It’s that time of year again: Black Friday weekend bleeding into December, when dealers plaster “lowest prices of the year” across every billboard and your inbox overflows with 0% financing and $10,000 off stickers. But beneath the fireworks lies the same eternal question—do you actually want to negotiate, or would you rather just pay the posted price and go home?

Traditional dealerships still run the classic game: the advertised price is essentially a suggestion. The real price is whatever you and the salesperson (and then the “desk manager,” and then maybe finance) can stomach after three hours, two trips to the mysterious back office, and at least one dramatic walk-out threat. Some buyers live for this. They research TrueCar averages, KBB values, invoice pricing, holdback, regional incentives, and arrive armed with printouts like they’re storming Normandy. A good haggler can sometimes beat a no-haggle price by thousands—especially right now, when the 2025s are landing and dealers are desperate to clear 2024 inventory before year-end bonuses and factory money evaporate on January 2.

Then there’s the fixed-price revolution: CarMax, Carvana, Lithia’s Driveway, Sonic’s EchoPark, and a growing list of franchise stores that now post one price, no negotiation, take it or leave it. You click, you sign, you’re out in 45 minutes. Transparency sounds great on paper, and for many buyers—especially women and minorities who’ve historically been quoted higher prices—it feels safer and fairer.

But here’s the question I really want to ask you: knowing what you know about end-of-year desperation, would you completely skip a fixed-price dealer—even if the car you want is sitting right there—because you’re convinced you could crush a traditional dealer down the street for another $2,000–$4,000 this week? Or has the hassle of negotiation finally lost its charm when time is worth more than the potential savings?

Because right now, in this narrow Black Friday-to-December 31 window, the gap between the two models has probably never been wider. Traditional dealers are bleeding inventory and will do almost anything to hit factory sales targets. Fixed-price stores, meanwhile, rarely budge; their margin is their margin. So the same exact 2024 model with the same equipment can easily be $3,500 cheaper at a negotiating store ten miles away—if you’re willing to play the game.

So which are you this shopping season?

* Team “Give me the dance—I’ll leave with the lowest payment in the state.”
* Or Team “Post the price, take my money, I’ve got a life to live.”

And be honest: if a fixed-price dealer has your exact car in stock at what they swear is their best price, will you still drive past it to roll the dice at a traditional store? Or is the era of the three-hour negotiation finally dead for you?

Drop your answer below. Because this weekend, more than any other time of year, your choice actually costs (or saves) real money. Happy hunting.