Know the make and model of vehicle you want and any options you would like, can do without or wouldn't mind.

Have your own financing in place and ready to go. If the dealer offers you better financing you can always take it. But generally your own financing is the way to go. Have it ready.

Don't disclose too much. No need to share your financing, the amount you are willing to pay, how you only want a blue car with tan interior etc. until you are actually ready to buy.

Know the dealers price on the vehicle. The MSRP means nothing. Neither does the sticker price.

Be flexible on options. If they don't have the vehicle you want and can't find it from another dealer than negotiate a better price on what they can provide.

Ask about additional factory rebates that can be passed on or at least shared with you.

Be ready to walk away. Don't be afraid to shop around. Don't think the vehicle you fall in love with is the only one like it around. There will always be another just as nice or nicer.

Best way ever. Know the Fleet Manager. ;-)

I knew someone who was a union negotiator. He decided exactly what kind of car he wanted and then sent a letter to the area dealers asking for their best price for exactly that car. He went with the lowest price responder.

Homework! You should know ahead of time what a good price is. Dismiss all unrealistic prices quickly.

For my last car bought from a dealer, I researched online for the car I was looking for. I found 2 and went in test drove them as if stolen, made up m mind and made them an offer, which would be the TOTAL amount I would spend. No added on expenses. Of course they hem and haw, but then when I took out my checkbook and told them they had exactly 7 minutes to say yes or no, plus if they said no, and offered it to me for more $, then I would be on my way. So, either yes or no.

They said yes.

The internet wiĺl provide a wealth of information. Search the make model and year you want, color also. It will show you all the cars available in a 50 or 100 mile area. The options are listed with each vehicle and the asking price. Saves so much leg work. I personally feel paying for extended warrant is a huge waste of money. They really pressure you because that is where the profit is for them. They will not take an easy no. Take the $1,500 they want and save it in case there is a repair necessary. Todays cars are generally problem free of the issues they cover. We paid for it once and not a thing required use of the warrant. We bought a new car last year and have to say it was really a nicer experience. Lots of luck.

I bought my car on-line. I wanted a Mazda so I went to the Mazda website, and "built" the car I wanted. I selected all of the features that I wanted, and then put in my zip code, and my specifications with contact e-mail was sent out to the local Mazda dealers. Within an hour I had 6 different bids. All of them were within $500 of each other, with the exception of one that was $2000 more. I replied to that dealer and asked if they thought I was stupid. I then responded to the lowest of the other 5 bids I received. I knew I was getting a fair price because all of the bids were so close in price. I then went to the dealer, and they had the car I wanted parked and ready for me to test drive. After the test drive, we went into the office, and the salesman just looked at me. I asked "so we do the paperwork how, right?" It was such a low-key transaction.

Oh, and about the extended warranty. I never buy one. When the finance guy started trying to sell me one, I said I was confused. He started repeating his rehearsed spiel, and I interrupted him, and said "wait, I thought this car was so great. It has the highest in this, and the highest in that. Why do I need an extended warranty if this car is so great?" He stopped the sell on the extended warranty and moved on. That car is now 7 years old and I haven't put a dime into it, other than routine maintenance.

Two years ago my DS did similar to what Annie suggested but he did it all via email. Knew the car he wanted and the options, then emailed all the local dealers for their best price. He almost bought at a dealership 25 miles away but when the closest dealer asked that price, he knocked off another $100. I don't think I'd ever haggle in person anymore. I'd only go to the dealer to test drive.

Having decided on the make and model you want......

-Aim for the last week of the month. The last week of a quarter may be even better.

-If getting a low price is make/break to your doing a deal, forget new models and buy one a year or two old with < 25K miles.

-Do you live in an area with multiple dealers for the same make? I think you need to talk to two or three. Personally, I'd never buy a car from a dealer in a small town (or anything else for that matter). A smaller town in the burbs of a city, fine.

-Get buying referrals from TrueCar and Costco. That will give you a price to calibrate to. Some dealers will beat TrueCar if you ask, some won't. It depends on the popularity of what you want to buy. Try negotiating without a referral and try it elsewhere with one. See if it matters, sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

Don't talk trade in value (if doing that) until the price for the car you''re buying is firm.

Sorry to say this, but have a male do the interfacing when it's time to complete the negotiation.

Don't try to wring the last dollar out of the deal, value your own time and don't spend more than it's worth.

Some of watchme's advice is good but some of what she says sounds like she's trying to negotiate a prisoner release with a sawed off shotgun in her hand. It's not that brutal. The salespeople don't come to work each day looking to slay and maim customers - they want to do a deal as much as you. Be friendly but firm and any reasonable salesperson will do the same.

(I've bought a lot of cars in my lifetime, most recently a month ago. It's usually a smooth and not too grueling process.)

I took advantage of a "sale"...it was listed at the other store of the dealer but they gave me the same price. and ended up with a new credit union for less than a full percent!! but I also had a sizeable downpayment...

A selling dealer doesn't care if you have a large down payment or no down payment. They get the cash selling price from you (if YOU are paying cash) or from you and the the bank or other entity granting the loan. The down payment of course affects the buyer's payments and perhaps interest rate but it doesn't affect the dealer at all.

They may get extra money from the financing company if they book the loan or lease as part of selling the car but if you walk in with your own financing ready to go, that's fine. Cash is cash.

Sorry to say this, but have a male do the interfacing when it's time to complete the negotiation.

Seriously? Not in our family. Women in our family are the numbers people. We are the CFOs of our households. You sir are in the dark ages on this point.

she's trying to negotiate a prisoner release with a sawed off shotgun in her hand

OMG that got me laughing. You're right, it's not that complicated. You're reading too much into it.

"You sir are in the dark ages on this point."

No, I'm not at all. This is not about me, watch me, it's about the people at car dealerships. These are macho, blue collar places. There may be some where it isn't as I suggest but if you think everywhere you go you'll be treated (by those on the other side) on equal terms as with a male, you're fooling yourself.

You'd never know the difference, believe me.

Hah!!!

'...believe me.' (I'm a man. I know all about these things. You cannot possibly stand toe-to-toe with a male salesman.)

Oh yes, we understand just fine, Mr. Fudd. We have had a lifetime of experience with macho, know-it-all men. The fields I've worked in are filled with them. The fact that the sales "man" may actually be a sales woman doesn't even enter your thoughts, apparently. It is a growing field for women in smart dealerships because women make more of the final car purchasing decisions in families, than men.

My experience has shown that, as much as I hate it, Elmer is right. In many places, there is a male deference.

I roll my eyes and get annoyed at those places AND simultaneously proud of my husband for his response to those type of places.

I grew up middle class, with parents that taught me how to budget; he didn't. He grew up poor, living paycheck to paycheck.

I am fairly good with numbers and have always been the one in charge of our finances. The only real example he got was to spend it if you have it.

I grew up with a Dad that insisted that I know how to do, at the very least, basic maintenance on my vehicles. He wasn't taught anything.

I am so proud of my husband and his suredness in his own "masculinity" that he has absolutely NO problem telling anyone and everyone who asks, " you'll have to talk to my wife about that. She handles all of our finances." or, "my wife changed the oil in my car last weekend".

It isn't a threat to him that I can do something he can't. I have my strengths and he has his, and we need both to survive and thrive.

I hate that I'm not taken as seriously as he is but I do love that he is as annoyed by it as I am.

He truly was meant to be a father to 4 daughters. ;)

I never said it does not exist, Texas_Gem. But Mr. Fudd thinks women would not even be aware when a male salesman thinks a woman is uninformed and they try to take advantage.

The last time I bought a car was in 2013. I knew what make and model I wanted, and I knew what color I wanted when I saw a car that color (different model) in the parking lot at a shopping center. So, I went to the manufacturer's website and did the "build your own" thing. I knew what features and packages were available, which features only came in a package and which could be added "a la carte," and what the manufacturer's price was.

I then checked Kelly Blue Book online and also Edmunds online. As I recall, both sites will show you the price range of what actual folks in your area have paid for the same car configured the same way. (I've always purchased brand new cars, but these sites will give you info for new and/or used vehicles, based on your input.)

There are only two dealerships of this "brand" of vehicle in the greater Sacramento area, but there are 38 total in California, and a few of them are in the Bay Area, so I knew I had options on where to buy. I sent a message to the dealerships with which I was willing to do business, listing the packages/features I wanted, and asked for a quote. My preferred dealership quoted the best price, which was slightly less than the lowest "real price" that KBB and Edmunds had shown me.

I responded back to my preferred dealership. It was the fleet manager who had responded to my request for a quote. He said that a vehicle meeting my specifications would be arriving at the Port of Long Beach in 10 days, then a few days later it would be transported (can't remember if it was by truck or by train) to Sacramento. Or, if I were willing to take a different color leather interior, they had one on the lot that met my other specifications. I wasn't in any hurry, so it was fine with me to wait for the car with the interior color I wanted.

The car arrived sooner than expected, and when I went to pick it up the dealership threw in some goodies that I hadn't expected, so I was a happy camper. The car had 9 miles on it when I got in it. And I've been very happy with it ever since.

Honestly I suck at car negotiation & I'm a guy. I always feel taken. Yes I do all my research, know exactly what I want. I go to the dealers website & pick the exact car I want.

My mistake is they always want to negotiate car payments. So I never know how much they "really" knocked off the deal. And I know they can give me more or less for my trade in to suit them.

Its also my fault because after 4 hours into the whole process I won't walk out like most people do if they don't like the deal.

Its also my fault because the cars I want are never on sale or last year models or base models. The ones advertised on TV are usually 1 step up from base.

The whole thing disgusts me & I HATE trading cars & car shopping.

Plus, by the time I go back to trade, my local dealership has a whole new staff, so no rapport is ever built. Car salesmen come & go so fast it's hard to make a bond with anyone there.

Scott you are a perfect candidate for online car purchasing like Lindsey described. There are lots of websites that will help you find the dealers price and a fair markup on the vehicle. Edmunds is a great place to start. Test drive the vehicles you think you would like and then go online. Most dealerships have an online sales department.

It's hardly ever, I would say never, but there are exceptions to most rules a good idea to trade in your vehicle. Sell it yourself and you will get a better price and profit on it.

Don't use dealer financing unless it is a really super deal and only after you have negotiated the final price. Always get pre-financing on your own from a credit union, a bank, even online auto loan services like cap one, etc. Remember that the lowest interest rate is not always the best deal. You have to factor in the length of time of the loan and how principle and interest are applied. You also want the option of paying extra toward the principle if you wish.

If you are a Costco member they can help you buy a car too. Not the rock bottom price in every case but a fair deal.

Scott, I just took a look at the website for the dealership where I bought my car. The dealership has two Fleet Managers. The one who sold me my car in 2013 is still there, as is the other one who was there at the time. The General Manager and two Sales Managers are the same. The Service Department Manager has changed, but many of the Service Consultants are the same. I don't know where you get your car serviced, but one thing you could do is find a service consultant who has been there for a while, and talk to him/her to find out which sales person they would recommend. The service consultant that I deal with when I take my car in has been there since 1989, and I trust him.

Of course, I don't expect to ever buy another car. If I did, I'd want to upgrade the model that I currently have, and the model I'd go to starts at over $72,000 so I think I'll just hang with what I've got. :-)

I think it is best to NOT mention trading in your current car when negotiating a price for a new(er) car. A dealer will NEVER give you the best deal on a trade-in because they will have to detail the car and sell it at a profit so they will always low-ball you. You're better off doing a private sale. But, if you really must trade-in the car to save some money on the new car, negotiate the price on the new car first, then ask how much they'll give you for your trade-in.

Do you have Microsoft Excel? I ask because before I bought my car I created a spreadsheet that I used to see what the differences would be for financing different amounts at different percentage rates. I've plugged in new numbers for you -- taking wild guesses because I don't know how much you would spend or what percentage rate you would get on a loan. But, this shows two different amounts financed -- $35,000 and $20,000, both with the same three different loan rates -- 1.9%, 4%, and 10%. All are amortized over a 5-year period.

You could do something like this in advance of your negotiations, to have a better idea of what different monthly payments would do to your loan.

Creating the spreadsheet is really easy. In column A, write exactly what I've got. In column B, you enter formulas on lines 7 through 12. If you're familiar with Excel, you will know that you can then just do a copy/paste of the column B formulas to as many more columns as you think you'll need. Or, you can manually enter the formulas in each column, making sure to change the column designation to the correct one for each column.

The formulas for column B are (and I will indicate the appropriate line number first):

7 =PMT((B4/12),B8,-B3)

8 =B5*12

9 =SUM(B7*12)

10 =SUM(B3)

11 =SUM(B12-B10)

12 =B9*B5

(The line numbers are bolded, and all of the formulas begin with the "equal" symbol. This forum doesn't allow showing more than one "space." There are NO spaces in the formulas.)

So, you can't just plug in a new monthly payment amount if the salesman says "ok, let's say we make your payment $25 per month." You'd need to mess with the amount financed, and/or annual interest rate, and/or duration of loan. The monthly payment amount shows up automatically as a result of the formula based on the amounts entered on lines 3, 4, and 5. But if you've messed around with the spreadsheet before you go to the dealership, you'll have a good idea what the different monthly payment amounts will represent.

"But Mr. Fudd thinks women would not even be aware when a male salesman thinks a woman is uninformed and they try to take advantage.

I'm relating a real life experience. Something that happened. Twice.

My wife has no problem standing on her own two feet, expressing herself, being dispassionate in serious conversations. We were buying a car and she was the point man. On two different occasions, two different cars. She handled the negotiation and worked it up to a point. I stepped in the next day, in her place and without her present, and got a lower price. Twice.

I live in the SF Bay area (like watchme), not in a rural or red state area. It is what it is. Everywhere? No. All the time? No. You prospective female car buyers out there can listen to my suggestion and do as you wish.

I'm relating a real life experience. Something that happened. Twice. [bolding mine]

You make sweeping statements, and defend them as hard facts, from just two personal anecdotes? That is extremely flimsy case you have there Mr. Fudd. lol

My experiences are anecdotal as are anyone else's. Of course. They're not "fact" beyond saying this is factually what happened TO ME. I wasn't pontificating, I was sharing my experiences and the conclusions I drew from them. I think my experiences aren't unusual or exceptional and we've had similar experiences when it comes to car repair. As I said, everyone is free to do as they wish.

The comments struck me in the same way as when I've heard people say things like "there's no racism in my workplace or among my friends", or "at my work females are treated equally with men in hiring, employment decisions, and team projects". The skeptic in me thinks "Yes, that's sometimes true, but not always". And to think any of these broad comments are always true as blanket statements is naive. In either direction. The world is subtle, not black and white.

I am not a negotiator so twice when I was buying a new car I asked male friends to do the negotiating and was very happy with the results. This last time I bought a car I had gone with a woman friend just to look. She really liked the car we tried. It was black. She was going to buy it but the next day found the same car in a different color, in a different state and she bought it and got a great deal. I decided that if she didn't want the black one I would buy it and I asked and got her better price. I just cannot negotiate on my own and I know that about myself.

The last time I bought a car (used) I experienced the stereotypical sleazy used car salesman, complete with slicked back hair. The very first, and only car, I looked at I was interested in, but wanted to do some research. My salesman seemed to be very understanding, then next thing I knew, this young, sleazeball in a cheap suit came and sat down and asked me what the "hiccup" was and proceeded to try to bully me into buying the car.

I was glad my oldest daughter was with me because she saw me tell the man I didn't appreciate his tactics and they would not be getting my business. The "good cop" salesman walked us out, telling me all along how much he hated the other guy and I wouldn't have to deal with him again.

Their little routine failed miserably. I bought a car elsewhere and let everyone who would listen know how I was treated at that particular dealership.

Know the KBB (or yellow book or black book, whatever company to which you subscribe) value. Ask to have a mechanic look at it. If they won't let you, don't buy it.

Once I got a better deal *because* I was a young, pretty girl. I did have to fight off the owner of the dealership, who drove me to his nearby home in 'my' car because 'the title was in his home safe'. (I refused to go in.)

My brain is more 'techy' than my DH's. Confrontation is not a strong point for either of us. We have been through the 'little woman' scenario Elmer sketched. It's happened many times-- more than once at the same dealership, with the same cast of characters.

I wanted a specific Jaguar. (DH would be happy driving the same VW bug he had in college.) DH and I visited a local dealership. I stated which car I wanted, after which the owner spoke exclusively to my DH. The only comments recognizing my presence were how 'big and heavy and SAFE' the car was -- accompanied by a little story about an owner's wife and children who'd just come through a terrible accident, unscathed! A few years later the whole song and dance was performed by the owner's son.

I once asked an acquaintance about this. He had been a car salesman for years. He admitted that salesmen had different spiels for male and female buyers. So...yes, there is a gender psychology that employed, and it's used because it (mostly) works! This man also told me that for the salesman, volume is the game -- not so much price. It's his job to turn the 'looker' into an eager consumer. It's the manager's job to drag the last dollar out of the buyer.

Does anyone buy a car outright today? I almost never see a car advertised at its sale price -- only some monthly cost quote, sometimes over a ridiculous amount of time. (Six YEARS?) Does 'the bank' own *everything*?

Oh, I found 'my' Jaguar 200 miles away for much less than the local dealer wanted. I paid $100 for someone to go get it. At that time Jaguar required any Jaguar dealer to service any car. The local dealer had his chance to meet the price, but had not done so.

That's the only brand new Jaguar we ever owned; others were long-warranty,certified 'dealer driven' cars that were one model year old. I bought an XJS from a private party who'd bought it at a Florida auction with 2000 miles on it. It checked out, mechanically, and was good for a long time. High end car buyers 'tire of their toys' quickly -- or maybe they are repossessed!