Kelley Blue Book, NADA Guides (J.D. Power), Edmunds, TrueCar, and Cars.com each publish a new vehicle’s MSRP and dealer invoice price online, most at no cost. The invoice price, typically 10 to 15 percent below MSRP, is the more useful number for negotiating: dealers commonly accept an offer around 5 percent above it.
Where to Look Up a New Car’s Dealer Invoice Price
MSRP is the sticker price the manufacturer suggests; dealer invoice is what the factory actually billed the dealer, and it typically runs 10 to 15 percent lower once holdback and other dealer incentives are factored in. Five sites make both numbers easy to find when you are buying a new car or truck:
- Kelley Blue Book: MSRP, dealer invoice, and a “Fair Purchase Price” drawn from recent sales in your area.
- NADA Guides: MSRP and dealer invoice figures under the long-running NADA Guides name, now published through J.D. Power.
- Edmunds: MSRP, dealer invoice, and an average price paid based on recent transactions in your area.
- TrueCar: a nationwide average price paid, plus its own “TrueCar estimate”; getting the invoice figure means setting up a free account.
- Cars.com: MSRP, dealer invoice, and a “Smart Target Price” blending several data sources.
Buying a Replacement Car or Truck After an Accident
A car or truck usually gets replaced for one of two reasons: it is time for something newer, or a wreck totaled the old one. In the second case, the insurance company’s actual cash value offer is only the first number in play. The pricing tools above let you check that a replacement is priced fairly before you buy, since that is money the adjuster is supposed to be covering. Oklahoma City clients hurt in a serious truck accident or a car wreck, and now disputing a low total-loss payout, can weigh that number against what a comparable replacement actually costs. Hasbrook & Hasbrook represents injured drivers throughout the Oklahoma City area.
