Post #302677 by VampiressRN on Sun, Apr 29, 2007 12:20 PM

I know exactly what you mean Josh. It is extremely difficult for a woman to buy a car if you are going to a dealer where you have the latitude of bantering about the price. It is so critical to know the basics about cars and the prices that they go for or you will end up paying top dollar and getting options you don't need or not getting options that you do want. I was married for 16 years and my ex always did the bantering, so after my divorce the first time I had to buy a car I was totally lost. I wanted an SUV so was sticker shopping for several months but only when the dealerships were closed. I hate going on a lot when they are open, as car dealers are such sharks. I have single-handedly purchased 4 SUVs in the last 16 years, 3 of them new. One was very easy as it was through AAA and was "up-front pricing" so there is no bantering...the price is what it is. I typically turn my current car in as part of the down-payment and that is where a woman can really get ripped off. You need to know current blue-book and you need to be honest about the condition of your car. You need to watch the newspaper ads and see what vehicles similar to yours are going for in the used car section. I have learned a lot about buying cars over the years and just like everything in life....don't impulse buy. That is a real issue for women, because (in general) we look at things like the color of the car as being one of the major buying points, but dealerships don't. You can use this to your advantage though as you can stand firm on the color options you want and if they don't have it, you can banter on what they have on the lot and squeeze a few more pennies out of that aspect of the buying frenzy. If you know what you want and you know what you can pay, and you have the finances, then plan on staying at the dealership for at least 2 to 4 hours to banter over price....the longer you hold out the better it will be for you. The dealers want to sell and you want to buy....so something will eventually give on their side.

I still think men probably get a better deal on their cars, but would love to hear opinions from others. :)