Time to DEAL!
Now you’re ready to go to the dealership and DEAL! You should take along the following items:
- A trusted friend.
- A mobile phone.
- Your notebook that has all your inspection notes in it (plus several blank pages for further note-taking---again, you might want to have a look at PocketCarInspector.org).
- Name and phone number of your banker who has your loan waiting for you.
- The loan details (loan value of the car, interest rate, term, etc.)
- Your Beacon or Isaac score (Beacon is preferred as it is most the most widely used).
- The first section of this guide printed out.
- A cassette tape and a CD (optional).
- Blue-book trade-in value of your trade (if applicable).
One reason you are taking your trusted friend along is because you want someone to stop you and give you a reality check if you start to get off track. Before you ever leave home with your friend in tow, make sure you have explained to him or her, what your overall strategy is. Make sure your friend knows all the details (loan value, total expenditure & monthly payments). Another reason you are taking your friend is so he or she will be able to take notes for you when you take the car for a test drive.
You’ll want to take your mobile phone with you so you can call and talk to other dealers as well as your banker if you need to do so. A mobile phone will also allow you to do this in a bit of privacy. Telling a salesman that you are calling another dealer will also further motivate him or her to deal with you further, but don’t use this as a ploy to get that result. You won’t need to use ploys. You are now armed to teeth with facts and figures which will get you the results you need (and want).
You should have the cassette tape and/or CD so you can check for proper operation of the tape or CD player.
Something else to consider is that you will want to find a way to go deal with the dealership during the week, between 8-5:00 if at all possible. You will not be able to contact very many bankers on a Saturday.