Car buying service cost: $100 retainer plus 1% when you buy
Transparent, value-driven pricing
Professional advocacy that saves you time, stress, and thousands off retail.
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New, CPO, and lease, nationwide
Car buying service cost, in two numbers
Two numbers, both fixed before any work starts.
Check the math on your own car with the out-the-door price checker.
- $100
- Retainer, paid up front. Opens the file and covers the due diligence: the research, the sourcing, unlimited calls to dealers, and the negotiation itself, for as long as the right car takes to find. Separate from the success fee.
- 1%
- Success fee on the final negotiated price of the vehicle or its MSRP, whichever is lower, before tax and fees, billed once the purchase or lease is complete. No success fee is owed if you do not buy.
- $0
- Brokerage fees. We never charge the dealer a brokerage fee, and we take no cut of financing or add-ons. When a manufacturer incentive applies, we often pass the savings on to you.
The fee is based on the vehicle price, not on the savings. That keeps it simple, and it means there is never a reason to inflate the starting number to make the discount look bigger.
A worked example
A $32,500 negotiated price
How the fee is paid
On a $60,000 truck, the total is $700, the retainer plus $600. On a $22,000 certified pre-owned car, it is $320. For a lease, the success fee is 1% of the negotiated selling price (the capitalized cost) or MSRP, whichever is lower, before tax and fees, not of the monthly payment.
How much do car buying services charge? How this compares
Car buying services charge in one of four ways. Each one tells you who the service really works for.
Paid by the dealer
Many car brokers are paid a referral fee by the dealership that sells you the car. The service can look free, but the dealer is the client. Compare them in car broker vs car buying service.
A flat fee
Some services charge a flat fee whatever the car. Simple, but a $25,000 hatchback and a $90,000 SUV are not the same amount of work or the same amount at stake.
A share of the savings
Some take a percentage of the discount. That rewards a high starting price, which is the number the dealer controls.
A small percentage of the price, paid by you
This is our model: a $100 retainer to start, then a success fee of 1% of the negotiated price or MSRP, whichever is lower. You pay the fee, and we never charge the dealer a brokerage fee, so you are the client.
Is a car buying service worth the fee?
The honest answer depends on the car. Here is how to think about it.
Where does the money come from?
On most deals the savings come from four places: the vehicle price itself, trade-in value negotiated separately, add-ons and rate markups removed in the finance office, and incentives the dealer did not mention. Any one of those usually covers the success fee several times over.
When is it not worth it?
If a dealer has already offered a genuinely strong out-the-door price and you are happy with it. We will tell you so. It is the reason to send the quote first: the quickest way to find out whether there is room left.
Is the $100 retainer refundable?
The retainer pays for the research and negotiation work that starts right away, so it is separate from the 1% success fee rather than credited against it. We explain exactly how it is handled on the first call, before you pay anything.
Do you charge for leases and certified pre-owned cars the same way?
Yes. The retainer is the same $100, and the success fee is 1% either way: on a lease it is 1% of the negotiated selling price or MSRP, whichever is lower, and on a certified pre-owned car it is 1% of its negotiated price. In every case it is figured before tax and fees.
Are there any other charges?
No hourly fees, and nothing beyond the retainer and the success fee. The finance manager's office review and the trade-in negotiation are included. If you choose to have an out-of-state car shipped, the carrier quotes and bills that separately.
Find out what your car should cost
Call or Send the Car Link, and we will tell you whether there is room in the deal before you pay anything. We answer seven days a week.