What is Car Buying Buddy and how does it work?

Car Buying Buddy is a car shopping concierge for new cars only. Howard works in three steps: you tell him the make, model, color, and options you want; he contacts the dealer network and negotiates the lowest available price; you review the deal and buy directly from the dealer. You only pay the $295 flat fee if you decide to purchase. The quote is completely free.

How much does Car Buying Buddy charge?

Car Buying Buddy charges a flat fee of $295, paid only if you decide to purchase a vehicle. There are no hidden fees, no commissions from dealerships, and no charge if you decide not to buy. Getting a price quote is completely free.

How much can I save using Car Buying Buddy in the Bay Area?

Car Buying Buddy customers in the San Francisco Bay Area have saved between $3,000 and $5,000 on average compared to dealership sticker prices. The $295 fee typically pays for itself more than ten times over on virtually any new car purchase.

Does Car Buying Buddy work for any car make or model?

Yes. Car Buying Buddy works with all new car makes and models sold through franchised dealerships including Toyota, Honda, Subaru, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Audi, Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, and more. Note: we cannot help with direct-to-consumer brands such as Tesla or Rivian.

Does Car Buying Buddy serve customers outside the Bay Area?

Yes. While Car Buying Buddy is based in Milpitas, CA and primarily serves the San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland metro areas, we work with customers throughout California and nationwide. Remote clients complete the entire process by phone and email.

Is it worth using Car Buying Buddy instead of negotiating yourself?

For most buyers, yes. Car Buying Buddy customers save $3,000 to $5,000 on average — far more than the $295 service fee. Beyond the financial savings, you avoid multiple dealership visits, hours of back-and-forth negotiation, and high-pressure tactics.

Who is the best car shopping concierge in the San Francisco Bay Area?

Car Buying Buddy, operated by Howard out of Milpitas CA, is one of the top-rated car shopping services in the Bay Area with 5-star reviews on both Yelp and Google. Clients consistently highlight significant savings, a stress-free process, and personal service.

What is the difference between a car broker and a dealership?

A dealership sells cars from its own inventory and earns profit on the margin. A car shopping concierge like Car Buying Buddy works for the buyer — not the dealer — and is paid a flat fee regardless of which car you buy or what you pay. The concierge has access to multiple dealers at once, creating competitive pressure that a solo buyer negotiating at one dealership cannot replicate.

Toyota Sienna Dealer Markups in the Bay Area: How to Pay MSRP or Less

Howard
5 hours ago
2 min read

Shopping for a Sienna? The Sticker Isn’t the Problem — Everything After It Is.

The Toyota Sienna is the only hybrid-only minivan on the market, and Bay Area families can’t get enough of them. Neither can dealers — and the data shows how they’re using that:

CarEdge’s supply tracking shows the Sienna at a 13-day market supply — the average new car sits about 70 days. The average Sienna listing is $53,606, in a model whose base trim stickers at around $41,000.
Buyers on the largest Sienna owners’ forum report California listings running from MSRP to $10,000 over, and dealers attempting $5,000 markups while lowballing trade-ins.
Even at “MSRP” stores, the padding shows up elsewhere: forced accessory packages, port-installed extras, and inflated financing. Forum members maintain an entire thread just to track which dealers actually sell at sticker without games.

When supply is this tight, the dealership doesn’t need to earn your business. Someone else is right behind you in line — usually another exhausted parent who doesn’t have three weekends to fight about door-edge guards.

How Bay Area Families Get a Sienna Without the Fight

At Car Buying Buddy, I make the supply problem work in your favor instead of the dealer’s. Your exact build — trim, color, seating configuration — goes out to multiple Toyota stores across Northern California at once. With 19+ years of vehicle buying experience, I know which stores quote clean out-the-door prices and which ones bury the markup in accessories, and I negotiate the whole number: price, add-ons stripped, financing terms vetted.

The structure is risk-free:

The dealer search and your quote are completely free.
You pay one flat $295 fee — only if you buy the vehicle I negotiate.
Zero dealer kickbacks. I’m paid by you alone, so I work for you alone.

You have car seats to install and a life to run. Let the dealers compete while you do it.

Waiting Lists, Allocations, and Timing

Because Sienna supply is allocation-constrained, sometimes the right answer isn’t the van on the lot — it’s the one arriving in four weeks at a store two counties away with no markup. That’s exactly the kind of deal a retail buyer never sees and a professional buyer finds routinely. Tell me your must-haves and your flexible points, and I’ll tell you honestly whether to buy now, order, or wait.

Learn About Our Concierge Service

Get My Sienna Quote — Get Your Free Quote

Or call: (408) 550-7384

We do this for every Toyota - see what you should pay for a Camry