I am really starting to play with the idea that if you aren’t getting rejected enough then you probably aren’t negotiating hard enough. The next time I go buy a car I will make sure to negotiate hard enough to get rejected from more than one dealership. If they don’t let you walk out, then you probably haven’t found their low point yet.
if you aren’t getting rejected enough then you probably aren’t negotiating hard enough.
Rejection is not quite the term. In my experience the sales guy eventually offers you his “best deal”, you thank him (why is it there are virtually no women in these jobs?) for his time and stand up to leave. That’s when he likely calls his manager who sweetens the deal a bit. YMMV. Once it seemed fair enough that I took it, rejecting “documentation fee”, upsell and all other junk along the way. (Free service, extended warranty etc. should already be negotiated in at this point: this stuff is cheap for them, expensive for you.) Another time I still left, making it clear that I was ready to finish the deal, if only… then got a call later with some more concessions. Every time the “final” contract had unexpected charges added which had to be removed before signing. Admittedly, I never push it to the point where the salesperson hates me, so they clearly get a fair shake out of it, just not a lucrative one.
One tactic that is nearly always useful (be it cars, electronics, appliances or anything else) is anchoring: showing the price of a comparable item, the book value, lease details posted on the manufacturer’s site, anything that makes the seller to go for a version of “price match”.
Thanks. I actually picked up the amazon suggested bundle, which included the sequel that you are speaking of.
Hope it helps you. I know that my negotiating skills improved considerably. I used to be afraid to dicker with car salesmen.
How many dealerships did you go to?
I am really starting to play with the idea that if you aren’t getting rejected enough then you probably aren’t negotiating hard enough. The next time I go buy a car I will make sure to negotiate hard enough to get rejected from more than one dealership. If they don’t let you walk out, then you probably haven’t found their low point yet.
Last time? 3 or 4.
Rejection is not quite the term. In my experience the sales guy eventually offers you his “best deal”, you thank him (why is it there are virtually no women in these jobs?) for his time and stand up to leave. That’s when he likely calls his manager who sweetens the deal a bit. YMMV. Once it seemed fair enough that I took it, rejecting “documentation fee”, upsell and all other junk along the way. (Free service, extended warranty etc. should already be negotiated in at this point: this stuff is cheap for them, expensive for you.) Another time I still left, making it clear that I was ready to finish the deal, if only… then got a call later with some more concessions. Every time the “final” contract had unexpected charges added which had to be removed before signing. Admittedly, I never push it to the point where the salesperson hates me, so they clearly get a fair shake out of it, just not a lucrative one.
One tactic that is nearly always useful (be it cars, electronics, appliances or anything else) is anchoring: showing the price of a comparable item, the book value, lease details posted on the manufacturer’s site, anything that makes the seller to go for a version of “price match”.