That was killa, PTskilla, and dead on accurate. [^]
Doing business on the phone really screws up their routine; it eliminates a lof of that "buddy-buddy psychological guilt-trip" crap they try and lets them know that your time is valuable. (Stating that you do not have a lot of time to talk helps also, they do not want to risk your hanging up on them.)
If you go in person, they usually ask for your driver's license to do a credit check. Say "no". It is better to show up with a pre-approved loan, which = cash to them anyway. I try to start off my shopping with a test drive with the salesman at 110 MPH slalom on the freeway to throw him off kilter and remind him that he is mortal. [}
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Remember: this is a business transaction, nothing personal. You are there to purchase something that you want at the best price possible (which you should already have calculated before talking to a dealer). You do not care how well or poorly the dealer is doing or if the general manager "is gonna like it". You do not care how much the salesman makes or if his children eat tonight. Always remember: they need to sell it more than you need to buy it, especially if it is a prior model year.
Search the Internet for the "inside info" on the vehicle you want to purchase, the extra $30 or so for the report will save you a few thousand.
Introduce yourself by last name only and use their first name when addressing them. (beat them to the punch)
Never show emotion! (Except for a little disdain and disappointment here and there.) When I first test-drove the PT turbo at WOT, I was giggling inside thinking "This little f****r is quick! Must. Have. Now!" but I looked like my kitty just died; "That was alright." was my only comment when the drive was over.
Never spend too much time at a dealer, if you do, you are toast. Things I have said to keep the "negotiating" to 15-minutes or less:
"Cut the crap, don't insult my intelligence."
"That isn't relevant."
"I don't care about that." (whether true or not)
"I said 'cut the crap' and you lied to me again. I will not waste my time arguing with you. Good day." (exit, stage left) The first dealer that had a DC2 blew it. I started looking at '04's until I found another DC2.
For the "Will you be financing today?" bit: "Let's see if you have something I want first, there Champ!" (Call him "Sport" if he is young.)
"This is an '03, it is a year old. The Kelley Blue Book will tell you that." (Do that research, know how much the prior two model years have depreciated, i.e. an '01 and an '02 to compare an '03 with an '04.)
"Yes, I would not mind having this before the 1st, before you have to make your next interest payment on it." (Always shop the last week of the month, the last week of December would be the best.)
"I would rather not wait until January 3rd when the car gets auctioned off--you can take a little profit now or a loss later."
"You can make a few hundred right now, or zero. Make your choice."
For the "We would only make $200!" whiny remarks: "Bull****, nobody invests $20,000 only to make $200."
"Are we going to discuss the bottom line here or do you wish to continue to waste my time?" (look agitated)
While the salesman is silently regrouping, "What is the
dead cost of the vehicle and what do you think is a fair profit?" (
Dead cost is what the dealer paid for the car--the
invoice price is
not what they paid for it! Find out, as best as you can, what the dead cost is and do not go over 3% of that cost for your purchase price, start at 1 or 2%.)
"floorplan fee", "holdback", etc. Know the vernacular and use it to let them know that you know how the system works and cannot be deceived.
"You are not giving me $3,000 cash back, Chrysler is; that is a
factory-to-customer incentive, not a
dealer-to-customer incentive. Will you pass on the factory-to-
dealer incentive to me as well?"
It is possible that the factory-to-dealer incentive is the same as the factory-to-customer incenti