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 How to DeaI with Dealers

If you've ever dealt with a car dealership, you know that it's often an experience that would be more at home on prime-time television — filled with screaming salesmen and aggressive negotiators. The process is baffling, the prices are way too high, and the "deals" are never as good as they seem.

"Elaine" knows this all too well. When Elaine got the runaround from a car dealer, she decided to complain to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). But when she did, she was told that the dealership in question had an A+ rating with the BBB. The BBB's standards for grading dealerships were so low that even companies with horrible reputations could maintain high ratings!

"I think I'll take my business elsewhere," she wrote. And we would say that's a great idea!

But if you're not quite ready to abandon your quest for a car, we've created a handy guide that will help you avoid getting screwed by dealers. We've compiled advice from Consumer Reports, the Center for Auto Safety, and other sources to lay out a simple set of guidelines to follow before heading into a dealership.

The information in this article is distilled into five key steps:

1. Find Out What You Want

If you're looking for a specific car — good news! You don't have to deal with pressure-pouring salesmen at all. Instead, you can do your hunting online and negotiate your purchase price over the phone with a manager or business owner. As long as they know what you want beforehand, they should be able to give you a rock-bottom price — or even agree to meet your price if they have an excess number of that model in stock.

Finding a local mechanic or body shop can also save you the headache of dealing with a car dealer. You can often negotiate lower prices when buying cars from these companies. Just be sure to do your research first — many shops are happy to take your business, but there are also some questionable outfits out there that will try to bleed you dry.

2. Decide on Purchase Price First

A deal is better than no deal, but the price is really critical for each step afterward. If you're trying to negotiate a price on an old car with lots of miles, you might get lucky and score a steal for $3,000 or less.