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Car salesmen have a bad reputation - and deservedly so. Learn about the tricks they use to make you pay more than you have to, so you won’t fall victim to them.

1. Pretending they’re your friend. A salesperson will try to gain your trust by pretending they’re your friend. They know the more you can relate to them and think of them as a friend, the more difficult it will be for you to say no.

2. Pretending they’re on your side. A salesperson will often pretend they’re trying to get you the lowest possible price. They will tell you their sales manager has to approve everything but they will do their best to get you the best possible deal. Only the first part of that statement is true. In fact, the salesperson wants you to pay as much as possible because the more you pay, the more commission they will get. Contrary to what you may be led to believe, the salesperson is not risking their job for you at all when they talk to their manager. What’s more, the salesperson will try to coax you into a commitment by using a line like this: “If I could, would you buy this car today?” Just tell him you will buy the car today if you like the deal you’re getting.

3. Making you feel guilty. Another reason not to get too close to a salesperson. If they think you’re a nice guy, they may try playing the guilt car. They can’t afford to lose the sale because if they do they can’t get commission or might even get fired. Of course, that’s too bad because they have children in college, are getting married soon, or have a pregnant wife at home. Don’t ever feel like you need to buy a car out of pity for the salesperson. You’re not a charity. You’re there to buy a car for yourself. Plus, chances are the salesperson is lying to you anyway.

4. Limited time offer. Sometimes the salesperson will pressure you to buy the car the same day because of a special promotion. They will tell you that prices will go up again once the promotion ends. Don’t believe a word they say. Lucky for you, there is always a special sale going on at car dealerships. You can tell just by watching car commercials.

5. Affordable monthly payment. Instead of focusing on the price of the car, most dealers will try to talk about the monthly payment instead. They make it seem like that’s the most important thing you should care about. But is it monthly payments for 3 years, 4 years, 5 years, or longer? Needless to say, the more monthly payments you need to make, the greater the cost of the car will be. By getting you to focus on the monthly payment, the salesperson is trying to distract from more important things - like the price of the car.

6. Misplaced items. Be careful about leaving anything in the care of the dealership. It will take you a long time to get it back. By pretending they misplaced your item, the salesperson gets more time to continue pressuring you to buy the car. Sometimes you may not even have a choice. For example, the salesman may ask for your driver license to look up your record or your car keys so they can check out your trade-in. When you tell them you want to leave, don’t be surprised if they can’t find it right away. They will do everything they can to keep you there as long as possible.

7. Keeping you waiting. You would think a salesperson wants try to close the deal as quickly as possible. However, to get the best deal, they will also try to wear you out. The more tired and impatient you are, the more likely you are to give in to their terms to get it all over with. Typically, the salesperson will leave more than once to talk to their sales manager and take several minutes before they return.

8. Allowing you to take the car home for the night. This may seem like the dealer is doing you a favor. Actually, they just want you to get attached to the car.

9. Bait and switch. Car dealerships will do anything to get you to come to their dealership. They advertise amazing bargains but when you get there they’re already sold out because only one car was available at that price in the first place or the car turns out to have defects that were left out in the original advertisement. Similarly, you may be told they have a great deal waiting for you when you’re on the phone with them. Once you’re at the dealership, they get you to take a look at other cars.

10. Lowballing. If the salesperson knows you’ll be shopping around, they may quote you an incredibly low price to get you to come back again. They’ll know you won’t make a decision until after you have visited all the dealerships on your list. Of course, when you do return, that deal will no longer be available for whatever reason. You, on the other hand, are tired and worn out. That’s the kind of customer they want to be negotiating with.

11. Making up numbers. Car salesmen rarely use even numbers. Instead, they rely on odd numbers to make you think there was a scientific way they arrived at the dollar amount they’re quoting you, e.g. the monthly payment turns out to be $513 instead of $500.

12. Upselling. A salesperson will want to sell you the most expensive car you can possibly get because that gives them the most commission. When they ask you how much you want to pay for a car or how much you want your monthly payment to be, they’re usually just setting you up for the next question: “Up to?” Your answer to this question will let them know how much you’re really able to afford. That’s what they’ll be going by.

13. Four squares. Most sales negotiations will center on the “four squares”. The salesperson will use a sheet divided into four boxes: trade-in value, purchase price of car, down payment, and monthly payment. They will haggle with you over all four boxes. When they find out your “hot button” (e.g. you insist on a certain price for your trade-in), they might just give it to you to make you feel but then rip you off somewhere else.

14. Last minute changes. Sometimes the salesperson will give you the impression that you have reached a deal. Everything seems fine. You’re ready to sign the papers. Then, suddenly, there’s a change. You’re told that for some reason you will get less for your trade-in; or you have to pay slightly more for your monthly payment, etc. Even a seemingly minor change can cost you a lot more than you think. For example, a $20 increase in your monthly payment means you’ll end up paying $1200 more over a five-year term. They’re hoping you’re tired enough at this point not to give it too much thought.

15. Not telling you everything. Used car salesmen are especially good at this. Instead of lying to you, they’ll just conceal anything that might make you walk away from the deal. As long as you don’t ask, there’s no need for them to be upfront. If it comes out eventually, you might be so tired by that time that you just don’t know what to do about it and accept it.

16. Inspection. The fact that their mechanics inspected the car inside and out should be of no value to you. Those mechanics don’t work for you. They work for the dealership and if the dealership wants some sort of certification so that the car that can be sold more easily, they’ll get one.

Part 1 - Car Sales: Tricks of the Trade

Part 2 - How to Buy A New Car

Part 3 - How to Buy A Used Car

Photo Credit: Vagawi

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