What Car Dealers Don't Want You to Know

Rating:
Summary: Worth every penny! Will save you SO MUCH money!
Review: A friend of mine lent me this book over a year ago, before I bought my current car, and it helped me save several thousand (I'm not kidding!) dollars, by instructing me on the steps I had to take to avoid falling in some of the most common traps Car Dealers set up for you during the process of a car purchase.

Unless you don't want to save yourself some headaches and a lot of money, read this book before you buy a new car.

Rating:
Summary: Could'nt live without it!
Review: A must for anyone contemplating the purchase of a new or uses ca

Rating:
Summary: A Great "Behind-the-Scenes" Look at Car Dealers
Review: I bought this book before attempting to purchase my first new vehicle. The Mr. Eskeldson sheds much light on the inner workings of the auto industry and on the sometimes shady tactics utilized by those who would charge you thousands more than your more-educated peers.

Although this book is not as all-around useful as James Bragg's "Car Buyer's and Leaser's Negotiating Bible" it certainly complements it, and I would recommend reading both before your next car purchase.

Rating:
Summary: a 'Robin Hood' book to definitely read before you buy
Review: Ok, we all knew that what we were hearing from car dealers was largely baloney. What we lacked was the knowledge to cut through that baloney in an assertive way without having to be unpleasant. That is, until now.

Eskeldson is clearly familiar with the business and goes into a lot of detail. Trade-ins, 'dealer cost', negotiating tactics, 'no-haggle' dealers, financing, extended warranties, sales tricks to look out for, and the various shell games that are typically played with customers' money are exposed in thorough detail. This is a bible of guerrilla auto purchasing tactics that's sure to drive some dealers to drink.

There is no way any auto buyer, especially one who dreads the whole ordeal, should be without this book. I cannot possibly see how it could fail to save you the cover price.

Rating:
Summary: some misguided advice
Review: This book doesn't really provide any advice you can't find on the internet. The author's tactics also resemble those of car salesmen themselves. For example, he recommends a certain company that sells extended warranties and goes into great detail over its product. I did a quick search of this company on the internet and found it had gone into bankruptcy and did not have the most reputable business practices. Yes, perhaps the author just made an error in judgment. Are you sure, however, that you want to follow someone's advice when it comes to spending this much money? I would think your money better spent just scanning over a few books at a local bookstore or picking a better book online.

Rating:
Summary: More smoke and mirrors.
Review: This book helps add to the already exhausted presentation of "fear" that is used to buy and sell cars. Though it is very well organized and some of the topics create reader interest(the only reason for the stars at all) it has its down side. What is that? When there is only rumor and speculation about what actually happens in car dealers, there will always be books like this one. Let's face it, we cannot use as wide a brush as this book uses to capsulize an entire industry. Especially an industry that has 1,129,900 new vehicle dealerships nationwide according to NADA numbers. What is good about the fear we feel by reading this book should help us if we manage to use a bit of conscience when buying a new car. If you want to get further terrified then read "Cars and People: How to Put the two Together." That should let you know what we are up against.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable information worth the price of the book
Review: This book is packed with good readable information on all aspects of buying a car. I knew car salesmen and dealerships were sleazy and this book confirms it. I didn't rate it 5 stars because I felt it lacked detailed information on what dealers really pay for cars. Of course this will vary depending on how much and what kind of units they buy, but surely there are some standards that weren't revealed here. But all the other content scores big and you will learn things you never knew about the business.

Rating:
Summary: Best book on negotiating on a car
Review: This book provides very helpful tips on bargaining for a car, and does so in an easy-to-understand, easy-to-follow manner. The author starts with an insider's look at how car dealerships (which always look like dungeons to me) are structured and how they make money and how they are out to extract as much profit from you, the customer, as possible. Then he dispenses some of the best advice I've seen on how to get the best price on a car. BTW, I'm an avid Consumer Reports subscriber, and the info in this book is even better than the guide put out by the good people at CR.

Some of the most useful information I found in the book includes starting your offer at one thousand *below* invoice, not at invoice as Consumer Reports suggests; why Saturn's no-haggle policy is really a sham; why buying a year-end model doesn't necessarily save you thousands; and the best time of year, month and day to buy. Whether you buy, lease or finance, the author constantly reminds you that getting the best price is the most important step in buying a car.

Every page of this book is filled with helpful and useful tips that *will* save you thousands (unless you are getting a hot rod like the new Honda Pilot where demand exceeds supply). And the author is honestly interested in helping us "little people" fight against slick dealerships and their fleets of lying salesmen. Be sure to get this book before you go into a dealership!

Rating:
Summary: some misguided advice
Review: This book should be MANDATORY for first time car buyers!!! It opened my eyes to many things. Let's you REALLY know what car dealers don't want you to know. Because of this book I actually decided to go with a car buying service (Car Bargains) to get the best deal on a 2003 model.

Rating:
Summary: Common sense spelt out for you
Review: This book was extremely helpful and easy to read! A lot of sound advice that gave me confidence about the buying process and dealerships. My first car buying experience was awful and I was taken advantage by the dealership; after reading this book, I believe I took advantage of them!