Recently we had to buy a new car. We were hoping to keep our old car a little longer, but, like me, it was becoming less reliable as it aged.

So, we have a new car, and it’s great, but the car-buying process is really no fun. No matter how many times you do it, it seems impossible to go through it without thinking you’ve been scammed.

The whole “negotiation” is scripted, refined, and rehearsed by the folks at the dealership. They do this every day. They have all the information they need about the car, their internal procedures, the actual value of the vehicle, and everything else, while you have none.

They might show you a number and tell you this is their actual cost or some other nonsense, but who knows where that number came from?

The bottom line is they have cars and you need one, while you have nothing that they need. The only thing you really can do is get up and go. But unless you can build a car yourself, or steal one, you’ll just end up at another dealer going through the same kabuki dance.

Of course, once you have bought a car, they will probably try to make you think that you were a tough negotiator or something and got a great deal. But its in their interest to make you think that and there is no reason to think it is actually true.

Other folks might have a different view of the car-buying experience and to them I say, ‘congratulations.’  

But the reality is, if you buy a car, you can be certain of only two things: you bought the car they wanted you to buy, and you paid the price they wanted you to pay.

May 1, 2023