While Americans will debate over which car brand is better than which, everyone can agree on two things. Americans love their cars, and Americans hate how pushy a car dealership can be. Here’s how to avoid being pushed around by one.

The stereotypical salesman 

Stereotypes are usually not true, but sometimes, they’re just on the money. In the case of car dealerships and the salespeople who work there, the stereotype about car salesman is too accurate. A salesperson only has one job, and that’s to get a sale. But car salespeople are a completely different breed. 

Like Bankrate said, it’s not a fair fight. Car salespeople are trained daily in the art of getting you to spend more money than you actually want to spend. Most people, on the other hand, only have to deal with a car salesperson once every few years. As a result, car salespeople have the experience and the know-how to push you to spend more than you wanted to spend. 

This sucks for many Americans because, at the end of the day, most Americans have a budget to abide by. Many car salespeople can efficiently convince the average American to go over their budget.

This is good news for the dealership, but for many families, this can lead to financial hardship. As a result, not trusting a car salesperson can be good advice, but that’s not necessarily true, either.

No-haggle car dealerships

On the other end of the spectrum are dealerships called no-haggle dealerships. As their name implies, these dealerships don’t negotiate. The prices for the cars are set in stone, so it’s just up to you whether or not the car’s worth the price that it’s listed as. 

Because of the simple nature of a no-haggle dealership, a true no-haggle dealership tends to get good reviews on social media sites. Customers walk away from a no-haggle dealership feeling good about their purchase because, according to Autotrader, many customers feel like the negotiating part is the most awful part about buying a new car. 

That said, you should still do a lot of research. Autotrader mentioned that some no-haggle dealerships will sell cars at a higher price than a regular dealership will. If you absolutely need every penny, then you might have to negotiate after all. Furthermore, it’s possible that some dealerships are just pretending to be a no-haggle dealership. 

You can find out if a dealership is truly a no-haggle one by reading its reviews. Or, you could visit the dealership itself. If any negotiating happens, then it isn’t a no-haggle dealership. 

Avoiding the salesperson’s tactics

If a regular dealership is cheaper than a no-haggle dealership, then there are a lot of things you can do to avoid spending more money than you wanted to spend. Autotrader says that knowledge is power, and doing the research on the car you want as well as coming prepared with your terms are easy ways to avoid being pushed around by a car salesperson. 

Bankrate also mentions to be aware of the time. Car salespeople will try to wear you down and tire you out so that you’ll just sign the dotted line to get it over with. If you’re drinking coffee or if you just tell the car salesperson that you can come back tomorrow, then they’ll probably offer you a better deal. 

You also shouldn’t be afraid to get a new salesperson, Autotrader said. At the end of the day, the dealership wants to take your money, and if the salesperson you’re talking to won’t budge, then the dealership might send you another salesperson who will budge. As long as you don’t budge from your terms, you can negotiate a better deal for yourself.