If you are an adult chances are you have had an experience at a car dealer that wasn’t among your best memories. If you take a look at some of the guidelines below it can help to deal with these tactics and keep your next experience from being a bad one.
First off, don’t be unprepared. Have all your research done and have everything written down before you go into a dealership. Know the actual wholesale value of your car, how much cash you have available, and what kind of financing you can obtain before you start shopping. If you have all these things in order the salesman won’t be able to lead you around by the nose and you will know exactly what you are looking for and can afford.
Do not commit to their “If I could would you” questions. They may sound harmless but they are designed to get you committed to buy. They know that most people will honor a commitment. An example would be, “If I can sell you this $20,000 car for $15,000 do we have a deal?” They can’t really sell it for that they are just trying to get you to commit to a figure, any figure. Just say “I don’t know”
Since you already have the information that will help you know if they are being truthful insist that they be straight with you. If you ask for the Actual Wholesale Value or ACV as they will call it, don’t let them give you the run around about trade allowance or trade difference. Find out exactly what they allowed. I personally would ask to see the appraisal. If they won’t show it to you get up and leave.
Don’t let your self get worked by one the “selling systems” out there. One of the most common is the Four Square. If you see the salesman take out a form split into four sections or he draws something out like that, just tell him outright that you aren’t going to play four square with him. Tell them what you will do and that they have one chance to earn your business, you aren’t going to play the back and forth game so if they need to get their manager get him now.
Keep things going in your sequence. Don’t let them control you, you control them. Make them appraise you car before you do a buyers order. This will drive the salesman and the manager out of their minds!
Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get quality car care products from stopwaxingdotcom