It’s purely a love/hate relationship whenever I’m shopping for a new car. We all love the new car smell; the jealous look on our friends faces. However, is it really worth it?
One of the first things you’ll want do before visiting any car lot, is search the advertisements in the paper for the ones that have these particular catch phrases. “No pressure”, “One-on-one salesperson negotiation”, “No manager involvement”, “Easy, less time, no hassles”
… and do cut these out, as they just might come in handy later on!
If you brought in another car as a trade-in, the next thing they will want to do is take your keys and bring your car around back.
Have you ever wondered what they are doing while your car is around back?
Once your trade-in has been taken, your dealer will be off to see The Wizard, The All Mighty, The Grand Poobah, The Big Kahuna, The Man with the Plan (a.k.a. the Manager). Car salespeople will not make a move without their manager’s approval.
…and remember this fact while you are sitting in that lot that claimed, “One-on-one salesperson negotiation” in their advertising. In fact, go ahead and bring this to their attention. I guarantee they will have to go back and speak to the manager about this too.
There are two basic phrases to the dealers vocabulary, “What can I do to put you in that drivers seat today?” and “Let me see what I can do.” The whole process goes something like this:
Dealer: “What can I possibly do to put you in that driver’s seat today?”
You: “Can you take another $1,500 off that price?”
Dealer: “Okay… let me see what I can do.”
You: “Can you throw in a years worth of oil changes and tire rotations?”
Dealer: “Well… let me see what I can do about that one.”
You: “Can you paint a target on your forehead while wearing a tutu and climb into a Bull ring singing I’m a little tea pot?”
Dealer: “Yeah, um… well, I don’t know… let me see what I can do for ya there.”
When it is all said and done, you have to wonder if it would just be easier to walk. However, then you’d just have to deal with a shoe salesperson…
About Dr. Eric J. Leech
Eric has written for over a decade. Then one day he created Urbasm.com, a site for every guy.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech