On the plus side, the coffee is usually free.

It may be a tired cliché, but car showroom deal making has most often been likened to a game of skill.
And, like many athletes before the big match, some consumers view the carhopping experience with trepidation and even
stomach churning fear. Every game has its time-honored practices to help the pros win time and time again.

Here are some tips to arm yourself with before entering a car dealership.

If at all possible, rent the model you want before you commit

Can you really base your crabbing decision on a 10 minute drive around the block in a demonstrator?
Especially for people contemplating a move into a new segment, such as an SUV, a brief drive may not be enough.
Fortunately, auto rental firms today offer all kinds of vehicles. Airport rental counters will give you the widest selection.
Some smaller firms specialize in nothing but imports (some with clutches, too).
Driving a rented SUV up to the cottage may reveal the "Grand" model really isn't all that spacious, or that it uses far
more gas than you're accustomed to paying for

Use the Internet to research your purchase

The Internet is a fount of information about models, options and pricing, found on the manufacturers' sites.
But don't stop there: Lemonaid and other consumer advice sites ( like this one) will give you a more balanced view of
what's good & what's not.
By becoming familiar with the facts before stepping into a dealership, the informed consumer is better equipped
to cut a deal without becoming confused or sidetracked.

Ask your friends for their recommendations.

Nearly every adult has bought a car, so they ought to be able to recommend a reputable dealer.
For many people, the buying experience rates as important as the actual automobile they settled for, so there's no shortage
of opinions.
If you do go to a dealership based on a personal recommendation, mention it to the sales rep.
Chances are, you'll be treated better because you're telegraphing to the dealer that you're predisposed to buying your car there.
Get ready to be pampered and, with a bit of luck, fed.

Clip the ads and bring them with you.

We're living in the golden age of grabbing incentives.
As tired as it sounds, there's never been a better time to buy.
And dealers are hungry for your business.
Take advantage of this competitive spirit by clipping particularly attractive pricing out of the newspaper and carry the ads
with you to your local dealership.
Ask the dealer to match the price or, if not, to explain why they can't deliver the same promise.
If the price looks too good to be true, it probably is, and a competing dealer will be the first one to tell you why.
Deep discounts are usually applied to unpopular models or stripped fleet cars.
Sometimes you get tagged in the service department for "special attention" when it's the service mangers job to get back
the money they "gave away". Of course, you can buy at one place and service it elsewhere.
Good honest independents are your best bet for low cost, fully legal, routine servicing.
Read the fine print; some vehicles may be used cars returned by bankrupt firms.

Insist on a factory fresh model
A former salesperson and sales manager with 13 seen-it-all years under his belt suggests a buyer can always negotiate a
better deal on a factory order rather than buying off the dealer's lot.
Here's why: dealers have to start paying for their inventory the moment the vehicles are loaded onto the transporter at the factory or,
at best, 10 to 15 days later. And interest accrues on the "floor plan loan" as long as the cars languish on the lot.
Typically, a dealer tries to have a 30- to 45 day inventory on hand, but sometimes stock can be 60 or
70 days old, which amounts to plenty of carrying costs. Insist on a factory order and the dealer has
more room to negotiate a discount, unfettered by interest charges.

Scrutinize the administration fee
A common misconception is that the extra charges listed on the sales contract are padded to provide dealers with additional revenue.
Good dealers don't mark up the freight and delivery charges. They are pass through costs, just like the (federal) air conditioning tax.
In other words, the costs are set by the manufacturer and the dealer should present them unaltered.
The one exception is the administration fee, an amalgam of smaller charges, such as the cost of  registering the loan documents.
When comparison shopping, note how this fee differs at various dealerships. In some cases, it may be excessive and you could
push to have it reduced or dropped altogether.

A cash deal is the worst deal
If you had $30,000 in cash, which is the better investment: a new car or an RRSP?
After five years, if you chose correctly, you'd likely have a $55,000 nest egg instead of a $ 10,000 beater.
A car is just about the worst depreciating asset one can think of (Enron and Bre-X investors excepted).
Take advantage of the richest incentive packages in the history of humankind and finance or lease your car purchase,
and put your hard earned cash in a tax sheltered investment vehicle.

Lose the George Costanza attitude
The new car showroom is not the profit centre it used to be. The real money is being made in the  service garage out back
and by the used car sales operation. The typical markup on a new Saturn is  $ 2100;  $ 4,300 on an Audi.
Or about 10% of the MSRP. And that's before the overhead costs (advertising, utilities, carrying charges) are deducted.
In other words, believe the sales reps when they  say they're barely making anything on the deal (they personally earn an average $300 commission on a transaction).
Accept the notion that the dealer deserves to make $1,200 on your vehicle purchase, instead of trying  to shout down the rep
at every line item on the sales contract, and you'd be surprised how much more candid and accommodating your salesperson can be.

One of the first rules of any game is showing your opponent the respect he or she deserves.