In the 2 weeks or so leading up to my visiting my local dealer to buy a new car back in early 2007, I was following its inventory through its website. I noticed cars coming in and going out but there was one car I wanted, a low-end Corolla (CE), which seemed to be "stuck" there.
I then made my move and finding some time between my part-time work schedule, some bad weather, and other pressing issues, I went to the dealer. I was armed with dealer cost printouts I had bought from Consumer Reports and had a rough idea of what I wanted for my 15-year-old car which was basically dying. I had also reread an old book I bought about how to deal with the car dealer and read the advice in the Consumer Reports papers.
I went for a test drive in my chosen car which, I was told, was supposed to be sold until the buyer had to pull out of the deal. There was a second sticker on the car which included some costly, overpriced dealer add-ons totaling well over $1,000. I told the salesman I wasn't going to pay for them, except for a small amount for one which was useful and would save me money on my insurance.
We haggled very ittle until we agreed on a price to my liking. Similar to how we tell would-be ERs to start with their expenses and work their way up, instead of income and working their way down, I started with the lesser dealer cost, not the higher sticker price.
The car salesman told me they were eager to sell their cars quickly because the dealership was going to be taken over by a larger conglomerate. It seemed a little far-fetched but he pointed out how they had stopped advertising in local media the last few weeks. And he was right, a week or so after I bought my car, the dealership had its new name. And I had my new car, a 2007 Corolla, which I still own today and has been working fine with very few problems.
One thing that old book I bought back in 1991 said about when to visit a car dealer was to visit during bad weather because they get few people coming in. While I didn't go in during a snowstorm, it was just after one and there was still plenty of snow and ice on the ground. It was tough walking through the dealer's lot just to get to my car.