Dealing with a Car Salesman: 5 Dirty Tricks to Watch Out For
by Mashum Mollah Automotive 16 May 2017
When you buy a car, it’s not just a matter of looking for a cool design, sensible gas mileage, and reasonable North Carolina car insurance quotes. It’s also about trying to avoid the dirty tricks employed by salespeople in their eternal quest to pad their own bottom line.
Here are tricks you have to watch out for:
1. Everybody bends the truth. Car salesman are often pegged as truth benders. You must take everything they say with a grain of salt because it’s part of their job to stretch the truth. They’ll put pressure on you and say that you have to decide quickly, as there are only a few units left of the car you’re considering, that the current price is only good for today, that there are others who are also interested in the very car you want to buy. In short, don’t fall too quickly into buying a car.
2. Salesmen can recoup a “discount” through other factors of the car purchase. Let’s say you’re adamant about a specific monthly payment amount. They may finally agree to that amount, but then they can still compensate by extending the term of the loan so that you end up paying even more for your car. They can also lowball their offer for your trade-in.
What you have to do is separately negotiate each part of your car purchase. So compare the car prices from different dealers, look for an auto loan from different lenders, and find a deal for your trade-in from different dealers.
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3. Bait and switch tactics are common. Salesmen are very confident about their ability to get people to buy and they know it’s a numbers game. The more people visit their showroom, the more buyers they have. One common tactic they use is to promote a cheaply priced car, so that you’ll be tempted to pay them a visit. But once you get there, they’ll tell you that you were too late and that their units have already been sold. Meanwhile, they do have other great cars to show you…
Before you get suckered in, call the dealership first to confirm that the car you want is still available. If they say that it is, get them to send you an email confirming this so that you’ll have proof.
4. They fake a high offer over the phone for your trade-in. When you get to the dealer to bring your trade-in, they’ll inspect the car and say that their offer was too high for the condition of your car. The point, once again, is to just get you into their showroom.
Offers over the phone are always misleading. You have to take your trade-in to different dealers, and the only offer you should trust are the ones made after they inspect your car in person.
5. There may be a “mistake” in the car purchase contract. With so many details involved in a car purchase, it may seem understandable that a mistake may crop up now and again. Funnily enough, these mistakes are actually common, and somehow they’re always to the advantage of the seller!
So before you sign anything, double-check the purchase price, down payment amount, and loan terms. You have to make sure that everything in the contract matches what you agreed to with the car salesman.
A new car can be a costly purchase. Before you start looking for insurance quotes, make sure you’re not overpaying for your new car!
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