6 Things You Should Never Say To a Car Salesperson

Most advice you see out there for consumers on buying a car encourages a tense, adversarial atmosphere between the car buyer and the car salesperson. As if buying a car wasn’t complicated enough, consumer advocates tell you to steel yourself for a negotiating session where you must bully, manipulate, and even lie in order to get a good price on your car. Well, relax. What you mainly need to do well in advance to your visit to a dealership is your homework. But once you’re there, you should indeed put on your game face, and try to avoid saying one or more of the following things.

1. “I need to buy a car today!”:

   

   Unless you’re loaded and buy cars like regular folks buy chewing gum or cat food, you probably don’t need the car today. That said, if you’ve done your research ahead of time, you’re probably ready to buy a car, so long as the deal you get jibes with the information you’ve gathered. You don’t want the dealer to give you any less attention than he would a buyer who is in dire need of a car, but the dealer needs to know you will walk away if you’re not happy with a deal.

2. “Well, I’m just not sure what I need in a car.”:

   

   If you haven’t narrowed your search down to a specific car model and price, then clarify for yourself in advance of your visit to a dealership what your car needs are, if only so the salesperson doesn’t waste your time showing you an unsuitable car. Consider how often you drive, the distances you drive, and who or what you’ll be transporting (kids, more kids, several pounds of gravel, etc). Being vague with a salesperson won’t get you a better deal; it’ll just waste everyone’s time.

3. “I’m not sure what my credit score is.”:

   

   There’s no excuse not to know your credit history and FICO scores before contacting or walking into a car dealership. You are entitled by law to download your credit reports from the three big credit companies once a year at annualcreditreport.com and you can purchase your FICO score (the score a car dealer is likely to see) for $19.95 at myfico.com. And remember to bring your scores with you when you’re ready to negotiate a loan.

4. “I need a monthly payment of…”:

   

   Discussing how much you’re able to pay monthly on a loan before determining the car’s sales price can end up costing you much more money. A loan stretched out to 72 months to accommodate your monthly budget will cost you more in interest than a more typical 48-month loan. Do your budget projections at home, and figure out how much you can pay monthly on a car loan. But at the dealership, focus negotiating a good price for the car you want first. The monthly payments then will take care of themselves.

5. “Your word is good enough for me. Let’s shake hands!”:

   

   Okay, you’re probably not that stupid. But please remember, if it ain’t in writing, it probably ain’t gonna happen. If throughout the negotiating process the dealer is writing things down on various pieces of paper, be sure everything you both have agreed to, including claims made about the condition of the car (“This car has a brand new transmission!”) appears in writing on the final contract.

6. “I’ll take any features you suggest!”:

   

   Some features, also known as add-ons or extras, aren’t really as useful as you might imagine, and others are just plain useless. Do not let a salesperson talk you into paint or fabric protection, two extras that are completely unnecessary.If there are features you know you will need, write them down and bring them up when negotiating the sales price of the car.

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