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This article is really long, but if you can only read one portion of it, read this part about the 4 square worksheet: http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/arti

• amalcon 17y ago
  The last page also has some excellent advice on it. My favorite: If you don't like anything about the deal, even if it's just the salesman rubbing the wrong way, just walk away. The salesman wants you to treat walking away like a nuclear option, but it's the biggest lever you have.
  • desu 17y ago
    They try their best to make you feel like a real asshole for walking away, though, especially if they took you for a test drive and everything. I think a lot of people just don't have the "jerk DNA" to do that. They prey on people's basic politeness. While, like the author, I can feel some sympathy for the individual salespeople, the industry as a whole is just awful and I can't wait to see it die. It's coasting on pure momentum now but the minute people can reliably buy a car elsewhere, like they would buy any other major item, sayonara dealers. I just wish I could go to the Car Shop and buy a car the same way I go to a department store and buy a TV. I can look at all the models from all the different brands. They all have a sticker on them with the best price. I choose one, pay for it, and leave. That's all I want! The dealer system adds no value for me at all - in fact it makes the whole experience worse, and then rips you off in the bargain. I just can't stand them.