Dealership Ploys and Your Countertactics
The following chapter describes a number of dealership ploys, devices, and games designed to control the sale and extract the maximum amount of profit. Here again, if you know their rules you can play their games. Or more accurately, if you can recognize their ploys, you can counter with your tactics.

Advertisiag Come-ons
When a dealer makes an offer in an ad that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Keep in mind that advertising is designed to do one thing: get you to come into the dealership.

Your Countertactic
Read the fine print. See the "About Leasing" segment for examples of what we mean.

l'll Call You Right Back
You decide to shop by phone. You ask for a salesperson and tell him or her that you're interested in a certain model and ask what the dealer-ship has in stock and what kind of discount they are giving. The salesperson will usually find a reason he can't talk to you at that moment.

SALESPERSON: Mrs.... I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. CALLER: Mrs. Jones.
SALESPERSON:    Mrs. Jones, I'm with a customer at the moment, but I'll be wrapped up in five minutes and I'll call you right back. That will also give me a chance to get our inventory cards.

At this point, you give them your number. One of the reasons salespeople want to call you back is to check to see if you're legitimate and not just another salesperson checking competitive prices. Also, once they have your number they can continue to follow up. Some dealerships will quote you prices and offer discounts over the phone. Sometimes the discounts are real; other times they are designed just to get you to come in. Many stores do not permit their salespeople ,o quote prices over the phone because all it does is give the customer information to use in dealing with other dealerships.Furthermore, if you should ask for a certain car, nine out of ten salespeople will tell you they have it, or that it's coming in, or that they can get it. They'll tell you anything you want to hear if that's what it takes to get you to come in. Once you're in the dealership, they hope they can sell you something that really is in stock.

Your Countertactic
If for some reason you don't want to give out your telephone number, simply ask the salesperson when would be a good time for you to call.

Me Teat Sale
Often dealers will put a tent up on their lot, park a bunch of cars under it, and advertise that they are having a big tent sale. The impression is that these cars are terrific deals and that a buyer can save a bundle.

Your countertactic
Don't believe it. All the balloons, clowns, and hoopla are part of an effort to break down your resistance and create the sense that there will never be another deal like this one.

We're Having a sale
A dealer may be having a sale, but his objective is to find every way possible to extract as much of your money as possible. Easy-payment plans, no down-payment offers, and other come-ons should be viewed with skepticism.

Your countertactic
Understand that for the informed auto buyer, every day is a "sale" day.

control Me Sale,
As we've discussed, salespeople and dealerships have developed any number of tactics designed to control the sale.

Your countertactic
There are any number of ways you can take control. One is to utilize a diversion created by a "helper." Specifically a second person who appears to be helping the buyer make a purchase decision. When you and the friend walk in, make it clear to the salesperson that the car, van, or truck is for you and that you will make the decision. Prior to your visit, instruct your friend to carry a pad and pencil and make notes. The person should say virtually nothing to the salesperson. However, occasionally they should lean over and whisper in your ear as though imparting some useful strategic information. In reality, it could be the time of day. The presence of the "helper" and the whispers will drive the salesperson crazy and leave you in control.A variation on this is for you to use a pad and make notes throughout the presentation. This will bother the high-pressure salesperson because it suggests that you are not being swept away by his or her sales pitch and intend to analyze every aspect of the deal closely.Still another is the "broken record" routine. This tactic is one in which you lay out the price you're willing to pay and then just keep repeating it until you get your way. Kids have been using this technique with their parents for years.

Are You a Buyer.. . Today?
One of the first questions many salespeople will ask is designed to qualify you as a buyer or a looker.
"How soon do you plan to buy a pickup?" "Are you looking to buy a car today?"
No mystery here. The salesperson wants to know if you're a hot prospect or someone who's just kicking the tires with no real plans to buy. If you're just a "looker," most salespeople will do their best to get away from you as soon as possible. Rather than lay the groundwork for a future sale, they'd rather take their chances with the next up.
If you tell the salesperson that you "might" be ready to buy today or within a couple of days, he or she will do their best to get you locked into a car that day. "Today" buyers instantly become a salesperson's new best friend.

First We Need Your Life History
In some dealerships, even before you've agreed on a car or a price, the salesperson will want to fill out a credit application. This is a ploy designed to establish your ability to buy, i.e., are you a real buyer or a deadbeat? In addition, the more information they can get from you up front, the greater their advantage.

Your countertactic
Don't give them any information other than your name until the deal is made. If they insist that they have to have a credit application before they can negotiate a price, make it clear that until you do have a price, you do not plan to provide them with any additional information. If they balk, you can walk.

The car Switch
Some dealers have been known to agree on a deal for a specific car and then switch it with another car-exact same year and model-which has been damaged during transport and then repaired and repainted. If the repair job is marginal, they might even arrange to deliver it to you at dusk or at night, when it will be harder for you to notice any telltale signs.

Your countertactic
Always write down the VIN number of any new or used car you decide to buy and then check it against both the title and the car itself when you take delivery. Chances are you'll never run into this ploy, but it doesn't hurt to take precautions, especially if the negotiation has been difficult and you sense that the dealership would somehow like to get even.

Rustproofing
Once you've agreed to buy a car, many salespeople will try to add some profit through back-end sales. It's common for them to offer you rustproofing or upholstery protection at a price usually in excess of ~100. The rustproofing spray material and the labor usually cost the dealership about $ 10 or less. This is usually a waste of money and, in some cases, the rustproofing can seal drain holes in the body that were inserted to give moisture a place to run out. When these holes are sealed you can actually induce rust and, worse, invalidate the factory¬guaranteed protection against rust-through.

Your countertactic
You should keep in mind that today most vehicles use galvanized steel in areas subject to potential corrosion. Virtually all vehicle bodies are completely submerged in an electrostatic dip during assembly that coats and seals all the metal surfaces inside and out. In addition, most cars receive a factory undercoating to add further protection. If a salesperson tells you that rustproofing is really a good idea to protect your investment, you might want to question the quality and durability of the car. Tell the salesperson that since the car needs more protection than the factory has given it, you might be better off shopping for a different make. Watch the seller try to squirm out of that one.