How do you NOT get taken advantage of at a car dealership??

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I am scared to death because I have to buy a new car asap. My current vehicle isn't running well (again) and I'm sick of putting money into it. At this point, I'm thinking I need to just trade it in before it breaks down on me again.

I live in a rural area, so public transportation isn't a viable option. And, I don't have friends and family close by enough to be able to get rides from other people easily. So, my life kind of comes to a standstill each time my car breaks down. I need something more reliable.

I've been putting off looking for a new car, partly because it's great to have a car that's paid off, but mainly just because the whole process of buying a car has always been horrible for me. I try to educate myself and research as much as I can before stepping onto a lot, but have never had a good experience.

Since my stress level is through the roof just thinking about it, a friend offered to come along with me this coming Saturday for moral support as much as anything else. (He seems to actually know even less about cars than I do). But, I honestly am not sure my car can make it until Saturday and was thinking about venturing out on my own tomorrow. I'm looking at a 2011 Nissan Versa because with the 0% APR deal they are running right now, it is pretty much the only new car I can afford without stretching my budget. And, given my experiences with used cars, I'd like to avoid them, if at all possible.

Anyone have any tips or advice? Anyone ever successfully haggled?? Please help!!

The book on car buying: They soak you on the trade-in. They don't give you near enough for your trade in. The worse negotiator in the world will not get taken as much as the actual price on the new car as he or she will on the trade-in.

Okay, two issues: Can you financially buy the new car (or late model used) and then sell your current car at your leisure? And personal security considerations. Advertising and having people coming to your home potentially. And these kind of situations, as always, trust your gut. Or, maybe you could sell your car from your work spot, which might be safer, more public, or maybe people only have your cell phone number that kind of thing.

Or sell the car consignment. Or, two separate transactions, just like they recommend with the financing. Buy your new car that you feel good about, transaction 1. And they shop around and sell the used car.

See if the dealership your going to has a website. Look at the prices, mileage and compare them to blue book. I bought a used utility vehicle in a back lot I never would have went to had I just been browsing. It had low miles and one owner with excellent maintenance records. I called them up and they got it ready for me to test drive when I arrived. I was looking for something larger but this little guy is good on gas. The only thing I didn't like was having to figure out the insurance quickly so I could get the car that day. My car I had at the time was rusting out and I had no idea until a mechanic had the heart to tell me while I was bringing it in to have the breaks done. He opened the trunk and when he lifted the carpet liner you could see the ground from a hole that rusted out. That was a good car with a solid engine well over 100,000 miles. I had no idea that I should have been taking it to the car wash along with regular maintenance.

blueroses, there are web-based companies that will do the haggling for you. Basically, you tell the website exactly what type of new car you are looking for, they then contact several dealers in your area and ask them for their best price. The dealers are told that the web-based company is contacting several dealers, so the dealers know they have to compete with each other--kind of like a silent auction. This looks like one such website
http://autofinder.com/
(Try searching the web for more.) The catch is, they only do this for new cars. Oh, and of course they charge you a small fee for this service.

For some more general car buying information, see
http://www.cartalk.com/menus/info.html

Google the dealership and see if anyone's said anything bad about them online. Look up the things to check for the car you want (and used cars in general). Look up prices beforehand so you know what you should be paying. Haggle with the salesman as well.

My best 2 cents.

1. Research any car you consider buying. Know what it's trade-in value is. Never mind retail because you know the dealer did not give that much when it got the car.

2. If you don't know cars (mechanically), have someone go with you who does and knows what to look at for potential problems. Insist on a Carfax for any used car.

3. If you don't want to worry about haggling over price, just be straight with the salesperson and say you want their best price and that if they play games you'll just walk. This is more effective if you have someone else who has a car you're also willing to buy to offer as competition. This tactic works better with new cars, but again, if you have someone more skilled here, it helps. Again, DO NOT HESITATE TO WALK OUT. If they think they can play games over price (and they usually do), they think they can wear the buyer down so they'll agree to a higher price. If the prospective customer gets up and walks out when they start playing games, it works against them. They want you to waste your valuable time waiting on them to give you a good price. Don't play their game.

4. To facilitate a deal, if you need financing, have it squared away in advance with your preferred lender. They usually won't give you specifics without the car in question being known, but they can tell you how much they are willing to extend based on your credit history. Dealership financing is often not a good deal, and it lets them know you're serious if you have "money in hand" to close a good deal.

As a car salesman myself, I'm going to kick myself for saying this (but as long as I'm not the salesman getting ripped off ):

Go online to Cars.com or Autotrader.com to find internet prices in your area. Internet price is your best bet as it's generally a very low, non-haggle price. NOTE: Internet prices also include rebates if there is one. Since you're financing, be aware that the price may go up by however much the rebate is.

Check KBB.com to get an approximation of how much your trade-in should cost (look for the TRADE-IN option) or go to CarMax and sell your car to them so you won't have to worry about the whole trade-in issue.

If you're looking for a long-lasting car with low maintenance costs, like someone else said, I'd recommend either Honda or Toyota. Toyotas are known for lasting forever, and I myself drive a 1990 Accord w/ 240+K miles on it. Toyota also now has a 2yr/25Kmi free maintenance plan that includes oil changes, tire rotations, check-ups, and roadside assisstance.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN4DdvYAoC8[/youtube]
...and even without the maintenance plan, Hondas & Toyotas can easily be taken to anyplace for their oil changes, tire rotations, etc.

What I have just told you is the quickest and most stress-free way to buy a car. I'm a salesman, and an Aspie and I HATE hagglers with a passion. They waste my time with a mythical "best price." While I don't make anything off of internet customers either, I respect them much more because everything goes smoother since their price was already prearranged.

Thanks, guys, for the advice. That's helpful and I appreciate it.

I'm seeing people saying good things about Toyotas ... is that just for certain model years? I was considering a '10 Corolla, but am really concerned about all the recalls ...

Yeah, my department's company car at work is an '09 Corolla and aside from the recall scares, it has been reliable. And, we put a lot of miles on it over a pretty short period of time. Still, if makes me nervous to think about future recalls with possible issues they haven't discovered yet.

An occasional recall might be a bit annoying, but a car that is not likely to break down a lot certainly is not!