The Easiest Cars to Bargain For

Aug. 9, 2009— -- The hyped-up version of the Audi A8 comes with a unique W12 engine that produces 450 horsepower and does 0 to 60 miles per hour in five seconds. Audi's super-sedan costs $122,000--but if you play your cards right, you can get it for much less.

With an auto market down 35% this year and 2010 models set to hit showrooms in a few short months, prospective buyers are in the perfect position to bargain with dealers eager to clear their lots.

The A8 joins the Land Rover Range Rover, Acura MDX and Chrysler 300 on our list of the easiest cars to bargain for this summer. They're all selling for thousands of dollars off their manufacturer suggested retail prices.

Click here to learn about the easiest cars to bargain for at our partner site, Forbes.com.

Behind the Numbers

To compile our list, we used information provided by Kelley Blue Book, the Irvine, Calif.-based vehicle valuation company. Its analysts tracked new-car sales nationwide for the first two weeks of July, noting both the price for which the car actually sold (its "new car blue book" price) and the MSRP. We then determined which models sold for significantly less than MSRP. Where vehicles with different trim levels had differing MSRPs, we evaluated only the model with the biggest price cut. The 10 vehicles with the largest difference between their selling prices and listed MSRPs made our list. (We didn't use day-supply data for this analysis; it's a moot point when virtually every automaker has cut production but still faces surpluses on most models.)

The new-car blue book value reflects a vehicle's actual selling price based on tens of thousands of recent real sales transactions from auto dealers across the U.S. It does not include manufacturer or dealer incentives.

The road to a sweet deal begins with understanding that vehicles are a commodity and should be treated as such, as well as discerning what you don't know--but should find out--before you hit the showroom.