Edmunds.com Offers Tips to Secure Internet Car Prices From the Showroom Floor

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — February 3, 2011 — Working with an Internet salesmen — instead of traditional sales staff at a car dealership — could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your next new car, according to a recent report published on Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information.

Phil Reed, senior consumer advice editor at Edmunds.com, walked into a Toyota dealership and requested to work directly with the Internet salesman (without disclosing his Edmunds.com affiliation.) When he asked for a price on a 2011 Sienna SE, the salesman offered to sell it for $500 over invoice. Reed then researched the car on his iPhone using the Edmunds.com car-buying app and found the True Market Value^® price was $1,037 over invoice. This meant that the salesman's offer was more than $500 below the average price other buyers pay. The deal was done less than an hour after Reed arrived at the dealership, and the car was scheduled for delivery the following week.

"When I asked what I would have paid if I went to the regular salespeople," Reed explained, "the Internet salesman said I saved 'at least' $1,000 since normally the deal would have gone through the finance and insurance office and the dealership would have pushed additional services."

To save money like Phil Reed did, he offers a few tips:

Schedule a test drive with the Internet manager. Say you won't be buying the car the same day.
Check TMV^® and download the Edmunds.com mobile car-buying app for easily accessible reference in the deal-making process.
Ask for a list of fees before buying the car and make sure that you're only paying for the car itself, local sales tax, and registry fees.
Request that the document preparation be handled by the Internet manager, not the finance and insurance office.

To read more about how to save money by working with an Internet salesman for your next new car, please visit Edmunds.com at http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/internet-prices-on-the-showroom-floor.html

About Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/index.html)

Edmunds publishes Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site and hosts the most established automotive community online. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.edmunds.com, makes car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and otherwise on the go. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.insideline.com, features the wireless Web's highest quality car photos and videos. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edmunds.

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