Also more tips on buying cars that have worked for me, altho I didnt buy the car I was just testing these out.
Dress nice, dont over due it tho. No suit and tie. Just go in wearing black pants and a white button up shirt, or kahkis and a polo shirt. Wear a nice ring if you have it, a nice watch, and some sort of chain but make sure they match with everything else you have.
Go in and dont find someone to help you, just look around at the car until someone comes to you. If you can, get the youngest guy there. Or if you can tell, get the newest guy there. If its their first sale they will be all jumpy to get you in the car and out the door.
When looking at the car, dont ask if you can do anything. Treat it like its yours or like you dont car. dont abuse it or anything, but if its in the lot and unlocked, get in and start adjusting things like the rear veiw and the seat, start feeling over the dash and look around the car like int he trunk or hatch. If the key is in the car, start it up but DONT drive it. They might get mad about that. Just start it and listen to it idle. Pop the hood and act like you know what your doing. Do research before hand and make sure you know a little about the car. Look up the engine code, look at the stock stats of the engine and all of that. Know the car's 0-60 and top speed. Look under the hood for any mods. If there is a mod, remember those they will be important later. Check the air filter, check the oil.
If your buying new, or used from a dealership like I did from suburu add a bunch of options you dont need or want. This is key. When I went to the suburu dealership I added a shortthrow shifter, boost gauge and some random other things. When I talked them down in price to the final balance they would give me, which was about 4 grand cheaper than what they were asking. I went in to look over the paper work (now keep in mind I had no intentions of buying the car I was just using this as an experiment) I lookever over the paper work and took all those extra options off. Thats just extra money I saved. If you buy a used car that already has mods you can talk them even lower in price by saying the car was probably dogged and you read somewehre that hose mods cause strain on the pistons or use high oil consumption or are too loud.
Those are just some simple things you can do to get what you want for cheap. Also if you dont get the deal you want, walk away. Come back a few days later. dont give your number to your cell phone, but give them your home phone number and let them sweat. If you cant get the car you want no matter how good your barganing skills are, pass it up. There will be another car sooner or later you just have to be patient for the right deal.
