Avoiding Pressure From Salesmen
When should I mention my trade-in?
As you begin your negotiations for a new vehicle, quite often the dealer and salesperson will ask if you have a trade-in to conclude in the deal, and that's their way of knowing just how much you're going to be able to provide as a down-payment towards that new vehicle purchase. Introducing the idea of a trade-in can be really be introduced at any point of negotiations because as a trade-in you're going to get the lowest value for the vehicle anyway. There's really no savings by mentioning a trade-in sooner or later in the game.
How do I avoid being pressured by car salespeople?
Do as much research as you can with regard to knowing the vehicle he is trying to sell you, what you really need and most importantly, your financial limitations, which should be kept private at all times. The key to being a successful negotiator is being prepared to walk away. There are stories of sales people taking the keys from the trade-in vehicle and suddenly losing them if the person decides they don't want to buy the car that day. I've even heard stories of keys being thrown up on the roof! "We'll make a deal with you today and I'm so confident...", keys are on the roof and so you can't leave! This is all ridiculous gamesmanship that the salespeople have, so the game is always be absolutely prepared to walk. You'll find the same vehicle probably from a better dealer or a more respectful dealer in another part of town.You want to do as much homework as possible because that helps build your confidence. That allows you to know if the salesperson's telling you that the vehicle you're interested in has a certain feature that you know is just not true or doesn't deliver the benefit that the person's telling you. So, it allows you to really build confidence that the person's treating you with a degree of respect. Most importantly, when buying a car, don't think that at all costs you must drive off with the vehicle that day. Find the vehicle elsewhere, find a new salesperson, find a new dealership, just know the vehicle, know that this is the vehicle you need, and know that your willing to find it elsewhere if the process is not going the way you want it to be.
What is a car salesman doing when he walks away from negotiations?
If your salesperson finds it necessary to continue to take a new negotiation or a new price offer off to some mysterious office in the back, they're playing a time-honored game with you. Basically, making you feel as if you're really squeezing them for every last penny. Quite often, when the salesperson is going into that mystery room to see the sales manager, they're going back there, having a laugh, trying to figure out a way to squeeze that potential buyer for as much money as they can, there's no magic or mystery to this process. It's all about having the confidence to get it to the price that you're comfortable with and then doing the deal at that price. You will also be encountering sales people that will leave and then bring their sales manager back. That sales manager is probably one of the most savvy people on the entire dealership floor. At that point, really hold your guard up high because you're now going to be getting the attention of their better sales staff.
How do I prevent delay tactics by a car salesman during negotiations?
The easiest way to prevent delay tactics is to not become part of them. If you feel like you're being messed around with and your time is not as valuable to the salesperson as it is to you, pick up your things, walk out the door and find the vehicle elsewhere.
Should I reveal to the car salesman what I am willing to pay for my new car?
What's the difference between a "car sales manager" and a "car salesperson"?
The car salesman and the car sales manager are both salespeople, just at different levels within the organization structure of the dealership. The car sales manager is probably a person who's got more experience, has been very successful in the salesman process and has now been allowed to sit in a quiet office somewhere - basically wheeled out when it's time to really bring out the hammer or close the strong deal. The message in this is the first person you meet with is probably not the person you're ulitimately do the negotiations with, so be prepared that when the manager comes out, that's when the real games begin.
How do I identify the hidden costs in a new car purchase?
What is a "freight charge"?
Destination charges can also be known as freight charges. A freight charge is the cost of bringing the vehicle from the factory to the dealership.
How should I review the contract on my new car purchase before signing?
By the time you come to the point of contracts in your car buying experience, you're probably very tired, you probably feel really beat up and you just want to go home. However, that is probably the most important time in the whole process where you really need to be paying attention to the contract you're about to sign and what you're looking at. As an example, I recently helped a friend purchase a car. The final price of the car was going to be around $15,600 As he's about ready to sign the contract on the car, I look down and see that the final transaction price is $16,500. I don't know if it was an honest mistake or a sneaky mistake, but the point is that there was almost another $900 or so that were going to be financed over five years in that transaction. You really need to shake your head, get yourself refocused and look through all the numbers in the contract. If something in the contract doesn't match up to what you expected it to be based on your negotiation process - if one of the numbers doesn't add up - stop right there and ask for a full disclaimer on what's going on. Don't forget, you can still walk away at that point if you don't like the way things are going.
