How long should I expect to be at a car dealership when buying?

How long should I expect to be at a car dealership when buying?

James Bell (Publisher, Auto Reviewer) gives expert video advice on: Should I put a deposit on a car? and more...

Generaly budget anywhere from four to six hours for a buying vehicle. In some cases, there are anecdotes of people even staying in the dealership all day long. However, for somebody who's pretty savvy about this buying process, I think at the most six hours is probably fair. Now personally speaking, I still thing that's much too long. It should be a process that shouldn't take more than two or three hours. To really give it a test drive though, to really get to know your salesperson or develop a rapport with the dealership and the salesperson, anywhere between four to six hours is probably fair.