I'd buy it. Sounds like it's full of nguyen!
Seriously, negotiate it as low as you can go. I usually try to cut through the crap. The sales person's time is valuable, and the Tower is playing a power-game with the peon (you) on the lot.
My goal: Figure out the margin that is acceptable to them. They know EXACTLY how much they need to make on said vehicle to break even with their investment in it.
If it has been on the lot for 90+ days, you have a good bit of leverage. before 30 days, if it's near the end of the month, and the dealer is low on sales, you also might have leverage. Early in the month/mid month with less than 30 lot days? They are probably going to tell you to screw off unless they are a massive, high-volume dealer and only care about #'s moved.
They likely are not, given that you're in NC. most high-vol dealers like that are in Cali, etc. Huge economic centers.
Anyway, sales people gotta eat, business gotta run. Used cars are THE PLACE THEY MAKE THEIR MONEY (on the front of the house, anyway).
So...like I said, if you can get them to tell you what they have in it, rock on. I usually break the above down for them Barney style, and ask "Look, how much do you want to make so that we can shake hands after this deal is done and both feel like we won, here?" We agree on a number they think is viable, and then I ask to see the numbers. All of them, and then pay them above their investment by that much.
If THAT works, it's 20 minutes of their time, and they make $100's per hour, by the clock. Killer deal, really. I loved those kinds of deals. Minimal dickering, and the less dickering, the better the dealer and customer like each other when it's over, too!
If that does NOT work...
I hem and haw over the monthly, then over the total amount, then over this, then over that, then I find a flaw in the paint, and in general am a pain in the ass, ramping up as the day wears on. What happens then is the sales and management feel like they have "invested" half the damn day in you (you have to let them know you're "real". Typically allowing them to run your credit, or you presenting them with an Equifax that you ran is sufficient, or if you have a career that has a pretty set category, such as Doctor, NP, RN, etc. it works just as well. Anyway, you become more and more pedantic as they day wears on, and they "Just want to sell the damn thing, fine!" and you can be reasonably sure after a whole day whittling, that you've either gotten them to $500-750 total profit, or that they got the vehicle FOR A STEAL and you still ended up with a great deal, they just played dirty with the guy who traded it in last.
Anyway, that's my .02, having sold cars for a Ford dealer for a year or so before college.
