written by john c ashworth
Your Expert Car Buyer
Be Flexible when shopping for a new or used car
I mention often when I'm writing about car deals the importance of remembering that your car deal is a business transaction. That the car dealership selling you a car is a business and the sole purpose of a business is to make money. This is important for many reasons, not the least of which is that you have to stay on your toes and ensure you are always working to gain the best deal possible, because the dealer is doing the same thing on their end.
As such, there are market conditions that constantly affect the kind of deal you can get at a given dealership, on a given car, during a specific period of time, etc. When you understand this and are willing to be patient with your research and develop slowly in to your car deal, you can often find some real nice opportunties. And in general, the more flexible you are, the better deal you will get on your car.
Great deals often don't arrive exactly as you envision them. In fact, that's one of the things I love most about the car business and about helping people negotiate car deals. EVERY single deal is different. Every deal is unique. Every deal has it's own unique opportunities for money savings. Every deal has the potential to be that much better when you don't get caught up an exact make, model, year and color of your new car.
Now, don't go throwing stones at me. I realize that sometimes, you just want what you want. That's fine. I just want you to realize that this attitude and position do affect the car deal, and not in your favor. Typically, the more specific you become about your desires, the more rare and unique the car you're looking for becomes, and this always tips the equation in favor of the dealer. Conversely, when you can remain open to ideas, and stay in control of the process, you can often find some real significant opportunity that you couldn't see before. And the car deal becomes an opportunity for you to save even more money, and for the dealer to move a piece of their inventory that has been dragging them down.
The other thing to remember here, is that the more you are willing to work with the dealer and your salesperson, the more they will be willing to work with you. They want to sell you a car no matter what, and it's often amazing how creative they become when you hold out, and are at the same time willing to consider unique ideas.
We did this all the time when I was selling luxury cars.
