Working With Bus and Charter Manufacturers
Finding the best deal with dealers and manufacturers of buses
When your business requires a bus--or a whole fleet of buses--you're going to make a significant investment with a bus manufacturer. Therefore, it pays to study up on working with bus and charter manufacturers and how to obtain the best deal on the buses your business needs.There are several ways to go about buying from bus manufacturers and dealers, but the process may be broken down into three basic steps:
1. Research current prices on tour buses for sale, charter buses for sale or other types of buses you may be interested in.
2. Approach the right bus manufacturer or dealer.
3. Negotiate a deal with bus makers or dealers.
Compare bus manufacturer and dealer prices
The first step to working with a bus manufacturer or dealer is to research the possibilities. First, determine which type of bus best suits your needs. Then, consult websites and blue books to discover what current prices you can expect.
Try: Midwest Transit Equipment is a great place to check prices on new and used shuttle buses, school buses, church buses and more. Bus Solutions sells a regularly updated blue book for school buses.
Approach the right bus manufacturers and dealers
Many manufacturers and dealers specialize. For example, there are charter bus manufacturers, tour bus manufacturers and transit bus manufacturers who sell only those bus products. Seek out one or more manufacturers or dealers who carry the sort of buses you require.
Try: Daimler Buses North America and Champion Bus both offer direct sales on their buses.
Negotiate with bus makers and dealers
Armed with your research about reasonable prices, negotiate a great deal with the bus manufacturer or dealer sales team. Don't be afraid to show the bus salesman copies of your research to back up your position.
Try: InsiderCarSecrets.com and NewBuyer.com offer lots of free tips on negotiating a vehicle deal; the tips are geared toward consumers buying cars, but are often applicable to buying commercial vehicles, as well.
- When negotiating with bus makers and dealers, always reject the first offer made; it's never the best price you can obtain. It's also a good idea to choose some small thing you are willing to "give up" near the end of the negotiations, so you--not just the bus salesperson--are making compromises.
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