Unless you are buying a very hard to get car (Back ordered sports car) you should be much closer to invoice than asking price... $300-400 profit is better than no profit, and the more cars a dealership moves early in the year, the more they get going forward.
At the end of the year, they have to move old models.
To get a good idea of what you should pay, go to carsdirect.com and see what their price is. I'd say dealerships beat their price less than 5% of the time - usually when they are running some ridiculous special or are short cash and selling at a loss or whatever.
Usually if you take the carsdirect print out with you to the dealership, they'll match. Some will tell you to get lost, but then just order it online...
It's not a vette, but it is re-designed and better than the 2006 model, dealer can stick close to sticker.
PT Cruisers sold for thousands over sticker, when a novelty.
I'm stuck a bit here. Wife will have me shopping for cars forever, I've driven a couple dozen cars already, takes her up to 5 hours to decide where to eat dinner.
If I bought a Tribeca and there were any problems, it's my fault, she loves her Honda now, so it's safe, car delivered 250k+ miles, still going !
If I went used with Carmax, any problem... I'm toast !
I don't want to start test-driving Kia's, Hyundai's, Suzuki's, Mazda's, etc.
I have to decide since she is incapable of deciding something as small as where to eat, even though she is the primary driver, I don't drive for the hell of it, I need a destination in order to drive somewhere. She drives about aimlessly, much as some surf the internet aimlessly.
CR-V has a 4-banger that gets good mileage, proven reliability, it fits !
I actually very much liked the Element ( I call it the Uglyment), but a short ( about 5 foot) person has vision problems in it, with it's design, she be short, so no go. I understand that.
Time to get it over with, otherwise it will inhibit my gambling, the CR-V ( 2007) just doesn't go much under sticker, I can get an 2006 for 2k+ under, but it's a way different design, and most dealers have moved them already.
26k or 25.5 k isn't that critical, I'd like to beat the 26.6 k sticker, and be done.