It can seem overwhelming when you get into a car dealership, are surrounded by salesmen and sales managers that are trained to do one thing… extract money from your pocket.
That’s right.
There’s an old saying in the car business. “A salesman’s job is to extract money from the customers pocket without resorting to physical violence.” That’s a true statement and some dealers will stop at nothing to get you to agree to the numbers that they want you to, and sign on the dotted line.
Here are some tips that will help you along your way to avoid getting ripped off at a car lot…
1) Keep your priorities straight. If you have bad credit, the first priority is going to be to get the financing secured. If you don’t, you’ll choose a vehicle that may not be within your budget, which can leave you paying more than you would have, based on emotional buying. Keep your emotions out of the picture, arrange your financing (there’s good help online) and then, pick out a vehicle based on what you can truly afford.
2) Don’t fall for finance products. Dealers can make more in the finance department than they do on the actual sale price of the car. This is a result of inflating your interest rate and selling you extended auto warranties, gap insurance and credit life insurance. While an extended service contract has it’s place, you can get a much better price on an extended warranty by buying direct. Avoid financial products that are sold in dealerships as they always have a hefty profit built into them for the dealer. You’re better off obtaining those on your own.
3) Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. Don’t give up. The dealer will try to wear you down and get you to where you feel like you can’t get any better of a price on the vehicle that you want. It’s a bluffing game. Frequently, the dealer has plenty of room to discount the vehicle, but is doing his best to “hold gross”. Holding gross is car business lingo for holding on to the gross profit. Not giving up the profit on the sale price is what pays the salesman’s commission. You can always renegotiate the price and don’t give in until you’re satisfied.