Buy a New Car Below Invoice: The Dealer Game, Played Back

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Fix the exact vehicle configuration
45 min
Where: the automaker’s own website — ford.com, toyota.com, whichever brand you’re targeting — under Build & Price or Build Your Own. Third-party configurators lag behind current model years and incentive cycles.
Lock everything: model year, trim, engine or drivetrain, every package code, exterior color, interior color — until nothing on screen still says “choose” or “optional”. A half-specified build invites a dealer to substitute a similarly named trim.
Save it: export the configurator’s summary as a PDF (most brands will email it) and file it as CONFIG_[model]_[date].pdf. The MSRP printed there is the Monroney-equivalent figure for this exact build — the baseline every later number hangs from.
- Open the manufacturer’s official Build & Price tool for your chosen brand — not a third-party copy
- Select model year, trim, drivetrain, packages and colors until nothing on screen says “choose”
- Export or print the configuration summary as a PDF named CONFIG_[model]_[date]
- Write the MSRP and destination charge into your notes exactly as the tool displays them
- Ignore the tool’s monthly-payment estimator — you are pricing the car, not the loan

0/4 done

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