The showroom is designed to work against you. Comfortable chairs, friendly faces, and a carefully engineered process all serve one purpose: keeping you in the building until you sign. The longer you're there, the more time-invested you feel, and the harder it becomes to walk away.
Negotiating remotely — by email, phone, or through a platform like AutoAnon — removes all of that. You have unlimited time to think, you can compare multiple offers side by side, and you can walk away from any deal with zero social cost. Here's how to do it right.
The internet sales department is your entry point
Every dealership has an internet sales team — sometimes called the fleet department or the BDC (Business Development Centre). These salespeople handle buyers who are comparison shopping and tend to be more direct about pricing than floor salespeople, because they know their job is to get you to commit before you visit.
When you contact a dealer by email or through their website, ask specifically to work with the internet sales manager. State clearly that you're comparing offers from multiple dealers and will make a decision within a specific timeframe (real or approximate). This sets the competitive context that produces serious offers.
The email that gets real prices
A clear, specific email request gets better responses than a vague one. Here's a template that works: 'I'm looking to purchase a [Year] [Make] [Model] [Trim], [new/used], in [colour preference if any]. I'm comparing offers from several dealers in [metro area] and plan to make a decision by [date]. Please send me your best out-the-door price — including vehicle price, your dealer fee, and applicable taxes — for a vehicle you currently have in stock or can source. I won't need financing through the dealership.'
The 'I won't need financing through the dealership' line is important: it signals you're a straightforward deal, removes the F&I profit opportunity, and produces a purer price response. You can always use dealer financing later if they offer a competitive rate — but removing it from the initial ask clarifies the price negotiation.
How to handle the 'come in and we'll talk' response
Many dealers will respond to your price request with an invitation to visit rather than a number. This is a tactic — they want to get you in the door where the showroom environment works in their favour.
A polite, firm response: 'I appreciate the invitation. I'm comparing offers from several dealers right now, and I need to do that by email before visiting anyone. If you can send me an out-the-door price for [specific vehicle], I'll include your offer in my comparison. If that's not something you can do remotely, I understand — but I'll need to work with dealers who can.'
Most dealers will come around. The ones who absolutely can't quote without a showroom visit are telling you something about their process — and about how the eventual negotiation will go.
Using competing offers as leverage
Once you have two or more real quotes, you have leverage. Go to the dealer you'd actually prefer to buy from — the one with the vehicle you want, the best reputation, or the most convenient location — and let them know you have competing offers and are ready to buy today if they can match or beat your best number.
You don't need to disclose the exact competing price. You can simply say: 'I have a firm out-the-door quote from another dealer that I'm prepared to accept. Before I do, I wanted to give you the opportunity to make it work. Can you do [X]?'
This creates urgency and competition simultaneously, without requiring you to reveal all your cards. Dealers respond to buyers who are clearly ready to transact.
The final step: lock it in writing before you visit
Before you drive to any dealership, get the agreed price in writing — a buyer's order or signed purchase agreement that shows the out-the-door breakdown. This prevents the deal from changing when you arrive ('I'm sorry, that vehicle was sold this morning, but we have this one...' is a real tactic).
A legitimate dealer will have no objection to sending you a buyer's order before you visit. One who resists doing so is planning to renegotiate when you're in the building.
Signing remotely and just picking up the vehicle is the cleanest outcome. It keeps the entire financial negotiation outside the showroom, and leaves only the pleasant part — driving your new car home.