351 Stang here. I've been lurking this site for the last 6 months. I'm going to be looking at an 2005 GT as a possible replacement for my wifes Toyota (It's long in the tooth). I've seen a lot of post on basic car buying fundamentals. I found the first website when I purchased my Lightning in 2001. There is an excellent section on dealer scams. It's a must read for even the most "seasoned" car buyers.


This is the best new car buying resource I've ever read:
http://www.carbuyingtips.com/

New Car Buying Tips
http://www.tex-net.net/tex-net/shoppingtips.htm

Dealer Sales Tricks
http://www.tex-net.net/tex-net/salestricks.htm

 

I re-read some of the newcarbuyingtips.com and a lot of advertising links have been added in the last 4 years.

I apologize if it's not as useful as it once was, but it looks like the meat is still there.


[EDIT]

I found the good stuff. 7 Chapters of tips:
http://www.carbuyingtips.com/carintro.html...kz_ttky3&y=0x40

[/EDIT]

 

Lots of excellent tips there. I've posted that link a couple of times but many people haven't seen it.

 

Take edmunds.com cost printouts, what other have paid from here, etc. in a folder. Let the sales guy go back an forth a couple times. 30-60 minutes of BS. Then just tell him X% over invoice. If holdback is 3% then 3% over invoice would give the dealer a total of 6% profit which is a fair profit.

Eveybody told me I could not get a deal on my 2000 BMW Z3 when I bought that and I paid 5.5% total profit to the dealer.

Make sure to make a move for the door about 45 to 60 minutes in so he/she knows you will walk out on the deal.

 

OK. I have a few questions.
In the Qualification section it only tells me he will ask a lot of questions. Should I not answer? Should I lie and give information that would somehow be in my favor. Such as saying I owe $3K when I only owe $2K on my trade in. Should I say I won't be trading, just buying straight up?

I don't think the presentation would work in this case since most of know WAY more than any salesman does about Mustangs. Would it be better to play dumb? It might be suspicious if I do that when I drove up in a Mustang.

In the Demonstration section when he asks if I like it, should I start pointing out things I don't like, instead of saying I actually like the car?

Jason

 

I hear the Car Buying For Dummies book (of course there really is one!) is a good source for new car buyers. At a bookstore near you.

 

If you lie to him, and he lies to you, it's really going to be fun. Why don't you try something novel, like being honest and asking him to do the same. Maybe you could start a trend. A world of honor and integrity. Not lies and baloney. B)

 

Being honest is what I've always done in the past.
And, as the article implies, so does most everyone else.
My point was, while the article is VERY informative, it doesn't state in the instances I mentioned above what is recomended to counter the salesman's tactics.

Jason

 

The guy who wrote the carbuyingtips.com website was abused by a car salesman when he was a child. He does have some good common sense tips, but he is so paranoid, he writes like all salesmen are demons from the netherworld, out to get you and your family. I read his site recently right before buying an '04 V6 for my daughter, and did all but take garlic and crucifixes with me. Turns out I got a great deal, and the dealership was extremely easy to work with and honest. Go figure! One excellent point, however, was that I was an informed consumer. Because I knew what I was talking about, I was able to realize that I was being told the truth. Arm yourself with that truth, and if a dealer is dishonest, don't argue. Just leave. There are too many around to mess with a bad one.

 

When you're buying a car keep everything seperate. First, Negotiate the actual price of the car, NOT PAYMENTS, if they ask if you're financing through ford, say you havent decided, if he asks if you'll be trading, say you dont know. After the actual price of the vehicle is determined, then tell the salesman about the trade, and if you'll be fininancing after that. In my own opinion you should NEVER play dumb with a car salesman, A FEW will decide to take advantage of you at this point (I sell cars, and this is in no way an attack on any salesman). The more you show that you know about a car, the less they will BS you. Thats all the tips i have, any questions, feel free to ask.

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

There won't be any "tactics" if you're up front, honest, and above all informed.

If your bullpoo detector goes off, then feel free to walk. That's happened only once to me (almost 20 years ago) and I've bought my share of new cars over the years.

I've never paid MSRP, and I have no problem with a dealer making money. I'm usually happy with a deal that falls right in between invoice and MSRP, and it turns out the dealer usually does too