Why Are You here?

Because you want a great deal on your next car, right? Well, here’s some good news: you’re already on your way.

By coming to this workshop, you’ve demonstrated one very important car-buying skill: the commitment to making an informed buying decision.

Our Goal

The purpose of this Web site is to teach you:

• Where and how dealers make their profits—so you can decide if you’re getting a fair price.
• To avoid common financing pitfalls and find out why it pays to shop for financing.

A Word About Car Dealers

The car dealer is not your enemy. The car dealer is not necessarily your ally, either. the car dealer is a business person whose job it is to sell cars for profit—and there’s nothing wrong with that. But how much profit is enough? That’s for you to decide.

You—not the dealer—are responsible for making sure a car deal is fair. We’ll give you the skills to help you make that decision with confidence.

About Auto Buying 101

Auto Buying 101 is divided into two parts:

Part One: Dealer Profit Centers
Where and how dealers make their profits—from ADP to F&I (explained later), a look at the way a dealer can make money from a car sale.

Part Two: Financing
The ins and outs of financing—why it pays to shop around, why the “lowest” rate isn’t always the best deal, why preapproval is a good idea, and why leasing isn’t for everyone.

Car Talk

Just for fun we added some car sales lingo to this Web site. Look to the top of each page for definitions of common car sales terms. Knowing these terms probably won’t get you a better deal, but who knows? If you overhear the salesperson calling your deal “a slam dunk,” (see top of Additional Dealer Profit) you might think twice before signing on the dotted line.