Car Hunting In Maryland

Hey to all, I am located right outside of Ft. Meade Maryland and looking to purchase a car within the next 72 hours or so. I am not looking for anyone to do any research into the cars themselves but rather if anyone lives in Maryland and knows of sales at local dealers.

I know dealerships often sell very popular cars at 2-3k under msrp

I do have a little bit of criteria

- Under $16,000
- Four door
- New

My goal is to get one of those 18-20k cars for under 16k, as of right now the Mitsubishi Lancer and Kia Optima 2012 models are at the top of my list

If it helps I am a student, family is military. Thanks in advance!

All dealers treat every single person that walks through the door differently. They are very adept at sizing up their "prey" and screwing them over accordingly. I would suggest you leave that area (PG County) and come to Montgomery county. (I am in Mont County) Most people where you live are more interested in getting financing than a good deal on the car and this will hurt your chances of getting a better deal on the actual price of the car. Rockville Pike comes to mind as there are many dealerships on the Pike. Walk away from any salesman that starts giving you the price in "amount per month". Start at 20% under sticker and work your way from there. Also look to the Washington Post ads and buy the actual car in the ad as that is the loss leader that is available at the advertised price. These are your best deals.

Good Luck!

given your short time frame, at minimum, know what the published invoice price is of that car, and use that as your benchmark (i.e. if you can pay published "Invoice" price for a car, you are probably getting a fair deal.)

pricing on cars varies depending on how popular that car is, what's in stock at the time, and probably a whole host of other reasons.

dont be afraid to walk out of the dealership (politely)
don't be afraid to ask for invoice price

if you had more time, you can send emails to all the dealers in your area, asking for pricing on the vehicle you choose. (i would choose kia>mitisub, mostly because of better warranty on kia)

good luck, have fun.