Any advice on buying a car from a dealer??

[BW from AZ]

"But here's one tip. Don't trust a thing they say, verify everything down to the penny." I would add "Get it in writing signed by the salesman and his supervisor" or no deal. If they put the time in a deal they don't like to see it leave. BW

[Wee Hooker]

My rules of thumb:
1) Don't ever fall in love with any one car. If you do, don't let them see it.
2) Do your initial shopping on line/nights/Evenings when you can narrow down what you want.
3) Know EXACTLY what the car is worth ( retail and wholesale) before you haggle/commit.(See 2 above)
4) NEVER tell them what monthly payment you want/can afford. Talk CASH price regardless of financing, trades, rebates etc.
5) Be aware that brand , model and age all have something to do with how much you can haggle on any one car. ( Same goes for trades.
6) If they are still happy with you when you close the deal, you paid too much.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Wee Hooker

My rules of thumb:
1) Don't ever fall in love with any one car. If you do, don't let them see it.
2) Do your initial shopping on line/nights/Evenings when you can narrow down what you want.
3) Know EXACTLY what the car is worth ( retail and wholesale) before you haggle/commit.(See 2 above)
4) NEVER tell them what monthly payment you want/can afford. Talk CASH price regardless of financing, trades, rebates etc.
5) Be aware that brand , model and age all have something to do with how much you can haggle on any one car. ( Same goes for trades.
6) If they are still happy with you when you close the deal, you paid too much.

Yep ....

Also tell us what you are thinking about. I worked in the car biz for 10 years, sales, F&I, and service so I know most of the tricks

[cheferson]

Looking at 2006-2007 tacomas. Im lost with either to buy new, spend a lot of money and have reliable truck with warranty and large payments/insurance, or to roll the dice and buy something cheaper with more miles and have smaller or no payment and cheaper insurance. I really want a new base model tacoma, but they seem to be none existant, all have a/c, upgrade rim packages. Would settle for a cheaper pickup, just worried about having to drop $$$ on repairs on a truck with higher mileage shortly after buying it. I have a rental till saturday, so would like to find something before having to waste more money on a rental. Not what i was looking to deal with right after the holidays and getting layed off of work !