Welcome to our forum.
You got a great deal. I don't understand why you say.."a reputable dealer can be worth a couple extra dollars in the long run."this guy save you $2K upfront.
If you go to that dealer with 50 $100 dollar bills you will get the deal with a coverlift and probably save a couple bucks in tax.When negotiating, make sure you are in their office and not on the sales floor and lay the cash in front of the salesperson. Trust me they won’t walk away from the deal, but you need to be willing. I believe someone on this forum did this.
Steve is correct being able to "haggle" depends on many things a customer should have done first. The dealer does not want you to ask for discount, free accessories, ect. if you are not ready to buy now, if he has given you a fair price. He will appreciate your offer much more if you are truly ready to buy and make a statement something like "I will buy right now if you do this accessory or whatever". I don't feel it is bad make a fair offer AFTER you know what a fair offer is, but you must follow through and complete the purchase if he is willing to do what you asked him to do, or you should be somewhat flexible if he counters you with something close. Making a unfair offer and not being ready to buy will hurt your relationship with the dealer. I will never make a offer until I'm ready to buy now.
Huh. I guess I come across differntly in the written word than in person. I'm a great customer and will "haggle" and bargin and shop around, but I'm not an a-hole about it. There is a thing called tact, and it's about dealing with salesfolks in a polite manner that allows you to deal, but not be combative, or try to nickle and dime the seller. Haggleing isn't necessaryly a diryt word. Shop around, know what the competive prices are. When your ready to make a deal, then deal. Ask what's the best price they can do, and since, if you've done your homework, you'll know if the seller is being forthright. Look at the prices of all the items included seperatley and bundled. It's all about creating a relationship with the dealer and getting a square deal. Asking about it and investigating it is part of the process. It's the customers that think haggeling has to be a aggresive, or beating the dealer situation that is wrong. Perhaps a nicer word would be "negotating your best deal".How's that sound?