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As much as you might want to exclaim with glee over a nifty car feature, be sure to hold your tongue. Don’t compliment the car the salesperson is showing you. You’re not trying to sell yourself the car—that’s the salesperson’s job. If you appear overly pleased with the car, you’ll give him or her little to no incentive to offer you a special deal. You’re happy already. So why does he or she need to persuade and entice you with a discount?
Grain Of Salt
Take what salespeople say in stride. Don’t be gullible! The salesperson might be spinning a certain feature and it may not even be exactly what they’re claiming. For example, they may say that the car has a ten-year warranty. Later on you find out that the warranty is only for one part of the car.
Be Critical
Do be aware of the car’s weak points and bring them up. Not only will you show that you’re in the know, it also gives you a chance to see if he or she can address your concerns. If the salesperson is evasive and doesn’t respond, then you know you’ve hit on a subject worth researching when you get home.
While you do want to bring up what you consider to be shortcomings of the car, you don’t want to be unnecessarily harsh or impolite. Salespeople can be a little touchy when it comes to customers making derogatory comments about the cars on their lot.
Price
Don’t tell the salesperson how much you’re willing to spend. That may sound like an odd suggestion. Why not tell the salesperson your price range? It will help them steer you towards the kinds of cars you can afford. That may be true when it comes to buying clothes in the mall, but when it comes to buying a car, there’s a lot of room to negotiate price. If they know exactly how much you’re willing to spend, they’re not going to sell you a car for a price lower than the top of your range. Why would they? You’ve already told them how high you’re willing to go. By simply telling the salesperson the cars that you would like to see, you’ve already given them enough of an indication of the price range you’re looking for. To be frank, you don’t need to tell them anything about anything, if you don’t want to. You can ignore or evade any questions they ask.
Buyer Beware
While you may have caught on to the idea of holding your cards close to your chest in regard to your particular enthusiasm over a car you want to buy, you may not realize how much a dealer may glean about you from a casual conversation. For example, if the agent starts asking you about the last car you owned, be on your guard. Make sure you’re revealing only the information you want to give. They’re trying to suss out the situation and find out any information that can give them the upper hand. In general, make sure you’re the one who’s asking the questions. Not the other way around.
There are, of course, a great variety of car salespeople. In general, you want to match your communication style to theirs. Some salespeople are very sharp and cunning and you will need to be equally shrewd. However, there are some who are more open and honest whom you can respond to accordingly. That said, buyer beware. In the end it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re getting a fair deal.
Sleep On It
Once you’ve made up your mind and you’re sure you’re making the right decision, don’t tell the car salesperson, “I’ll take it.” Instead, go home and sleep on it. You shouldn’t feel rushed or pressured to buy right away. Don’t fall for the pressure sale. If they have a million reasons for you to buy right now, don’t be fooled. You can easily come back tomorrow if you’re absolutely sure this is the right car for you.
Take the time to go around to a number of other car dealers. If no one else will give you a better deal, then you know you’re buying your car at a sweet price. Now you’re ready to seal the deal.
Mission Accomplished
No one wants to be suckered into a bad deal. If all goes right, it’s a win-win situation for both you and the car salesperson. If you feel guilty about the idea of being tight-lipped, don’t be. A salesperson will expect a certain cleverness on the part of his or her customer and might be rather shocked if you are gullible. They might even think you’re being insincere!
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