Things I should know when I walk in to a car dealership?

Question

I planing on buying a Certified Cars (used cars).
I know the car salemen are all pirates.
what should I do in order for me to get the best for my money?
Say no to everything?
or play expert? or what?

Answer 1

Research! www.nada.com or www.kbb.com - find out exactly what the car is worth.
DO NOT let them walk all over you. Car dealers can be brutal. Good luck!

Answer 2

If you have a traide in you should sell it on the local paper. You will get taken big time at a used car lot. You have to keep in mind that the car lot has a pre set price the lot wants for the car. The sales person has to sell it for higher then that to get his pay check. So remember the car lot will start a thousend dollars over the value of the car. Then the sales person will add a couple more over that.

So go after hours and look over the cars on the lot and get a list of options and the year and any info you can off the window sticker. Log onto Kelly blue book and look it up. Make up your mind what the car is worth. Then go talk to them. If you act like you have to have that car you can bet they will not budge and may even try to bring the price up a little bit higher. Leave if you have to and come back a week later and tell them that you see that car is way over priced or it would be gone by now. Then make them the same offer you made before.

And do your best on used cars that you are not buying a paint job. My sister was bad about that.. pay a high price to get a trans am and find out a month later that was a 16 year old kids and hit a tree and they fixed it. Car fax might be a good place to check it out too.

Enjoy your self because they are going to try their best to pump you for every penny they can get.

Answer 3

research the type of car that you want, get the info on it. What it cost new, what it is worth(kelly blue book) now. Get info on what other cars of the same make and year have sold for. Don't get financed at the dealership-the dealership makes money on your loan, so the higher the interest rate the more they make on the loan. Get pre-approved at a bank or other financial institution. Doing this lets you have the upper hand in the dealing.

First - DON'T tell them that you will be financed somewhere else, they will offer you a lesser price thinking they will make it up on the loan.
Second - DON'T pay for things that you have no option on like undercoating- it is done at the factory and it can't be removed if you don't want it, so it is standard on the car and should not be priced as a extra. (this is more for new cars, but I've seen it on some used ones too!)
Third - DON'T pay for paperwork processing. You know where they have to print up the contract and all that. They have a secretery that they pay hourly for doing this and she isn't getting any of the money that they are charging you to do this for you. (It is normally a couple hundred dollar fee for something that ususally takes now with the help of computers about 10 minutes. so using basic math at a cost of $200.00 for 10 miutes time, that would work out to about $1200.00 per hour if the secretary got the money and we all know that they don't. So the dealership is making money off of you that way too.) If they insist that you must pay for this, then walk away.
Fourth - If possible shop for the car in the end of the year, they are trying to move cars to avoid taxes, and usually are willing to deal a little more.

The last thing, realize that the dealership is a business and needs to make money to remain in business, so allow them a reasonable profit, just don't let them retire on your sale alone.

Answer 4

Have as much data with you as possible, (go to a local bookstore and purchase an NADA or Kelly price guide, appx. $6.00), carry the price guide around with you in plain sight of the sales-shark and don't be afraid to open it and look up the prices.
Note: learn how to use the guide BEFORE you go -- instructions are printed in the front of the guide on how to add/deduct for mileage, condition, add-ons, model types, etc. If every single car you look at is priced over retail, tear up the sales-silmes card and leave. There are millions of used cars everywhere and you don't have the time or the energy to haggle over inflated prices for a damn used car. No one is denying the sales-scum the right to make a buck but come on, it's not like they actually paid retail price for it. There's even a section in the price guides that lists usual used car dealer costs. Once you set the tone, then it's just a matter of finding a good one. All decent (note I didn't use the word 'honest') dealers will run a CarMax on a vehicle for you at no charge. If they refuse, probably time to leave. While CarMax is not the end-all benchmark for determining if a vehicle has been in a collision or flood, it's a good start and believe me, ALL used car lots have the system in place and doesn't cost them any extra to run a search for you. Keep your hand on your wallet and don't give them your home phone number unless you want them calling you 24/7.

Answer 5

I would suggest getting the Kelly Blue Book value of the car you plan to buy before you go anywhere (kbb.com). Certified cars will usually run you maybe a thousand or two more, but it's worth it to know you aren't buying someone else's problem. I recently purchased a used car from Enterprise car sales and it's worked out great. They guarantee everything and give you a price below Blue Book and it's certified. They'll also give you a carfax history report for no charge.
At a regular car dealership, you can just walk away to ensure they're giving you the lowest price. They'll come running after you if they aren't. And if they say they have to talk to the manager, it's BS.

Answer 6

The best thing to remember is that you can walk away.

Many years ago, when I went out to purchase a small car. I made reasonable offers on 4 vehicles, and told the salesmen that I would not be doing any haggling. They started to pull the "I have to talk to my manager routine".

At that point I left. I went to the VW dealer, made an offer, it was accepted on the spot, and I drove it home.

When I got home, the other 4 salesmen had called asking me to come back and let them make a deal with me.

Do your homework. Know what the types of cars you are looking at are selling for and be flexible on the make and model. Have your own mechanic check the car out. Arrange your own financing or pay cash. Read everything before you sign it. If you are a woman, like me, take a man as a beard.

Answer 7

O.K.....I was once a car salesman for a premium german brand, and sold a lot of pre-owned cars.

1) The dealers and salesman make most of their money on the pre-owns. The dealers almost always buy the vehicles at auction and mark up 25% or more. So - There is a lot of room to wrangle on the cars.

2) dealers hate old inventory - The longer the car has been sitting on the lot - the loower the price will go. Believe it or not, color has a great deal to do with this. If you can stand a green, yellow or maroon car....this is a great advantage. Try to figure out how long the car has been on the lot....ask the salesman.....he may tell you. Or, ask this...show me a car that is the best value ---bing...he takes you to the vehicle sitting the longest ---why---their is an extra bonus for him to move the older stock in many cases.

3) NEVER.....EVER....EVER....EVER....buy the car on your first trip to the dealer. Show great interest.....sit down at the desk...haggle for two rounds of offers...get up and leave...tell the salesman you want to think about it...wait a few days...he will call or you call.....tell him ...be a bit coy...that you will come by to discuss the deal....but he needs to sharpen his pencil

4) get as close to trade in value in kelly blue bood as you can. If they balk.....start to leave....tell them you can quote kelley all you want but if you want to move the car...they need to get sharo.

5) If the manager is not personally involved in the final negotiations......you are not likely getting the best deal

6) The key here is patience. They expect you to be a emotion/impulse byer. You need to turn the tables...inject tension and uncertaintly...and make them compete for your business. Let them know you are a buyer.....do not let them just sell you on a price.

7) lastly unsavory dealers jack up the coswt of money, the interest rate in fianancing. Go to a credit union and a bank before you buy and get current rates....do not sign a contract with rates above these.....ever. It is just a way for the dealer to get extra money on the deal...and many will not tell the truth on what you really qualify for...be careful.

8) lastly.....patience is the key....lounge through the final deal...set aside four hours or more. It is time well spent....ypou can save thousands of dollars with patience and grinding out the best deal for YOU. If they stall and you have not reached your goal of getting kelly trade in value or close....walk away. Find another dealer..anpother car.

9) Finally ....dealers are hungriest in the first week of the month and the last two days of the month. Try to buy in this timeframe as manager bonuses and performance measures hinge on number of units sold, as do car salesman bonuses on slow months. Use this to your advantage...end of month works best.

Answer 8

these are the basics
BEFORE YOU GO INSIDE
you should have decided ,how much you can spend
if you want manual or auto
4-6-8 cylinder
2-4 door /hatch etc..
choose two brands you might like gm- and ford?
stick to those decisions
the rest like colour will be easy when inthere
make sure you write it down so you don't get sidetracked by a glitzy car or salesperson

Answer 9

Talk Bussiness. Don`t talk about your personal life because they dont care. Trust me im in the bussiness.

Answer 10

Good luck and wear protection!