Right so you've decided that you're going to buy yourself a car. The first thing you need to do is to ask yourself what type of cars are you looking for; are you wanting something fun and sporty or something to go off-roading with? Whichever it may be you have to make this decision first because once you step inside any showroom/dealership you're going to have sales people flocking round you as they want your sale so that they get your commission!
This is how things work on the inside of any showrooms/dealerships; the sales people wait for the customer's to come in, they normally leave you for a couple of minutes before approaching you, giving you a chance to have a quick look at what sort of cars they have. Once they've approached you one of the first things they're likely to ask you is; do you know what sort of car you're looking for? So that's why I told you earlier to make your decision before you even get to the showroom/dealership. Tell them that you would like to just have a look around and see what sort of cars they have in stock and could they give you a few minute's to do so.
So now you're inside and you're walking round looking at what type of cars they have for sale and you know what it is you're after, you see that they have a couple of cars in different colours of the same type as what it is you're wanting, so now's the time to approach the sales person and start to make some enquirie's regarding the cars that you're interested in. And one of the thing's not to do is to be nervous because the sales person will pick up on it straight away, just be yourself and be confident, you know what it is you're wanting and you should by now know which of the cars you really like, colour, spec etc. Your decision's made, stick too it and don't let the sales person tell you any different, obviously they will want you to buy the most expensive one there but you're the person buying the car, you're the person that's spending the money and don't let them forget that!
The next thing to do is to ask the sales person to tell you everything that they know about the car you have chosen ie; service history, modifications if any, fuel consumption, how many people have owned it before they got it and how did they come across the car? You really want to know everything you can about the car you're going to be buying from them; what sort of warranty are they gonna offer you? You wanna be getting the best deal you can get wherever you are buying your car from, whether it be a main dealership or a used car dealer.
To get the best deal you can you need them to know that you're not a push-over and you have knowledge about cars in general. Because if the sales person thinks that you know nothing about cars at all then they're gonna use that to their own advantage, and beleive me they will!
Ask for a drink and make yourself comfortable and once you feel that you're ready then tell the sales person this and the both of you then sit down together and get down to business.
Let's use this as an example: The car you're buying costs $12000, or at least that's their screen price, what your next move is to see how much you can get knocked off the price, so just ask them what the best deal they can do for you on this particular car is? Let's say they tell you they can do you that one for $11000 for cash, now you will most probably be thinking that this sounds a good deal right? Wrong, to me I would be insulted! So your next move is to make a counter offer, let's say $10000. The sales person will more than likely tell you that they can't do it at that price and the best they could do is $10750. Now if the sales person's telling you this then you need to know that you could get at least another $500 off!! So now offer to split the difference with them which would make it $10375 and if they accept you now know that you're onto a decent deal.
A tip here is you can always start any negotiation with this: ask whichever sales person you're dealing with what's their best they are allowed to go on this particular item, remember this is for anything not just when buying cars, and at least then you've got some ammo to use when making your own deal.
Once your offer's been accepted at $10375 you need to be telling the sales person that you can only get your hands on $10000 and remember that it's cash we're dealing with here, you're not asking for credit! If the sales person is adamant that he can't go any lower then tell him if he can't then can you speak to whoever can! This works every time as they then start thinking that they could lose a sale! The sales person will then most probably ask you to wait a moment while he goes and has a word with his supervisor, he'll more than likely go to the toilet then come back to you and say that he's had a word and on this occassion they can do you the car you're wanting at that price.
That's all it takes, is a bit of homework before you go to buy and then have some confidence in yourself and stick with what you've decided.
