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The best way to approach buying a new vehicle in any market is to be armed with the most knowledge
about the car you want, your credit situation and the types of "offers'' the dealership is likely to run past you.
As an automotive columnist for more than 25 years, it's not immodest to say that I'm probably better
versed in the buying and selling of cars than the average consumer.
Yet when I went to buy a new car last month, I was nonetheless amazed at how dealers continue to try
to bamboozle and confuse a buyer in an effort to pad the deal with extra charges.
Here was my experience:
My wife and I knew which car we wanted to replace for her 7-year-old car. We decided to sell her car
privately, taking the variable of the trade-in off the table. We also secured the financing before going shopping and
researched the price we should pay for the new vehicle.
Before showing up at the dealership for the sale, I did some additional research and found that the lot
was stocked with more than two dozen of the model we wanted. So I knew the dealer was hungry.
We went shopping on a Saturday. The showroom was lightly dotted with other customers. I had met the
salesman we would be dealing with on my earlier reconnaissance mission, so he knew what we wanted.
Next came the finance guy, who began asking me questions about the new car: "How long do you plan on
keeping this car? How many miles do you drive in a year?"
I told him politely that it was none of his business. His goal here was to sell me an extended warranty,
which I declined.
Then he asked if I planned to get the new car serviced at the dealership. I said that I probably would,
because that was one reason I was shopping a dealership near my house.
The finance guy then tried to sell me a four-year "service package'' at the discounted price of $1,500.
I stared at him and said that according to the manufacturer, all this car should need over four years was regular oil
and filter changes, as well as some other minor tweaks.
Yes, he said, but the dealer recommends other services as well. I declined.
Then came a laundry list of other items -- wheel and tire insurance, LoJack theft protection, paint
protection and leather conditioning.
If I had given in on even half of
these items it would have added thousands of dollars
to my purchase price. In the end, I got the deal
I wanted, but I had to endure a nearly three-hour
process to close a deal that was essentially a
cash transaction for the dealer.
The lesson here for other buyers is that with sales way down, dealers are going to be even more aggressive
to bolster the bottom line with add-ons.
Buy an add-on if you see some value in it. But be aware that for most of these add-ons, the only person
who benefits is the dealer.
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