My car was totaled 2 days ago and I only have a few days left to buy a new vehicle before my rental car coverage runs out.

I've been doing as much research as humanly possible and have shortlisted the CX-5 GT AWD 2017 or 2019 (CPO) or a new 2020 or 2021.

I am about to do the "email every dealer on the planet" process to ask for OTD pricing to try and get the best deal but I'm not sure the best way to approach the dealers and what my target price point should reasonably be for each of the above models.

Can anyone please tell me the following:

1. Should I email each dealer and ask what the best price they can do "all in" or OTD for each of the models I am looking for and only let them know my budget after their response? Or should I reach out to each dealer and tell them what I'm able to spend and ask if they have anything that can match this? What is the best way to go about this process?

2. For the 2017, 2020 or 2021, what are good prices I should accept?

3. Are the models I am looking for the best choices for CX5's? If anyone recommend a different year I am more than open to this as well.

I could probably find out these answers on my own if I had a little more time but having my car totaled was obviously not planned and has left me in a tight spot time-wise to get a new car. THANK YOU in advance to anyone that reads this and is able to provide any helpful guidance or suggestions.

 

I really can’t answer your questions, but are you really on such a tight timeline? You are about to commit to tens of thousands of dollars on a new vehicle - yet you are afraid to spend a couple hundred dollars on a rental car until you can make a well-informed decision? My suggestion is to take a little of the pressure off yourself so you don’t regret your decision at a later time, rent another car for a few days.

 

I was looking too on a short fuse and what they are asking for used (based on the used car market being ridiculous) you could buy new so new was a no brainer!

 

These are my thoughts exactly. By not waiting a little longer you can be buying the wrong car at the wrong price or the right car at the wrong price, etc. Besides price, what about dealer experience? If I had to do it over again, I would have bought mine at another dealer. You need to relax, spend some time researching and driving the car, find out which level of amenities you want in the car, check your budget and then make a decision. The extra hundred or two for the rental car would be a wise "investment" for getting the car you will be happy with. Remember, when buying or leasing the car, YOU want to be in the driver's seat (no pun intended) not the dealer.

 

Well said!

 

Renting a car unless you go to a participating Toyoto dealership(very reasonable weekly rates ) that offers the rental program is out of this world. *Refer to many articles and news reports what COVID did to the rental car market.
I might suggest to check into CARMax there are three in NY. You might be able to use there buy and return policy to your advantage?

Asking for the the best price via anything but a personal visit and negotiation and with a total check in hand for what you will pay for a car NEVER works out for the customer!!!! You all that have sold new and used cars at dealerships know exactly what I am talking about!


*one of dozens of article's on the subbject!
https://www.realsimple.com/work-life...e-so-expensive

 

Would go with a new 2021. Just my two cents.

 

I have found, during all of my research, you can actually buy new and pay less than used based on the craziness of the used car market.

 

Available today in New York. Rates are for one week of basic transportation.

 

I began looking some months back for a CX-5. Chose a pampered, one-owner 2016.5 CX-5 GT, myself. Cost me less than half the price of a new model. If open to pre-owned, I suspect you'll be able to do much the same on a 2017 model. Though, in the past 6mos pre-owned availability has become much tighter and prices have gone up a bit.

Regarding how to track down a few promising possibilities, on pre-owned, you might try Cars.com. Even new examples from dealers show up, on those two sources. I've purchased a couple of cars that way, and have found each time a seller with fair pricing and with the features I want. Of course, on your rushed timeline, perhaps local or regional dealerships would be preferable. Some dealers have quite an inventory of this-year and prior-year vehicles on the lot.

If nothing else, poking about on Cars.com and AutoTrader might give you a good idea of current price ranges for certain vintages and combinations, so that if you contact dealers directly you'll have a good idea of reasonable max-pricing to ask for.

1. Contact process -- Hard to say what the best process might be, for you. I've found speaking with someone on the telephone or in person gets better response, than a fairly arm's-length email. JMO. I'd suggest coming with a good idea of fair and reasonable value for the models you're considering. "Low-ballers" don't ever seem to get good responses, particularly via email. Something to keep in mind.

2. Prices for 2017, 2020 or 2021 -- A brief survey of offerings through Cars.com and AutoTrader might give you a rough idea, and even better if then combined with pricing from several of your regional dealerships.

A quick check of regional (my area) of 2021 CX-5 GT pricing shows ~$35K is commonplace. A quick scan of Cars.com and AutoTrader show that 2017 models with <50Kmi seem to be averaging ~$18-20K or so, depending on features, with 2020 GT examples averaging ~$24-25K, depending.

For fastest response on acquiring a car, I'm sure that one of your regional dealerships would be the quickest path. Check their inventories, via their online listings. Think hard on an offer price you might suggest, before contacting them. I might try a couple $thousand off the listed retail price, for starters. You might ask the dealerships if they've got a CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) example available, which you'd likely get for many $thousands less than new. With a half-dozen dealerships in the region, you might find a handful of such examples available. Might be a way to get nearly-new, without the new retail price. Paying cash, you might be able to negotiate another $thousand off, just for the simplicity of it to the seller.

Good luck on finding your new ride.