Car salespeople often go out of their way to let you know how much of a deal you’ll get if you buy. For instance, you could get $500 bonus cash, 0.9% APR, extra credit on your trade — the works. But the key number in car sales is the price of the vehicle. Cars arrive at the dealership with an MSRP, or manufacturer’s suggested retail price. As the term indicates, this is the suggested price of the vehicle.
But if dealerships want to charge more, potentially on a popular model, are they legally allowed to do so?
MSRP, sticker price, and dealer invoice
So, where does the MSRP come from? Is it legal to charge more than that, and is there a difference between MSRP, sticker price, and dealer invoice? Earlier this year, Edmunds went into detail about the different prices a buyer might encounter during an auto purchase. Beginning with MSRP: The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is just that: what the manufacturer (Kia, for example) suggests the dealership charge for the car. The dealer…
