About These Prices
As you know, pricing cars is particularly complicated. One of our duties at CarQuotes.com is to help our customers comprehend this process better.
Three important prices we may show on a particular vehicle
CarQuotes.com Estimated Target Price is for research purposes only. It reflects a typical, negotiated price (before taxes and other customary fees and charges, such as dealer documentation fees, tire and battery disposal fees, license and registration, and where applicable, finance charges) generally found for the vehicle that you selected. The Estimated Target Price is NOT a price quote from CarQuotes.com or any other dealer. If you request a price quote from a dealer via CarQuotes.com displaying an estimated target price, your price may differ.
Invoice is commonly known as the published amount that the dealer paid the manufacturer for the vehicle. This may or may not represent a close relation to the dealer’s actual cost, but can be beneficial as a benchmark. This figure is available on many other web sites however CarQuotes.com adds an estimate of local and regional fees from manufacturer to the dealers to this price, which makes it very close to the actual invoice amount for cars at your local dealer.
MSRP is the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. This is a proposed price only. For most vehicles, the CarQuotes.com price is below this amount. Some high demand cars may be priced over this amount.
Estimated Target Price
The CarQuotes.com Target Price is to be used as a general guide that reflects a typical, market price (before taxes and other customary fees and charges) generally found for the vehicle that you selected. This price is based on our research and estimates of supply and demand in the marketplace. There are many factors that go into the final price of a particular vehicle including local supply and demand. Your final price may differ.
CarQuotes.com Estimated Target Prices include
The ’base’ price of the vehicle
All options that you select
Base Destination Charges — this is a charge that is added to the base price for every vehicle
Any related Estimated Manufacture to Consumer Cash Rebates. Note: rebates are subject to change at any time. Please make sure to confirm any consumer Cash rebates with your dealer representative at the time of purchase.
CarQuotes.com Estimated price(s) do NOT include any of the following:
Local taxes, license fees and other local fees, such as dealer documentation fees, tire and battery disposal fees, and where applicable, finance charges — these fees are also excluded from Dealer Invoice and MSRP and would be excluded from most advertisements you might see.
Random ’special qualification’ rebates — i.e., for new college grads only; for customers trading in a specific type of car. Ask your dealer Representative for more information on ’special qualification’ rebates.
CarQuotes Estimated Dealer Price
The Estimated CarQuotes Dealer Price is an estimate of the pricing presented to CarQuotes members from CarQuotes Authorized Dealers in your area, and is calculated by subtracting an estimated savings value from the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price ("MSRP") as well as a value that relates to invoice for the "ideal vehicle" you configured. Dealer documentation, administrative or similar processing fees are not included in the price estimate. Any vehicle configured on the CarQuotes website is an "ideal vehicle" and may not exist at a CarQuotes Authorized Dealer or any other partner dealer. Each Dealer attempts to match a member’s vehicle preferences with the best possible selection from current, in-stock inventory.
Estimated Savings
The Estimated Savings represents the estimated amount of savings off of MSRP available to you from CarQuotes Dealers for a vehicle consistent with your configured preferences plus any customer incentives currently available. This is also true when it comes to CarQuotes estimated target prices. Your actual savings will depend on several factors including market conditions, the style of vehicle you select, installed options, dealer coverage, and applicable manufacturer incentives. Each dealer sets its own pricing.
Advertised Rebates, Special Manufacturer Financing or Leasing Programs
In most cases, you must choose between these programs OR a customer rebate or a special manufacturer-to-dealer incentive that may or may not already be included in your CarQuotes.com Target Price. So, your final price may go up if you take advantage of special manufacturer financing. Credit Union members should contact their Credit Union loan department to determine what type of loan and financing options are right for you.
Please note that CarQuotes.com strives to include identified manufacturer incentives within the CarQuotes.com Target Price. CarQuotes.com does not administer these programs, which are subject to and often change without notice. Eligibility for these programs is subject to verification by a licensed auto dealer.
Ask your dealer representative for complete manufacturer program details for your area, and how participation in these programs will affect your price.
Base Vehicle
The base vehicle is the vehicle before any optional equipment or destination fees have been added. All of the standard features are included in the base vehicle.
Options
This is the total charge for all optional equipment included in the configuration of your virtual vehicle. The Options charge varies depending on whether it is calculated based on the Factory Invoice or MSRP. Options are not included in the base vehicle price and are not considered standard features.
Regional Fees
A Regional Fee is the fee a manufacturer charges a dealer to advertise and promote the vehicle in the dealer’s market. CarQuotes also includes estimated manufacturer preparation charges (manufacturer charges to the dealer to cover any work done on the car prior to delivering it to the dealership) and fuel charges (the charge for the fuel in the tank when the buyer purchases the vehicle) in this total. CarQuotes attempts to include regional ad fees in its Factory Invoice calculations; other sites at times do not.
Destination Fees
These are the amounts that manufacturers charge to deliver a vehicle from the factory to the dealership.
Customer Incentives
Customer incentives are also commonly known as customer cash or bonus incentives. These incentives are offered by manufacturers as a way of enticing buyers into purchasing a vehicle.
Note: Dealer Invoice amount might not be the amount that the dealer paid to the manufacturer
Dealer Invoice price may or may not bear close relation to a dealer’s actual cost for the vehicle. In some cases, a cost for a vehicle may be significantly less than the invoice price originally paid for the vehicle. Any difference between invoice price and the dealer’s final cost may be caused by many factors including factory refunds, rebates, allowances, or incentives which the manufacturer or distributor may provide to the dealer.