shopping
Car Shopping
Knowing what you want — or need — before you start making the rounds of dealerships can save both time and money. It’s human nature to go looking for a practical family vehicle like a minivan, but be distracted in the showroom by a flashy sport sedan that costs more. Also, more buyers than ever are climbing out of passenger cars and into light trucks — sport-utility vehicles, minivans, and pickups.
Buying a car, whether it’s a first-time purchase or not, can seem like a daunting task. You’ve probably seen your share of car commercials on TV and recall hearing phrases like “down payment” and “APR.” Although some of the terminology may seem confusing, once you break it down, buying a car is pretty straightforward.
Other countries in the world use other methods of distribution, or ways of sharing the goods. In this activity, you are going to use different methods of distribution.
Forget the Monthly Payment Trick
One of the first things a car salesman is going to ask you when you go car shopping is how much you want to keep your monthly payments at. The minute you give him or her that number, he or she is going to start calculating just how much money they can make off of you while keeping you at your ideal monthly payment.
Take a test spin — The Internet is no substitute for a test drive. Do your best to focus on the car and its handling and not be distracted by the salesperson’s small talk. While you’re at the dealership don’t try to negotiate a price; instead get an email address and a phone number so that you can do so later.
