Outsmarting Dealerships When Car Shopping |
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Steven Magill
16 January 2013
The feeling of being "sales talked" into buying something you could have otherwise bought at a lesser price is not good. It feels defeating. Yet it happens to all of us at one point in time. And the chances of it happening when you do car shopping are greater that it is than in department stores. That is because car salesmen are notoriously better trained and astute at salescraft than most sales professional. However, they and their dealerships can be outsmarted.
When you are already seriously considering on buying a particular unit, ask the dealership to allow you to have the car looked over by your own mechanic. Use a respected mechanic or someone you personally know and the one that the dealer would recommend. Your mechanic can give you a good assessment especially if you are buying a secondhand unit with, for example, alloy wheel refurbishment history.
Do not rule out buying directly from a present owner, especially if the owner is someone you know to be credible. Even if it is a stranger, you might be surprised at home much cheaper you can acquire a relatively slightly used vehicle compared to the prices offered by car agents. You may check on print and only classified ads for opportunities like this.
Cosmetic fixes like alloy wheel repair will be sold together with the car when you acquire them. It is on only fair that you factor them in when buying secondhand units, especially if you acquire them from midway dealerships. Find out the average market cost of these repairs and make sure they are included in the consideration of your purchasing price.
For car owners who are in the habit of selling and buying cars as a form of investment, never ride good looking car especially when you are trying to acquire a unit of lesser value. Otherwise, it will compel the dealer to raise the asking price if you make the impression that you have the money to afford him a bigger sales profit.
Try to learn in advance the incentives and promotions being offered by a particular dealership before talking to them. Know everything you can about the mechanics and details of their trade-in policies, its quoted values, financiers fees, terms of warranties and rebates. Such advance information will provide you a better negotiating position when you ultimately have to deal with the dealership.
The internet have the most competitive offerings when comes to commercial deals. Cars can likewise be acquired over the internet. While it may be foolish to do an outright purchase online, scouting for the best deals is entirely possible. The free enterprise that exist in the internet has compelled online dealerships to offer more attractive deals online than they actually do on their shops or showrooms.
Having a friend with you who knows better than you about cars and car shopping will be a great help when shopping for your car. However, this must not be an excuse for you not to learn them yourself. Your friend will not just be there to negotiate for you. You must take the lead on that. However, he can give you a much needed support and occasional reminders you most need them during the course of the negotiation. Having someone who can objectively listen to how the negotiation is going will be invaluable as you wrestle your way into the best deal you can have for this particular transaction.
Never allow the dealership to dictate the terms of your car purchase. At most, listen to what he has to say, but decide for yourself what is truly best terms possible you can afford for this deal. You don't have to be louder when you do that. You just have to be smarter.