Success Story: David Lott

We regularly receive comments and emails from CarEdge members in which they share how they use our solutions to help secure an excellent car deal. We like to highlight these stories to inspire other members like yourself!

Today, let’s take a look at the experience of our member, Dave Lott. We’ll talk about the deal he received, how he managed to make it happen, and his unique experience in the F&I office.

Background: A Knowledgeable Buyer

Dave’s email shows that he has been thoroughly paying attention to everything that we have to share! He was after a 2021 Honda Pilot EX-L, which isn’t a rare vehicle (even amidst the ongoing chip shortage), so he secured quotes from two competing dealerships.

With both quotes in hand, he began negotiations. Let’s see what happened when he went to the dealership that offered him the best deal.

At the Dealership: A Steep Discount

Once he arrived at the dealership, he wasted no time negotiating. Dave was well aware of the microchip shortage and was concerned that it might impact his ability to get a steep discount.

Thanks to his insider knowledge from CarEdge, Dave was able to secure a selling price that was 14% below MSRP, with the final out-the-door price 6.5% below MSRP. We’re quite thrilled to hear that Dave was able to secure such an excellent discount especially amidst these market conditions. It’s worth calling out the reason why Dave was able to get this dealer to come down on price as much as they did: he had a second dealer’s quote. We highly recommend (especially for new vehicles) getting two quotes from two dealerships and having them compete for your business. That’s what Dave did.

We’re also impressed that Dave got the dealership to include a complimentary three-year maintenance plan, with four of the oil changes upgraded to fully synthetic oil.

Dave told us that because he got such a great deal, he was worried that once he got to the F&I office, he would be hard-sold. Let’s see what actually ended up happening.

In the F&I Office: Just Say No

When a typical customer gets to the F&I office, it’s simply another round of negotiations and sales attempts from the F&I Manager. For Dave, the F&I Manager pulled out “the menu” filled with add-ons and simply asked, “Do I need to go over any of this with you?” Dave replied with a simple “No,” and they proceeded to the actual financing.

That is a testament to how knowledgeable the dealership staff knew Dave was!

When all is said and done, Dave walked out of the dealership with an out-the-door price that was 6.5% below MSRP with a 0% APR for 60 months financing — well done, Dave! We love to see CarEdge members getting great deals with the knowledge they’ve learned from our team! Thank you for sharing your story with us, Dave!