About Buying New Cars
LoselLose: This is an agreement, of sorts, in that you have "agreed" not to buy the car and the salesperson has "agreed" not to sell it to you because you simply could not agree on the price. In this case the sales¬person has invested time but earned no commission (very much a loss). You have invested time but not managed to purchase a car. (Sometimes this might be construed as a loss since it means you're going to have to continue shopping. Other times, it may well be a "win" in disguise because your refusal to give in may lead to a better deal later on.)

Of all these steps there is none more important than number two: fact-finding and information gathering. In "About Buying New Cars" we're going to focus on the kind of information you should have before you enter the dealership. It is our belief that the more you know about how dealerships and salespeople think and work, the stronger and more secure you'll feel when it comes time to negotiating the price. To put it another way, the better you understand their rules, the better equipped you'll be to play their games.

2. Profile: The Ideal Salesperson
There may be an inclination-a strong one, in fact-to assume after reading this book that all car, van, and pickup truck dealers are something less than ethical and that salespeople are simply not to be trusted. Unfortunately, W more than a few cases that may well be true. However, we want to make it clear that there are very good, very ethical dealerships that work very hard to deliver good value, stand behind their products, and will do whatever is necessary to assure that their customers remain satisfied throughout the ownership experience. Their rewards, not so incidentally, are the benefits that come with run¬ning a very successful business.

There are also a good number of salespeople who proudly regard themselves as "professionals." They work very hard to develop and hold their customers. They go out of their way to make themselves "valuable" to their customers long after the sale has been completed. These are the people who send thank-you notes for your business. These are the people who make it a point to be on hand when you bring your car in for its first service. These are the people who will always be your voice in the dealership should you have problems or special needs.

And They Waat to Make a Living
Make no mistake, these salespeople are in business to earn good commissions. They are not going to "give the store away." But then, would