence for a while. We tend to consider full sized GM trucks/SUVs, Toyotas, or maybe an Ford F-150 or Explorer.

I also never go for a new model immediately after a redesign even if they are from a mainstream domestic or Japanese brand. I don’t need the latest and greatest toy, and not having that need increases the likelihood that I can get a decent price without much effort or time commitment. This also has the added benefit of giving the manufacturer extra time to work out the bugs from their new models before we get them. That reduces the chance that we have to waste time taking the vehicle in for repairs.

Your results may vary, but here is my strategy:

- I spend a couple of hours test driving/narrowing down choices to one model. I do not do this at my preferred dealer and usually go to the next town over if I am already there for another reason (I may make an appointment to do this). Plenty of dealers around that post their inventory on internet so you can find the model/trim I might be interested in easily for test drive. I am not overly picky - all I am looking for in the test drive are red flags or issues that may indicate that the model isn’t right for me. Or maybe to check out new tech that I haven’t seen before. I also check to see if the dealer seems to be a complete shite show or not.

….If there are no red flags in the test drive….

- I spent 30-40 minutes researching a ballpark fair market price for that model with Edmunds and KBB, and identify any manufacturer incentives that may be available. I then request quotes from dealers out of town without tipping off my local preferred dealer - most manufacturer websites let you do this (be prepared for spam). I also send an RFQ email to the dealer where I test drove that model if they didn’t have any red flags. If they offer a particularly aggressive deal without playing the “come by to talk” bullshite, they get the opportunity to respond to my RFQ email. I request in the email not to contact me by phone and only by email, and suggest that they don’t waste time emailing me if they can’t produce a quote for the vehicle I’m looking for. I may counter offer via email to see how low I can get the price, but only to dealers that respect my time and communication preferences. I make it clear that I work for a living and they shouldn’t expect immediate responses.

- I take the information gathered in the above steps and establish a fair market price. I eventually email offers for cars that match my ideal build to my preferred dealer and to any dealer I’ve encountered in the above steps that were not trying to “play games”. I make sure that I send to dealers that I know won’t waste my time. In the Louisiana I like Maggio’s in New Roads, Price LeBlanc in Baton Rouge (except the Lexus dealer), and Courtesy in Breaux Bridge. But you may have another preferences.

- I am not in a hurry, and tell dealers in that offer email that I can wait for delivery for the one in my preferred color and trim level. If I’ve worked with that dealer in the past I direct the email to that specific salesman or employee. I give them the chance to agree to my price or counter. But by then I already know with a reasonable degree or certainty where they will be.

- I do not go to the dealer without a price and a estimated lead time for delivery. They won’t be able to tee up everything until a VIN exists, so if they have to order the car from the factory they won’t be able to do much ahead of time other than configure the build for me. I try to avoid ordering anything from the factory. Either way I make it clear that I want to handle as much of it via email as I can to minimize time at dealer. If they are trading with another dealer they can usually get all but 5-10 minutes of paperwork done well ahead of time.

- When it’s time for delivery, I do not go until the car is fully prepped. I look over the paint work for defects and test drive it. Then I sign the papers and go. Last time this step took less than 30 minutes including the paperwork.

It’s not a perfect process if you are looking for the lowest possible price. But this strategy minimizes my time commitment and helps me get an acceptable/fair deal. I don't have the coolest new EV, but I have what I consider to be good vehicles for our needs. They are comfortable, reliable, and get the job done.

Costco auto program ftw (most of the time).

I can't stand dealership bullshite, and I'll walk and report if they try it as an authorized Costco dealer.

I've never had any problem in finding one who would negotiate via email going all the way back to the mid 2000's. Some won't, most will in my experience. Bought three cars for myself and family where I just signed papers in an airport parking lot (short hops to other major metros where I got the best deal using miles) and was gone in 20 minutes or less. OP must be dealing with cajun rubes.

I can understand their reluctance.

How do they know you are not "the competition" tryying to find out their lowest price?

In most cases by simply googling your name. I’m not surprised that’s a little advanced for many auto salesmen, though.

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I highly doubt an offer made before you even come in will be the best offer.

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It won’t. I drove by a dealership on a Sunday and looked at vehicles. One had a “Sale” sticker with a sale price painted on the windshield. I emailed them on Monday and asked them about the truck and they emailed me their “best” price was $1,000 more than what they had painted on the windshield.

You just have to be open and honest with them. I told them immediately that I wasn't trading, I was paying cash, and I gave them my number and said I absolutely would not budge.

I MAYBE could have got another 1k off if I went in and did all the BS, but frick that.

I will never step foot in a dealership, other than to sign the paperwork, ever again.

I've had trouble getting Louisiana dealerships to give you an initial email or text quote. I've often had to get a quote from Houston. But as soon as you can get one to do it, then you can email it to the others and ask them to beat it. Then they start dealing.