Always Negotiate Everything Separately

What most people don't realize is dealerships make most of their profit in areas other than the sale of new cars. The typical dealership may only make between $500 and $1,000 in profit on new vehicles sales (much less if you're an informed buyer). However, they can make thousands more by undervaluing your trade-in, gouging you on finance rates, and charging exorbitant amounts for add-ons such as extended warranties and service contracts.

The way they do this is by packaging everything together under one monthly payment so you don't really know what you're paying when it comes to each individual item.

There is one simple rule you MUST abide by in order to maximize your savings and prevent getting ripped off: ALWAYS NEGOTIATE EVERYTHING SEPERATELY.

Negotiate the price of your new car as if you didn't have a trade-in. Negotiate your trade-in as if you weren't buying a new car. Get financing lined up before going to the dealer, then compare it to what the dealer has to offer. Finally, negotiate your add-ons separately. It's simple, but you'd be surprised how often people get fooled by this.

Most car shoppers only focus on monthly payments without realizing dealers can fudge the numbers, and make things look much better than they really are. Follow this simple rule and you'll be way ahead in the game.