Most Common Car Dealer Tricks: 12 Tips to Avoid Them

Thinking of buying a car? Avoid being manipulated by car dealers with these 12 good tips provided by CNN in a recent article written by Craig Howie.

Even though a good car dealer is trained never to be rude, something the car dealership manager often insists upon. That doesn't, however, mean they can't manipulate you. To avoid that you'd better read these few car buying advices given here by people that worked in the world of car sales.

• Forget about placing your full trust in the car dealer from the get-go.


• When a single guy comes in, car reps focus solely on engine performance, power and how much of a lady magnet it is. With a lone female, the rep will talk about the safety factors, options available and roominess.


• The husband and wife team can be difficult but to make the sale the rep will focus on any rebates and savings available, and it's worth to mention a family type of vehicle for future plans.


• When a salesman is up against two people, it's always a bit more difficult because whenever two people come in, one of them is usually designated the hero because their sole purpose is to try to beat the salesman.


• In a dad-and-daughter combo, a car dealer knows that emphasizing safety is key, and usually younger drivers are automatically on the salesman's team because they are just as determined to drive off the lot in a new car.


• Most buyers get a thrill from driving a new car thus that's why the test drive was created.


• The promise of a bargain price is designed to create a sense of urgency, the feeling that if the buyer doesn't grab the special sale price right now, it will forever disappear. Lots of buyers fall for that.


• Allowing a customer to take home a car for the night, where they can see it in their driveway or garage also elicits an emotional response, making the buyer fall in love with the car.


• Don't let your decision be based on emotion. Analytical buyers pay less for their new cars than emotionally-charged buyers.


• The well-informed buyer is the wisest, while customers who haven't done any research frequently get confused by the seemingly endless stream of complex information.


• Car dealers are also not legally obliged to offer you the lowest interest rate you qualify for. Once a rep has your credit history (some new and used car dealerships obtain this information when the customer is taking a test drive) they'll start adding up what price they think you'll pay. Find out which rate you qualify for first.


• A Confused or inattentive buyer can be lead to "slamming." In this case, a car dealer may take charge and hurry them through every step of the sale and then, a few days later the buyer regrets having purchased the vehicle.

But if a smart car buyer has negotiated all these obstacles and looks to be winning, then a secondary sales rep will appear and be introduced as the car dealership manager. In most cases he's just another sales brought in when closure on the deal appears to be slipping. Often the sales team will split commission in this scenario.

Comments

[BringThePain]

Do your homework!! Comparative shopping and research are keys to getting a good deal on the car you want. I do disagree however about not getting emotionally attached or falling "in love" with the vehicle. You have to really like the vehicle to be willing to shell out hundreds of dollars a month or thousands upfront. I would pay a dime for a car that I didn't like, but I would pay for the vehicle I really enjoy and that makes me happy.

[clay]

I got a new sales trick for you. I went to buy a used car that I researched on the web. When I arrived at the dealership which likely had several hundred cars in the lot, there was no one there other than a few sales reps. I never saw a customer in almost an hour that I was there. I went on a test drive and then we I returned there was an African America couple parked closely to where I was told to return the car. When the manager gave the sales push, he told me that the "black" couple I saw was interested in the same car. Ummmm.... one other customer and of 300 cars on the lot they just happen to be interested in the same car I was looking at. So if I did not make a decision quickly they would sell the car to the "black" couple. This dealership was in a small southern town so I am assuming they were working on any racism I might have for black people. I don't have any, sorry fellas. I guess I was supposed to say I will buy it right now so the black people can't. LOL, do these people think we are this dumb.