Posted by Elisabeth Leamy, Mon Jun 08 2009, 10:56PM

If you're hoping to go bargain shopping for a Chrysler or GM vehicle, don't forget to haggle

If you're hoping to go bargain shopping for a Chrysler or GM vehicle, don't forget to haggle! Just because both automakers are in and out of bankruptcy, does not mean their vehicles are automatic deals.

Auto website Edmunds.com says most vehicles sold for about 16 percent off of the sticker price during the past three months. Meantime, Chrysler cars actually went up in price, from an average of 26 percent off the sticker price to just 18 percent off the sticker price. In dollars, that means the average Chrysler car three months ago was selling for about $24, 489, but is now selling for $26, 390.

Why? The most basic law of economics: supply and demand. Despite --or because of-- all the bankruptcy news, Americans are eager to buy Chrysler and GM cars. I liken it to the excitement created by going out of business sales. And the deals at those aren't guaranteed either.

Edmunds.com measures consumers' serious interest in different vehicle brands by tracking visits to car-buying websites. Edmunds says this figure, known as "purchase intent" was up 72 percent for Chrysler cars from April to May. And purchase intent for GM vehicles was up 11 percent two weeks ago and 4 percent last week.

"Just because a brand is hurting doesn't mean that a shopper can automatically walk in and simply get a great deal," said Edmunds.com Consumer Advice Editor Philip Reed.

So, dust off your bargaining skills. Or, if you don't have any, here are a few key moves.
?Look up the vehicle's wholesale price, the price the factory charges the dealer, at a website like Edmunds.com or Consumerreports.org. Your mission is to pay a price somewhere between that wholesale price and the retail or sticker price. The closer you get to the wholesale price, the more of a rock star you are.
?One rule of thumb is to make your first offer 15 percent less than you really want to pay. Choose your starting point carefully because it defines the entire negotiation. You can't go any lower after that!
?After you make your initial offer, be quiet. Allow the silence to build. Your goal is for the seller to be the one to squirm and shatter the silence by accepting or making a counteroffer.
?If your negotiations stall, leave. Tell the dealer you are prepared to buy a car today but just don't feel their price is appropriate. It's highly likely you will get a call back offering a lower price.
?Keep your trade-in a secret. You don't want the dealership to know about it until after you have negotiated the purchase price of the car you are buying. Then negotiate a price for your trade separately. That way they can't play around with the two numbers and confuse you.
?And finally, make sure you and the dealer are clear on whether tax, title and fees are included in the price you are settling on. If you intend for those fees to be included, say that is your price to take the vehicle "out the door."