Slamming The Brakes On Greasy Car Salesmen!

You see a local dealer’s ad in the paper — a nice 2004 Ford Mustang with only 35,649 miles on it, for $7455.00. Unbelievable! The ad says that the vehicle has gone through a 40-point safety inspection and that they “wouldn’t sell a vehicle they didn’t believe in.” This offer seems too good to ignore, so off to the lot you go.

Two days after taking it home, this same “deal” dies in your driveway, and you find out (the hard way) that there is no warranty — you bought this puppy “as is”, remember? The transmission is toast, it’s going to cost you $3,600, and the “honest” dealer you bought this beauty from is giving you the run-around. Why shouldn’t he — he already has your money! An ugly lesson? Yes, but the following advice will help make sure this won’t happen again:

The internet will make you a much smarter shopper. Search for the true market value of a vehicle, its invoice price, and the cost for different option packages. Don’t take the salesman at his word, because it’s usually just lies anyway. Be an empowered buyer — use the tools that the web offers you. Then put on your boxing gloves!

Car dealers have a bag of dirty tricks when it comes to the negotiation phase. Try and sell your current car yourself, because the salesman’s goal is to “take it off your hands” for dirt cheap. Hang a “for sale” sign in it, and post it on Craigslist. If it’s a good enough bargain, someone will bite.

Don’t play the low-ball game. If the dealer is outbidding his competitors by thousands, you better believe he will be tacking the difference onto another part of your final bill, such as the handling charge, documentation fees, or when he “suddenly” realizes he forgot to charge you for the custom trim. Don’t fall for it. Get up, say “no thanks, slime-ball”, and head to another dealer (who isn’t a slime-ball).

Finally make sure you do a full inspection before you drive off the lot. Better yet, have your mechanic look at it. Look for any imperfections, scratches, or flaws that you aren’t happy with and make sure that the repair of these is included in the written part of your bill. Have the dealer address these issues. If he doesn’t, walk away! Let someone else buy his junk.

Buying a car is a large investment! You should never feel pressured, or have to deal with dirty sales tactics. In the world of automobile sales, there are plenty of honest car dealers, so do your homework and find them. This way, your money will take you further down life’s highways on cruise control.