Once you know what the right price is, simply state the terms, tell them that’s your final offer. If they persist, walk away. Seriously, just walk away. If they want to sell, they will get the car ready and call you later.

Test drive the car you want at a different lot. The lot you buy from, look at the car, the odometer, but don’t even get behind the wheel. This will seriously screw with their head, you destroy their script from the beginning.

Completely take charge of the entire interaction. If they treat you badly, leave. Took me three tries to buy my last car. First two dealerships were more interested in “winning” a pissing contest than selling me a car. The third dealership sold me what I wanted for the price I wanted.

Another thing you can do is refuse to pay for extra stuff you don’t want. I didn’t want to pay for a radio in my Honda. They sold it as “factory installed,” and insisted I pay for it. I told them to “take it out, I don’t want it” and walked away. If it’s too much hassle, go to s different dealership.

When they called me at home later, the salesman told me my car was ready whenever I wanted to come pick it up, and they tossed the radio in for free.

This isn’t hard, but it does take a backbone and a willingness to have various sales people basically call you “difficult,” or worse.

In short, the dealers work very hard to make buying a car an emotional experience rather than a business transaction. Keep everything on a pure business footing, you short circuit all their little head games.

I still want to know why we put up with it, why no company can make other models stick, and, as I said perhaps more relevant to my area of concern, what this rancid, sick environment does to the people who slave away in it. Ugh. What a miserable life.

At least $1,000 from your pocketbook, probably more.

It doesn’t matter how many dealers you have locally, you can buy the car anywhere. Here in Seattle, there are thousands of people who buy from a guy in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (400 miles away) because he sells cheap. He’s the biggest dealer in all of WA, ID, OR, MT, UT, WY, etc. By far. In a little tiny resort town.

So, you could walk into your local dealer, say “I can buy this car online, or from a dealer in for $1500 off list, what can you do for me?” And they will have to listen.

The point is, if you don’t haggle on a car purchase you are leaving $1,000s on the table. 10 different people walk into a dealer to but the exact same car will pay 10 different prices. Why should you be the only one who gets screwed? ]]>