In article , Bill wrote:
Doug Miller wrote:

My secrets a
1) Buy used cars from new-car dealers -- the vast majority of new-car dealers
cherry-pick their trade-ins; the crap goes to the auto auction, and the good
ones go to the dealer's used-car lot. So far, I'm 5-for-5 with this approach.
2) Know the value of what you're buying, and don't pay a penny more for it. Be
prepared to walk away.

That's a fine attitude to have. But if in the end you have to pay a
couple hundred more than you hoped, and you found the car you wanted,
you probably still have a good deal.

True. I do bend that rule occasionally; an extra $500 on a ten-thousand-dollar
truck isn't much.

Shopping for cars is a pain
because the salespeople seem to assume at the onset that you're an
idiot who hasn't a clue--and they probably make thousands (extra) by
working that way.

They're frequently right. I have a relative who regularly gets screwed buying
cars because (a) he's *not* prepared to walk away, and (b) his demeanor makes
that blatantly obvious to the salespeople. He's a smart guy, but he can't
negotiate worth a damn.

I recently bought a used car from a dealer too,
"walked out" and got a phone call the next morning...

Last time I walked out of a dealership, I hadn't gotten three miles down the
road before the phone rang...

Here around
Indianapolis, there are two companies that are trending to own almost
every used car dealership, and they seem to want to control the
pricing... Bad trend for the consumer.

Which two are those? And where in Indy are you? I'm on the NW side, near 42nd
& Kessler.