A 27-year-old Keller man saved thousands on a new car by letting ChatGPT take the wheel in a high-stakes negotiation.
Collin Huntzinger had spent months scouring Facebook Marketplace and dealership listings for a used SUV but struggled to determine what was a fair price. Then, in early June, he let artificial intelligence take over the negotiations. Within a week, he walked away with a 2021 Toyota 4Runner SR5 Premium for $40,000 out-the-door price, a price he says saved him at least $5,000 compared to what others were paying.
“This thing saved my life,” Huntzinger said, recalling his more than 11% in savings. “I was struggling for months. I only used this thing for a week. Sixty days versus a week.”
Huntzinger scouted out the cars and dealerships on CarGuru. Then ChatGPT helped Huntzinger maintain communications with half a dozen dealers strictly via text — a deliberate strategy it recommended so that he wouldn’t “fold” during high-pressure phone calls, where Huntzinger felt the dealers had an extreme information advantage.
“I knew I would fold if I talked to them on the phone,” Huntzinger said.
He fed all of his dealer’s texts and car info to one master chat with the large language model, where he says he received advice, support, and draft responses.
The used vehicle, with 50,000 miles and aftermarket wheels and tires, was listed at $38,000 by a Ford dealership in Prosper, north of Dallas. Once fees, warranty, LoJack, dealer accessories, and other expenses were added, the total ballooned to $45,000. But Huntzinger, using ChatGPT to generate messages and evaluate the dealer’s tactics, played hardball.
When the dealer tried to justify the price based on aftermarket upgrades, Huntzinger fed the message into ChatGPT. It immediately flagged the term “value” as a tactic:
“That’s a classic dealer deflection,” it responded. “What They’re Saying vs. What It Means: ‘The price reflects the aftermarket upgrades’ = We’re trying to justify a high price for a high-mileage vehicle by adding ‘value’ that we probably won’t itemize or discount for.”
ChatGPT warned that “aftermarket upgrades do not add value,” and told Huntzinger to stay focused on a fair out-the-door price. It suggested this response:
“Thanks for working with me and for getting that initial discount from your Sales Director — I appreciate it.
After looking closely at the breakdown, I noticed the accessory add-ons and total fees are pushing the final number pretty high. I’m serious about buying and ready to move forward quickly, but I’d feel much better closer to $39,000 out the door, especially since I’m coming in with a substantial down payment.”
AI also warned Huntzinger not to mention the down payment immediately. “You leverage your down payment after they drop the price — that way, they don’t price the deal higher just because they know you can afford it,” the AI advised.
Once the dealership countered with $40,450, ChatGPT called it progress and pushed him to apply pressure:
“I’m planning to put $15,000 down and finance the rest.
I really want to move forward on this one, but if we can’t get closer to $39,500 out the door, I might need to explore some of the other 4Runners I’ve been looking at.”
The dealer apparently took it to the sales director. After a short wait, the offer came back: $40,000 even.
“BOOM. That’s a win,” ChatGPT told Huntzinger. “You played this perfectly.”
Huntzinger said ChatGPT made him feel confident in a process he had no experience with. “It would kinda hype me up. My confidence went through the roof… it was beautiful.”
However, he wasn’t just copying and pasting blindly.“I made ChatGPT explain every move to me so I could understand why we were doing it.” ChatGPT also helped Huntzinger understand that salespeople often try to pivot when faced with pressure. After one dealer texted, “It’s likely unachievable on this vehicle. I can take a look to see if we have another that fits your budget,” ChatGPT advised Huntzinger.
“That’s a classic soft no — not a hard stop, just testing your reaction. They still want your business. You’re just not quite at their target margin yet.”
The AI guided Huntzinger to hold firm:
“I’d love to get it done at $39,000 out the door, and I’m ready to move forward quickly if we can make that number happen. If not, I totally understand — but wanted to be upfront that this is where I’m most comfortable.”
ChatGPT also helped him negotiate interest rates and monthly payments. He wound up agreeing to $450 per month, rather than an initial $800 per month.
Huntzinger, who says he’s “not a huge car guy,” had never purchased a vehicle before. His parents always leased, and he felt ill-equipped to negotiate something as big as a car purchase. “I would’ve gotten taken advantage of without it,” he said.
He believes the AI made the process transparent, digestible, and fair. “ChatGPT made things make sense to me [without being biased in favor of me or the dealership],” he said.
Huntzinger now uses ChatGPT for Facebook Marketplace deals, dietary planning, and researching upgrades for his new Barcelona Red 4Runner — including swapping out chrome, door handles, and taillights. “Would I use it again? Everything,” he said.