If you are married, don't forget to make sure your wife is actually in the car before you tear out of the parking lot in excitement. Other than that (and I have no idea if you have done your deal yet or not):
- Always be prepared to walk away. You don't need this car, you want it.
- Never, ever, under any circumstances, pay for "rustproofing." Your vehicle is rustproof already, and anything the dealer might have done to it will only introduce rust.
- Never, ever, under any circumstances, pay for fabric protection or leather treatment.
- Argue the "doc" fee. Remember that a $400 doc fee means that they are taking $400 dollars from you to fill out your paperwork via a computer. I always tell dealers that I want to meet the person that makes $400 per hour to use a computer to fill out paperwork.
- Remember that even if you were to strike a deal of a lifetime and pay nothing over invoice (which isn't likely to happen), the dealer is still going to make money. There is a "dealer holdback" where the manufacturer will pay the dealer for the sale (a bit more complicated than that, but that's the basic principle), and there are shared interest rates where the lender will give the dealer a portion of the financing.
- Walk around the car and look at everything closely. Don't let your excitement get in the way of seeing that dent or scratch or broken piece. Look closely. Make them fix anything that's wrong or be prepared to walk away.
- Look over your paperwork three and four times. Don't assume that dealers won't sneak in additional fees if they can because they hope you won't notice.
- Don't forget that just because you come to a deal with the salesperson, that doesn't mean you are done. You still have to battle with finance. Don't let your guard down or finance will eat you alive.
