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Email template to ask multiple car dealers for quotes on the same car

You know which car you want, down to the trim and color, and more than one dealership in your area has it in stock. Prices for the same new car can differ by a thousand dollars or more between dealers a few miles apart, because each store sets its own markup and fees. The only way to see that gap is to ask all of them the same question in the same words. Email makes that easy: you write the message once, send it to five or six stores, and get answers you can line up on one page. A phone call gets you five different conversations and nothing on paper.

Before you send

  • A list of every dealer within the distance you are willing to drive that lists the car you want. Note each store's stock number for that car, because a quote tied to a specific vehicle is harder to walk back.
  • Your zip code, so every quote uses the same tax and registration figures and you are comparing like with like.
  • A short list of what you will not accept: dealer add-ons, a market adjustment (an extra charge some dealers add above the manufacturer's sticker when a car is in demand), or a forced financing package.
  • Your buying window. Dealers quote sharper when they believe the sale closes this month.
  • A separate email address or folder for the replies, because you will be getting several and some dealers will keep writing after you have decided.
Subject Written quote request, [year make model trim] in [color], stock #[stock number] 
Hi [dealer or salesperson name],

I'm shopping for a [year make model trim] in [color] and I see you have one listed as stock number [stock number]. I'm sending the same request to a few dealerships in the [your city] area and will buy from whoever gives me the best written number.

Could you reply with your out-the-door price for this exact car, delivered to zip code [your zip code]? That's the total I would pay including the selling price, your documentation fee, tax, title, and registration. Please list any dealer-installed add-ons or market adjustments as separate lines, because I'd like the option to decline them.

I'm [paying cash / bringing my own financing / open to your financing] and plan to buy by [date]. I'm not asking for a visit or a phone call at this stage, just the number in writing. If yours is the best, I'll come in ready to sign.

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • Expect three kinds of replies: a real breakdown, a vague "we're very competitive, come in," and silence. Only the first counts. Put each real quote in a simple table with the same line items so the differences are obvious.
  • Some dealers will quote a low selling price and hide the difference in fees or add-ons. Compare the total, not the headline number.
  • Once you have the lowest total, send it to your preferred dealer (closest, best reviews) and ask if they will match it. That one follow-up usually closes the gap.
  • If no one puts a number in writing, widen the radius. A dealer 60 miles away that quotes honestly beats one nearby that will not.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Get quotes from every dealer near me on a car 
Hi StandIn,

I'd like you to get written out-the-door quotes from every dealership near me that has this car, and bring them back side by side.

The car: [year make model trim, color, and any must-have options].
How far I'll travel: [number of miles or list of cities].
My zip code: [zip code].
How I'm paying: [cash / my own financing / open to dealer financing].
When I want to buy: [date or timeframe].
Things I won't pay for: [add-ons, market adjustments, or anything else].

Contact each dealer that lists the car, get the full number in writing, and follow up with the ones that don't answer. Once the quotes are in, ask the lowest two if they can do better and tell me which one to go sign with.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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