Negotiation Tips

[lizeeh]

Just started car shopping and was wondering if anyone had any tips/tricks for negotiating a good deal for a used car at a dealership? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!

[Kloubek]

There was JUST a thread on this... like... yesterday.

What I took from it:

Test drive a car. Express genuine interest.
Lowball them.
They will say no.
Leave your info, and walk away.

Now they know you are serious, but not willing to pay their price. If you do this to enough dealerships, one will cave and offer you a great price.

[JustinL]

Be VERY clear in your communication. I like email or paper because there is a record. When I bought mine, the dealer kept trying to add surprise costs after we had settled on a price. Don't stand for any BS that the will try to pull on you once they think they have a sale. Be prepared to walk until you have the bill of sale finalized.

[lizeeh]

Thanks for the suggestions! I really like the idea of emailing the dealership to get a written record of the agreed upon price. I really hate hidden fees that go into the final sale price.