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Author:
Simon Harris

The cost of a new car nowadays equals about what my parents paid for their first home. It's not a purchase to be taken lightly. You want to do everything possible to ensure you get a great deal.

Never rush your decision. If you are completely without transportation, rent a vehicle until you find the right car. When you rush a purchase, you usually end up on the losing end of the deal.

Thanks to the Internet, you can uncover the typical retail cost of a specific make and model. With a little digging, you can find out the wholesale cost as well. This information makes you a powerful negotiator.

You want a win-win situation with the car dealership. They need to make some profit, and you need to feel you paid a fair price. It's fair to negotiate to a price that's $500 above dealer cost or about 20% off the sticker price. So take along your calculator when you shop.

If the only cars on the lot have expensive options you don't care for, you might want to order a car to your specifications. You might wait a bit, but will save money on options you don't need.

Check with the dealership to see if you can return the car if you don't like it. I did this once. The car I purchased ended up less comfortable than my old car, so the next morning I took it back for my check and my trade-in. Many dealerships now offer this option.

You may have heard the advice to shop the last day of the month for better deals. It's true that you might get a better deal from a salesman then.

As far as trade-ins go, do your research here, too. Knowing the value of your old car makes it easier to negotiate a better price for it. Try not to talk about a trade-in possibility until you get a purchase price.

I researched the value of my little red Corolla and found that it was $3500. One dealership offered me $1200 because "they'd have to repaint it". Another dealership offered me $3500 and complimented me on taking such good care of the engine. Stick to your guns when it comes to getting the value of your trade-in, especially if you’ve had your car serviced regularly.

You may want to advertise your older car and sell it privately. Typically you can get a better price this way, but it may take a little time.

A service contract will likely be brought into the negotiation. The consumer information I've read discourages buying an extra contract on a new car, as it's not likely a problem will occur during the first months of use.

Whatever you do, always read the fine print of any contract before signing it. Ask a bazillion questions about what certain phrases mean if you don’t understand something.

Simply because the car just rolled off the factory line doesn’t mean you should buy it without asking questions. Keep on your toes during the negotiation process. There’s nothing like the thrill of getting a new car AND creating a win-win situation for you and the dealer.

About the Author
This article courtesy of http://www.car-audio-shopper.com

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A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to New Cars... 5 Ways That New Car Dealers Get You To Pay Too Much In the new car buying process, new car dealers are going to try to make as much money as possible from each sale, and this is only reasonable as they are in business to make money. But too often consumers wind up paying way too much. There is nothing wrong with allowing the dealer to make a fair profit, but these five methods are regularly used by new car dealers to inflate their profits considerably and you should be aware of them in advance. 1. Leasing is an increasingly attractive option to many new car buyers and they often think that the lease payments are set in stone for each car, but that simply isn't true. Lease payments are most often calculated using the MSRP, or retail price, of the vehicle as a starting point. So if you accept the lease offered without actually dickering on the sale price of the vehicle, you are most likely losing lots of money in the lease payments that you make each month. You can also negotiate the down payment, the mileage allowed under the lease...