Shopping for a car can be a nightmare. Finding the right vehicle, getting your financing together, and shopping around for the best price are all a pain, but you can do almost all of them from the comfort of your home. No sales pressure, no car salesmen, and no hassle.
The folks at Wise Bread have a great list of things that car salesmen would rather you didn't know before you walked in, but one of the suggestions that stood out to us is that you don't even need to go to the lot until you're ready to buy. Even car dealers that haven't moved to fixed pricing will still give you quotes online for the type of vehicle you want, and you can use those to shop around multiple dealers in your area.
Manufacturer web sites will give you the base price of the vehicle, and a phone call or email to a sales associate at a dealership will give you a quote on the same vehicle with the options you want. If the associate wants to drag you down to the showroom, just email another or let them know you will—they'll usually straighten them out. Here's Wise Bread's suggestion:
The Internet has done wonders for the humble consumer. With it, you can email 20 dealers within a 50 mile radius, tell them what you're looking for, and ask them to send you back a quote. From those quotes, pick the lowest couple and take those to any dealership you want. They'll usually be forced to match it, destroying whatever profit margin they were hoping for. And before you feel too bad, the dealerships get massive bonuses by hitting certain sales targets. They can give you the car at cost and still walk away with a nice pile of cash.
Granted, this only works if the dealers are up front with you on their costs, so your mileage may vary. Still, it's a great and easy way to shop around without having to take up your entire weekend going from dealership to dealership asking about pricing, sitting in some salesperson's uncomfortable chairs, and deflecting their attempts to upsell you on warranties and services you know you don't need. Just remember though, once you get your quote, you'll still have to go to the dealership eventually (unless they're willing to seal the deal via email) so you may get the upsell then.
If you don't have much luck with the direct approach, check with your bank or credit union (whoever's doing your financing—you are doing your financing through someone other than the dealership, right?) to see if they have a car buying program or offer car buying brokers to help you get the best deal on a vehicle. Often those services stick you with select dealerships if you participate though, so make sure you read the fine print before signing up for one. Still, they can often yield competitive pricing.
Finally, check out services like previously mentioned TrueCar or the Kelley Blue Book and do your homework before going shopping. Hit the link below for some more car buying tips.
17 Things Car Salesment Don't Want You to Know | Wise Bread
Photo by David Hilowitz.