Secret car-buying tips your dealer won’t tell you

Find out how to get the most value out of your purchase by side-stepping these common car dealer practices.

It’s a stripped-down model with a manual transmission, no air-conditioning, and crank windows. But we got you in, didn’t we?

Can you name these 12 car dashboard lights?

… and it’s best to negotiate the trade-in separately. Negotiate up from the invoice price (what we paid for the car, easy to find on the Web), not down from the sticker price.

You’ve got bald tyres, chicken bones under the seats, and dust blowing from the vents, but you’re going to tell me your car is in “excellent” condition? Now who’s the pushy salesperson?

Here are 11 crazy things people have done while driving. 

Call and ask for the Internet manager or fleet manager.

You’ll feel like I’m in control and may be willing to pay a little more. (We learn this during training.)

Those dealerships also pad the sales price to make up for the difference.

How close are we to a world of self-driving cars? Find out more here. 

They think we don’t see the mulch on the floor when they bring it back.

The loud music, the gongs, and the blaring flat-screen TVs? All are distractions designed to help you lose track of what we’re doing with the deal.

Our profit margin is typically 2 to 4 percent.