From: mills@athena.lkg.dec.com (George Mills)
Newsgroups: rec.autos
Subject: Re: New car bargaining
Date: 5 Jan 93 22:02:48 GMT
Distribution: usa

I disagree on a few points

wesf@boi.hp.com (Wes Fujii) writes:

>Bill Pearson (wrp@cyclops.micr.Virginia.EDU) wrote:
>: 	Like many of us, I have read alot about how one should
>: negotiate for a new car price but felt very uncomfortable about the
>: process and wondered how much one could really save.  Several days ago

>      <lotsa good stuff deleted>

>Other things that often help:

>  1) End of the year, month, weekend are all to your advantage.  Saturday
>     evening negotiations work better than you'd think because if the car
>     doesn't move on the weekend, it will probably sit there the whole
>     next week.

I don't think they care about 1 week. It takes almost a week to put all
the paper work together. financing, registration etc. They probably do
care about end of year and quarter though.

>  2) Go to your bank, credit union and get the dealer's prices for a 
>     starting point.  You can even get NADA price books in some of the
>     automotive stores or bookstores now.

>  3) It always helps to leave.  Salespeople don't like it and they see
>     their commission walking out the door.  When you leave, always be
>     on the way to see another car or be going back to recheck another
>     one.

You can bluff to :-)

>  4) When you negotiate the final deal, leave your spouse at home so you
>     can call right before the final offer.  You can play phone games
>     and do lots of leverage this way.  My last deal (last week) saved
>     another $75 off an otherwise "final bottom" price.  Good investment
>     for 2 minutes work.

>  5) NEVER say that you like their car better than another one.  
>     ALWAYS downgrade theirs (ie. "too many things to go wrong" on a 
>     well equipped car, "pretty plain" on a car that is not equipped).

>  6) I always make a handwritten list of the cars, equipment, mileage,
>     etc that I am looking at.  At the far right I have columns for
>     pricing, I usually have their price, offers, adjustments, book
>     values, my price estimates, etc scribbled around.  When I am
>     dealing on car A, I do my figuring where the salesperson can 
>     "almost" see what I am doing and compare his price with the price
>     from car B elsewhere.  The price B does not have to be a real 
>     price but I always make like it is.  This salesperson doesn't
>     know and if you seem organized enough, he will believe you.  You
>     can use the same trick with car B once you get a good price for
>     car A.  ALWAYS have another alternate car to deal on.

>  7) If you are trading in a car, clean it up and have it "appraised"
>     on an appropriate day.  If it is not cherry and is burning a little
>     oil, then trade it on a cold, cloudy, windy day.  The appraiser
>     won't want to spend much time in that kind of weather so they will
>     go over it quicker.

It really doesn't matter what shape your car is in. They almost
always use the book for dealer trade in. The only thing he looks
for it serious damage. Like no engine. It's always better to sell
on your own even with the risk of lemon laws.

>  8) It helps to have an accomplice.  You can "casually" talk to one
>     another with the salesperson in ear's shot.  You can "plant" a
>     few things in their head this way.

>  9) Be firm but not rude.  You don't want to stop the negotiations
>     because of personality clashes.

>Wes Fujii
>________________________________________________________________
>      ___   ___ ___ 
>     /  /  /  //  /
>    /  /__/  //  /    A real motor is an Oldsmobile Rocket 455
>   /  HURST //  /     "This is NOT the new generation of Olds"
>  /  /  /  //  /_______ 
> /__/  /__//  //  ___  \
>          /  //  /   \  \       Wes "BANZAI" Fujii
>         /  //  /OLDS/  /          Boise, Idaho
>        /  / \  \___/  /      wesf@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com
>       /__/   \_______/ 
Newsgroups: rec.autos