Car buying.............is it unrealistic......

..........to expect a dealer to sell below NADA clean retail on a lease return?

 To make a long story short, I just looked at a 2008 Nissan Xterra 4x4 with about 20k miles. They're asking about $21k for a rig that has a $18,600 NADA retail. I offer them $16k & all they wanted to do was talk monthly payments. I told them not to worry about that.....I already have financing approved by my CU.......but they won't let it go.

 I would've come up a bit & then worked on my trade-in but they apparently didn't wanna go there. So, I say no & leave after their spin attempts, & I'm sure I let the negotiations get away from me somehow, but was I being unrealistic with my starting offer? I haven't bought a car for 12 years so I'm a bit out of practice.

I bet you 50 bucks you get a call from them very soon.

Stick to your guns.

You may be right wall..........can't take that bet.

JR.........after the big snow we had here around Xmas it looked like there was a push here too. But there's still tons of 4x4's out there. Whether or not I get a great deal on one is another story, so you may be right about my expectations.

 I guess I should factor in the warranty still on a rig such as this, no?

 Absolutely.The '08 Xterra is 3/36 basic and 5/60 drivetrain.You still have a good deal of that warranty in effect.The value of which should definitely be considered.

I would internet shop them..send an email to all the Nissan dealers in your area and tell them the first to get you the price and vehicle you want gets the prize..

$16k is what you offer... Good Luck!!

Thanks for all the replies.

 I think what surprised me most is that their idea of bargaining was via the monthly payment. I told them twice what I was offering & they didn't act on it at all. In fact, their best "deal" would've had me paying between 19k & 20k.

 No sweat though..........tons of vehicles out there

I'm gonna wait a little longer. I want new trucks and I haven't seen any incentives yet.

What trim level is it? I'll tell you what they're bringing at auction. 

 "S" model.........AT.....AC...........no real extras except "VDC"

Look I am a Car salesman at a very prestigious family owned dealership in Tx. They are working you on monthly payments because when it comes to buying a car 85% of car buyers want a certain payment a lot of those people are not even concerned about cost. In turn this makes the dealership and the salesman a little extra money.
The car buying public does not understand that NADA and Kelly Blue Book do not take into consideration the market, yes the car market like the stock market fluctuates month to month sometimes week to week. When a person trades a car in almost all dealerships use a live auction report that tells them what your car sold for at an auction the week prior exact car same miles same condition. Thats what they base there appraisals on and the market.. Worst case scenario they dont want to lose money on there investment. When you buy a new car your fucked when you leave the lot bam lost money take 10k and throw it in the trash. I suggest buying used. And by the way for those of you that are under the impression that dealerships under the big three are hurting there not I work for a GM dealer and sales have dropped maybe 5 cars a month. This problem was created by the unions period. So dont go in a dealership and start negotiting and then when things dont go your way you pull out the well arent you guys hurting, no were not the majority of dealerships like the one I work at dont floor plan with banks the people that own my place own every car. I agree you will eventually find the car priced as you want but you will have to give up some things like if you buy an Xterra from a dealership that is not nissan you can not get it certified that adds 12 months of bumper to bumper coverage. Or you will end up getting a car that has been bought and sold at an auction by dealers so many times who knows the history. Trust me on this most dealerships will NOT CALL YOU BACK once you leave, turn around time for used cars is 15-20 days if we dont sell it then it goes to auction rollover inventory. Its priced the way it is because there selling them for that. We as car dealers know yes every now and then we will brake even on a deal but we will make it up 20 times over in the same month. Find a place you can trust a salesman you like and who is worried about getting you the car you want, at our dealership your not just buying a car your buying a commitment from us that we will be around for questions and help and a great purchasing experience I have sold several generations of several families..     

Think about it like this if you go into dillards and buy a Polo shirt you dont negotiate price. The markup on clothes is 2 maybe 3 hundred percent. We may mark are cars up 4 maybe 5 grand. Just like any other buisness we have bills to pay lights to keep on and so on.

Know way thats a lease return that my friend is a rental car ....

They're bringing about $15,400 at action.  Add a couple hundred bucks for an auction buy fee, a couple hundred to get the car lot ready.  Dealer will probably have close to $16,000 real money in the car by the time it hits the lot.  Btw that figure is for a car in average condition.  Adjust accordingly for vehicles in below/above average condition.

should read auction not action

Then you take into consideration the pact which is usually a grand ..... I would offer about 18250 with certification

Walk into the dealership and tell them whatever price you want to offer for it.  They will give you a line of bullshit and then give them your business card and tell them to call you if they are willing to sell it.  They will call you back in a day and tell them you want ALL of the paperwork ready in advance and to call you when its all prepared.  Make sure to tell them that the price you are offering for the car is including all the taxes and fees. Make sure when they call you back that you tell them you want all of the paperwork and everything figured out before you get there, if its not leave.

Pack is bullshit though... I'm talking real money.  I'd shop around.  You should be able to find one that a dealer would sell for $17,000 to $17,500.  Dealers are hurting out there.