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dreesemonkey posted:General car buying questions: I was taught about the four square trick when I did some volunteer training at my law school's legal aid center a few years back, but I didn't realize car salespeople still used it that much. In a nutshell, the sales department has those four squares to confuse you. The numbers are obviously not in your favor to begin with. The salesperson will generally ask you which number is bothering you, take it to the tower, and come back with a lower number in one square, but higher in another. There'll be an excuse such as, "Good news! He can go down a couple thousand in the down payment by bumping up the monthly payment a smidge" and then you'll do the dance again. Often the trade-in value is the bargaining chip they focus on. They'll give you close to what you're hoping and quietly increase the sales price square. The whole point is that it's a shell game: if you fall for it, you'll pay close to what the salesperson wants in the first place because he/she will have made the numbers look fair after several rounds of negotiations and apparent concessions. Frequently there's also a section for you to initial that says you'll buy the car today if the terms are agreeable to both parties. That is completely meaningless, but it adds psychological pressure that you have to make this deal work today or else. Plus if you sign it, that signals to the salesperson you're committed to this car (whereas someone willing to walk away is more likely to refuse or not even play the four square game to begin with). And at some point, you might also get the "If I can get the price you're asking for, will you buy the car today?" question as a prelude to walking back to the tower. (I had this happen when I bought a car back in July, though thankfully no four square nonsense.) That also adds pressure and a feeling that you're going to have to commit right now or else lose on a good deal. Which is bullshit, of course, since even if you answer yes, there's no legal commitment to follow through at that point. Not to mention by the time the typical four-square negotiation is done, the page is a morass of crossed-out and highlighted figures. It's confusing and wears the buyer down. tl;dr version: Four-square sales technique is a sham, don't buy from a dealership who forces it on you. Edit: This explains the process a bit, the rest of the article's a good read, too: http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/confessions-of-a-car-salesman-pg4.html ibntumart fucked around with this message at 23:30 on Jan 9, 2014 |
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Jan 9, 2014 22:51
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 05:07 |
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