How to Buy a Car: Tips for a Newly Single Woman

"When a woman comes onto my lot," says Gene, a used car salesman from Phoenix, "I expect that I'm going to earn my commission several times over. Even if I take the time to find out what she wants to spend and the type of car she says she wants to buy, she will not leave the lot driving the car she said she came in to buy."

"If a lady says she wants to spend a modest amount on dependable transportation," he continues, "I might suggest a price between $2,000 and $4,00 and direct her to a clean Ford Tempo and something similar. I can count on her saying 'oh, no! I want something else - I don't like Tempos' (or whatever the car is I've just shown her) - not that the car wasn't a good buy, she just didn't really want a trusty, economical, standard featured vehicle. She wants the sporty red two-seater sitting out front with the $14,500 price tag. And she didn't decide that when she made up her mind to get another car, she decided that when she came onto my lot."

"Women buy on impulse," says Richard, owner of a small car lot in Denver. "They might like the color of a car - forget about handling, fuel economy or price! If it's baby blue and she sees it, I can mark it sold. I don't try to figure them out anymore, I just follow them around the lot and wait until they stop at a car and I see a certain look in their eyes. It's like reeling in a fish at that point."

"Car salesmen have gotten a bad rap over the year," says Gene, "for pushing too hard for a sale, and maybe a lot of salesmen do push. But you can't force someone to buy if they don't want to even if you've just shown them the most cherry used car in town. Believe me, I've had some excellent cars sit longer than reasonable on my lot and end up at auction because they just didn't have buyer appeal."

"Buyers are liars," says Richard. "The day after the deal is closed, after they've driven the car off the lot, they come back and complain about the loose molding, the ding in the door, the leak in the trunk, all the things that suddenly have made the car not a great deal - according to them - and we're supposed to take care of them. I deal in primarily 'as-is' cars, just let me know before the deal closes and I'll make everything right because I want the sale. Just don't bring it back later with the petty little stuff!"

Nora's First Car

"I have always dreaded dealing with car salesmen," says Nora, a widow from Michigan. "The first time I went to a car lot by myself was twenty years ago when my husband told me to find myself a car. I'd never stepped foot in a showroom before and I was very intimidated by the whole process. The salesmen were condescending and actually refused to talk prices with me, telling me to bring my husband back and they'd talk with him. I was flabbergasted! But, you know, that time I actually did go home and get Howard and he cut the deal for my new car. I sat next to him being the perfect wife, keeping my mouth shut and listening to the two men talk."

"The longer I sat there, the more I began boiling inside! This was no top secret, high intelligence informational exchange taking place. Here's a guy of average intelligence and a low opinion of women, taking our hard earned money in exchange for a car in his showroom, a piece of merchandise! It was a purchase, pure and simple. It wasn't any different than me going to a store to buy a dress or a new set of dishes, except for the price tag and the perception that this was a man's thing to do."

"I drove that car for a long time and when it came time to trade I decided it was time for me to do the dealing. Nothing had changed in the years in between except my attitude about buying a car and my annoyance at myself for not being assertive the first time."

"Howard and I agreed I'd handle this one. It was an issue that had grown in importance over the years. You know, just one of those annoying little things that takes roots and grows on its own. I felt like a warrior going into battle that Saturday morning as I left home. A newspaper was on the seat beside me, folded open to a splashy ad for a sale at a dealership in a neighboring town - it was designed to be a prop in this little play I was doing."

"It wasn't too long before an eager young man came up and began commenting about each car as I would walk toward it. He soon asked where my husband was and I had to set him straight (and maybe I was a little too harsh but you will remember this was my initial independent foray into car buyer's land) that I was the one buying the car, he would have to please me with the deal, my husband was not a factor in the purchase."

"The young man dropped the patronizing act down a few levels and we trekked around the lot. What I wanted and what they had were somewhere within equal distance but my original goal of buying a previous year's leftover got scrapped because it had been a very popular model and there just weren't any leftovers available. I didn't like the changes in the current year's model, so, now I was starting again, a little unprepared, but certainly not willing to give the young man the impression that I didn't know what I was doing."

"I'd always wanted a sportly little two-seater but when you've got a couple of kids and have to haul them and their friends around or carry a week's worth of groceries, it's not a car to even dream about. Now I could and now I did. The young salesman showed me a nice little silver job, the price was a bit high but I already was sharpening my bargaining teeth. I didn't fall in love with the car (that's an absolute no-no if you want to come out of the car wars in one piece) however, I knew this car and I could have some good driving times together."

"The young man and I took a test drive. I liked the way the car handled and I was getting excited about owning this car but I had to downplay any outward zeal. I'd already set the negotiating format by stating I was a cash buyer. As I edged the car through the lot I pointed to my car and said, 'I'll give you $9,500 and my car.' The sticker price of the new car was $17,900 and trade value of my old reliable was around $2,500."

"The young man got upset. His manager would never go for the deal he said. 'Write it up,' I demanded, enjoying my new role as hard-nosed negotiator. We went to his little cubbyhole office, the one he shared with three other eager young salesmen. He left with the contract, my $50 deposit and the keys to my car."

"Twenty minutes later he returned and escorted me to the manager's office, closing the door behind him as he exited. The manager tossed my keys across the desk. 'That car was priced wrong,' he said. 'It should have been $21,900.' 'The windshield price was $17,900,' I said. 'Is this a bait and switch?' My voice was getting louder. 'The car has already been sold!' he said defiantly. 'It is being picked up today.' He tossed my $50 deposit across the desk. 'Sorry, we can't do business.'"

"The next morning, a Sunday, and the last day of the month, I stopped by the dealership again. Another enthusiastic young salesman came out and I told him I was just looking, there was nothing he could do for me, the car I really wanted had already been sold, and I described it to him. Well, no, it wasn't sold, he said, he was sure it was on the back lot, would I like to drive it? 'I'm not sure it's the same one, how much is it?' I inquired. '$21,900,' he said. 'Well, it's too much for me,' I said, 'even though I do like the car.'"

"He wasn't going to take no for an answer. He needed a sale and I wanted the car although I wasn't about to let him know that. I pointed to my car and told him I'd give him $13,500 and my car for the silver car in the back. 'Won't work,' he said. 'Well, that's all I can afford so I'll have to look at something cheaper,' I said. We walked around the lot and he pointed out other cars, all ones I didn't want."

"Then I found the same model car, different paint job, and a glaring defect in the paint. 'Now we can deal,' I said, 'This defect is worth a considerable drop in the price of the car, let's go talk.' 'But you don't want that car,' he said, 'If you could have this one or the silver one, which one would you choose?' I was quick to respond, 'The silver one, but this one is affordable, the silver one isn't.' 'Let's go talk to the manager,' he said."

"Back we go to the showroom and sure enough, the manager is there and he remembers me. We go into the kid's cubby hole. 'Here's the deal,' I say, '$14,000 and my car. It should work for that blue one with the ruined paint.'"

"I'll cut out the negotiations that followed, but a couple hours later I drove out of the dealership in the silver car at the price I originally intended to pay - $16,000 plus my car. Could I have saved a day and hours of negotiations by just making that offer the day before? Maybe, but with most car deals time is on the side of the buyer."

"Once we'd established the price, I called Howard and he drove down to finish the paperwork. 'Your wife's tough!' the manager told Howard as they watched me drive away in my new car."

Be Prepared

A few basics will help to give you the bargaining edge.

Shop at the end of the month. Dealerships have quotas to fill and the earlier in the month, the more apt they are to try and get the sticker price for a car. At the end of the month they may really need to move something from the inventory column to the sold column and be willing to really slash their markup to show that movement.

Consider buying last year's model. Many dealerships either have in stock or can get brand new leftovers at a considerable savings. If you just have to drive the current year's vehicle, these are not the cars for you, but if you want a brand new car at a significant savings, consider this option. Never pay sticker price. The price on the sticker is a starting figure. If you are too shy to bargain, take along someone who isn't.

Don't say you're going to trade your car. You'll starting losing negotiating dollars. Always say you're going to pay cash. Once you come to terms with paying cash, then you can point to your car and ask about its trade value. You might find that you'd do better selling your car outright and paying cash for the new one.

Be reasonable about the trade-in value. If you want a high trade-in for your car, don't expect a big cut in the sticker price of the new car. If you've negotiated the price down low on the new car, expect a low trade-in as well on your car. Think low-low or high-high. It all works out as long as the both of you have the same mindset.

Check it out! Take a pad and pencil with you and write down every defect you see on and in the car. Open the trunk, check the back seat, look under the carpet, check around the molding, raise the windows, play and radio and cassette player, raise and lower the top if it's a convertible.

Ask questions. If the car has been repainted, find out why. Was it in an accident? How much damage was there? Is there structural damage that will cause you problems later?

Get a second opinion. If you're buying a used car, have your trusted mechanic check it out before finalizing the deal. This is important with used cars since you won't have a new car warranty to fall back on. Walk away from any dealer who doesn't welcome your mechanic's assistance.

More Car Buying Tips

Read the newspaper to compare deals from different dealerships in the area.

Know your car's trade-in value before going shopping. Call your bank and ask for the current Blue Book price. Be realistic about your car's value.

Watch out for new car options. They'll bring the sticker price up fast.

Before you sign a contract, walk away, then drive away. Go shopping, go to the library, go to a movie. Cool down. It's too easy to get caught up in new car fever and have regrets as soon as you drive off the lot. No car is the only one of its kind. Go back the next day to finalize the deal if you're sure it's the car you want.

Can you afford the payments? How much will your insurance increase? Will it fit within your budget?

Don't give a car a personality, don't fall in love with it, don't call it 'cute.' It is not a living creature, it is simply a means of transportation.

A car's color will not make it drive better, accessories and other options do not make a car more dependable nor make it more economical.

Salespeople are in the business of sales. You are not obligated to buy a car from a salesman who has spent the last two days showing you cars. If they have the car you want, buy it if the deal is right. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

You're not obligated to buy from a local dealership if a dealership an hour's drive way has the same car for $1,000 less. You can still get the car serviced at the local dealership.

Convenience and ease of service are factors to consider. If you've gone out of town to buy the car of your dreams because it's not carried locally, how much time will you spend taking it out of town for routine maintenance and service?

A Last Word From Nora

"I've found a lot of people think older women don't know how to buy a car. Most times when my friends and I drive onto a car lot I'm sure the salespeople think I'm somebody's grandmother out for a Sunday afternoon of tire-kicking. I may be somebody's grandmother, but if they've got a car I want they soon find out I'm a lady who knows how to make a deal!"