[Ctowner]

Here are my tips from my accumulated experience on both sides of the fence:


-Always be ready to leave, and never get attached. If you are clear that you could walk out at any second, there is more urgency on them. If you get attached, they know they have you.
-Communicate clear, and don't waste time. The less time both you and the dealer have invested, the better. Find what you want, make a decision on how much YOU want to pay, and communicate clearly that you will buy immediately at that price.
-Nothing is free. Anything they agree to fix, include, etc ups the bottom line regardless of what they say
-Never believe what they claim to have bought the car for or what they "have in it". Rarely is this a truthful number
-Research research research. For new cars, find out what other people are paying, what invoice price is, what incentives are currently available, and what the Dealer Holdback is on that particular brand. Dealer holdback is an additional amount they get off their price that is not widely published. This number can easily be $1k. In addition to this, dealers sometimes have factory coupons that are not puiblicly announced. For used cars, find out a reasonable selling price from many sources, and the black book or trade in value. Keep in mind a dealer will general rate teh car one step down from its actual condition when determining a trade in value. Once you figured out about what they paid, you need to add in a little profit for them...they need profit to exist.
-If the salesman says no way to your price, but gets the manager, you are probably on the right track. If the manager lets you walk with no hesitation, you were too low.