I have spent time in various automotive settings; I have repaired vehicles, sold vehicles, and trained people how to negotiate with customers. I have been behind the scenes of a new vehicle transaction, and I have seen the frustration and in some cases fear a person goes through when signing a document stating they will owe tens of thousands of dollars. If I had to identify what causes this the stress people put on themselves, I would say the “game”. Most every person who walks into a dealership to purchase a vehicle thinks they are walking into a game; whether they are playing the game or if the salesperson is.
People will psyche themselves up to go in and beat the living hell out of the salesperson until they get the “number” they want. What really happens is they get so caught up in the emotions and fast pace of the process that their whole plan goes out the window; and for some reason there is an unyielding urge to act as if they know about everything the salesperson is talking about, never asking any questions. This my friends is what the game is all about; really it is people playing a game with themselves.
Buying a car is simple, walk in, pick it out, settle on a price you are happy with (walk away if you are not happy) and then drive the damn hunk of debt home. Now, does that seem so hard?