How to keep the upper hand when buying a car
Posted March 27, 2013 7:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Most people can vividly recall the thrill of buying their first car, not to mention the nausea, sweaty palms and butterflies. My experience was no different. Armed with an ad promising an unbeatable deal on a brand new Chevy Cavalier, I bummed a ride to the dealership and announced my intention to snatch one at the advertised price.
The salesperson — a plump, elderly gentleman in a somewhat garish sport jacket—began a big show of consulting with his manager and checking the books to see if the sale-priced cars were still available. After a few minutes, he triumphantly announced there was one left at the back of the lot.
We hopped into his massive Oldsmobile and drove around the side of the building. I sprinted over to the car of my dreams and stared in disbelief at the interior. The seats, flooring and centre console were all missing. Only bare sheet metal and some wiring stared back at me.
When I calmly pointed this out, the salesman looked me straight in the eye and assured me the vehicle was merely undergoing a pre-delivery inspection. After I questioned the truth of that statement, his demeanour suddenly changed and he barked, “Well, do you want it or not? The sale ends today.” Needless to say, I passed on the Cavalier and vowed never to return to that dealership.
Most car dealers do not subscribe to the P.T. Barnum philosophy of salesmanship, but there are enough bad apples out there to warrant a careful approach to such a large purchase. That’s why we’ve assembled a list of the most common misleading or outright illegal sales tactics, with expert advice on how to steer clear of the scams.
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