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22 of 30 New-Car Buyers Knew They Could Negotiate. Only 9 Had a Price Target

A small Toronto-area street test found awareness of negotiation did not always come with a target price. Here’s what its numbers show and how to prepare.
Entry789 Date Time3 min MechanicCarCody Team
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A small street test outside a Toronto-area dealership found that most of the 30 buyers asked knew a new-car price could be negotiated, but fewer than half of that group said they had a realistic target price. The figures come from a promotional release, not a representative survey, and the release does not define “realistic.” The practical lesson is narrower: knowing negotiation is possible is not the same as knowing what number to ask for.

What the 30-buyer test found

In an October 5, 2026 release republished by MarketMinute, Canadian car broker Price Driven co-founder and former salesperson Jordan Russell described asking 30 new-car buyers outside a Toronto-area dealership: “Do you know you can negotiate the price?” The release says 22 answered yes. Of those 22, nine reportedly had a realistic target price in mind.

Those counts describe only that street test. The release does not say how participants were recruited, provide their characteristics, explain how “realistic” was defined, or describe how responses were recorded. They should not be read as proportions for new-car buyers generally.

Russell’s point was that awareness alone does not give a buyer a useful negotiating number. “Knowing you can negotiate is only half of it,” the release quotes him as saying. His further statement that without a number “the salesperson sets the target for you” is his view, not a proven rule that applies to every dealership or negotiation.

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How to set a useful target for your car

The release does not supply a target price, a pricing formula, or an independently verified benchmark. Its practical advice is to compare prices for the same model and trim before visiting. That specificity matters: prices for a different trim or vehicle configuration are not a direct comparison.

Use those comparisons to arrive with a number you can explain, rather than treating a general discount or someone else’s monthly payment as your target. The release offers no tested method for deciding how much below a listed price to aim, so a particular discount cannot be inferred from its figures.

Keep the negotiation focused on the full vehicle price

Price Driven’s release recommends asking for the full price in writing, including fees, and agreeing on the vehicle price before discussing monthly payments. These are recommendations, not tactics whose effects the release reports as independently tested.

  1. Compare like with like. Before visiting, look up what buyers are paying for the same model and trim.
  2. Ask for the full figure in writing. Make sure the quoted amount includes fees, rather than relying on a vehicle price that leaves additional charges unclear.
  3. Settle the vehicle price before payment terms. Discuss monthly payments only after the vehicle price is agreed, so the price and financing discussion remain distinct.

Russell’s company, Price Driven, reported average client savings of $2,400 in the same 2026 release. That is the company’s own claim; the release does not provide supporting methodology or independent evidence that this is a typical result. It is not a guaranteed saving or a benchmark for what an individual buyer should expect.

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What the figures can—and cannot—tell you

The release offers a snapshot of 30 people approached in one Toronto-area setting. It illustrates a gap between knowing negotiation is possible and arriving with a price target, but it cannot establish how common that gap is among buyers. Nor does it show that the suggested preparation steps produce a particular discount.

For an individual buyer, the more useful measure of readiness is whether you have a comparison for the same model and trim, a written full-price figure that includes fees, and a conversation that keeps vehicle price separate from monthly payment. Those are practical checks based on the release’s advice, not a validated scorecard.

Read the October 5, 2026 AB Newswire release republished by MarketMinute.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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