Examples?
I image, if I was to buy a car, I would look up interesting models on the internet (including price information), perhaps ask my friends for advice. When I am ready knowing what car I want, I'd go to the dealership, see if their price is right, and buy it (or leave it).
I might phone around before hand, to find out their prices and compare with other dealerships.
How does it work in reality? How do you make it last long?
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/article....
According to this article, there are two kinds of dealerships -- high-pressure and low-pressure -- and the reporter spends some time working at each. The high-pressure Japanese dealership had an elaborate buying process with many additional costs, delays, and psychological tricks to greatly inflate the final price. "Let me talk with my manager" is used as a weapon.
But online research is a good idea. Some lines from the article:
"Three hundred below invoice," he smugly answered.
I asked how he did it. He said he checked prices on the Internet. He then called the fleet manager and made the deal over the phone.
I had a schizophrenic reaction to this. Part of me admired the fact that he had outfoxed the dealer. But the car salesman side of me was angry that I never "got a shot at him." It seemed like just a matter of time before people who, in the past, walked onto our car lot, would be on the Internet making deals.
if you do the right thing, e.g., get up and walk out, they will let you do it. then when you get to the parking lot, they'll run you down and try to convince you to start the process again.
it's really, really nuts.
As soon as financing or insurance come into the game, it gets really ridiculous.