Tips on Buying Cars: New car, confessions of a former car salesman, toyota camry

Question
Hi - I am in the process of trying to buy a new car.  I live in Iowa.  I really want a Toyota Camry but am finding out no one will deal on them - no price decrease.  I like all kinds of cars but want a good deal and payments around $325 or so a month.  I have been to a Saturn, Kia, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan dealer and they all say that the price on the car is so low they are a one stop shop and don't deal.  Am I crazy or is this a bunch of bull??  I don't know how to get around this.  This will probably be the last car I buy so I really want to get a good deal.  I though of going down by my sister who lives in Edwardsville IL to find one thinking the deals may be better.  What is your advice???  Help!!!

Answer
Hi Claudia,

Thanks for your question.

No, you're not crazy, the dealers are giving you "a bunch of bull" as you suspect. They all tell you they're going to give you the best deal and that their cars are the lowest priced around. All dealers want is to get you on the lot and to start talking with them. They figure that once you do this they'll work their (BS) on you and find a way to get you to buy--at their price! Because of the way they do business, it's extremely rare for anyone to get a good deal just by walking on the lot and shopping as consumers have been doing for decades. Everyone loves to tell you they beat the system and actually got a great deal--they're wrong.

I wrote my book, $ave Thousand$ Buying Your Next Car: Confessions of a Former Car Salesman (www.Make-Me-Smarter.com) for this exact reason: to give buyers a new way to deal on their terms, not the dealers. Short of you buying my book, here are some quick tips that should help you.

1. Be an informed consumer. Research the vehicle(s) you're interested in on the internet. You can find everything you need to know for new cars, and the going prices for most pre-owned, too.
2. Don't fall into the trap of discussing monthly payments with them. They will take your $325 and turn it into $500 before you realize what happened. Believe me, I've seen this happen to the most macho acting guys who thought they were pro's at negotiating. When you're doing your research on the car prices, go to a site such as www.kbb.com and use their payment calculator to find out what your payment should be for what you're looking at.
3. It's also a good idea to shop for a car on the internet at  your local dealers websites: they all have them. Find what you want and then call them. Most of them will either give you a price on the phone, or if not they'll give you a better price than if you walk in off the street and start working with a salesperson and desk manager.

Aside from these tips, my book very simply shows you the 6 ways dealers make money, the tricks they use against you, and how you can avoid falling into their traps. I call this my Six-Step Approach, which has been tremendously successful. A woman here in the Dallas area bought a 2003 Honda Civic for her daughter last October, and by her own admission saved $5,000 over what she was being quoted before using my approach!

I hope this helps you, Caludia. Good luck!

Regards,


Ron