Car buying myths range from the mundane to the absurd. Most of these are relatively harmless, but some can wind up costing you both time and money.

At Dallas Lease Returns, we negotiate thousands of car deals every year. In this article, we use our expertise to clarify a number of the common misconceptions people have around car buying.

Top Car Buying Myths:

1. A lower price or payment means you got a better deal.

Many car buyers focus on a specific number—the price of the car, the monthly payment, interest rate, etc. This can make it easy to manipulate the surrounding numbers.

Dallas Lease Returns recommends: Do the math to look at the deal as a whole rather than focusing single-mindedly on a single component of it.

2. You need to buy now or the deal will go away.

Unless the car you’ve found is in limited supply, the odds are good that you’ll be able to get a similar vehicle next week or even next month for around the same price.

Dallas Lease Returns recommends: Make sure you’re getting the car you want at an overall good deal. If you’re not, walk away and keep looking for what you really want. At Dallas Lease Returns, we have an expansive inventory of 500+ cars that is constantly turning over. So if you don’t find the car you want one week, chances are we will have it the following week or month.

3. You should wait until the last minute to mention your trade-in.

Dealerships are so used to this trick, it has a special name, “parachuting the trade.” It can add hours to the amount of time you spend at the dealership because the entire trade-in evaluation won’t start until after the rest of the deal is negotiated—without really changing the amount you’ll receive for your trade-in.

Dallas Lease Returns recommends: Do your research on both the value of the trade-in and the new car so you can make sure you’re getting a fair price for both. 

4. You can out-negotiate or trick the dealership into giving you a better deal.

Car dealerships negotiate hundreds of transactions each month; you probably only buy a car once every few years. Even if you consider yourself a good negotiator, the dealership will always have more information and will be better able to control the transaction than you.

At Dallas Lease Returns, we negotiate thousands of new car deals every year, we know the market and can use our buying volume to get you a great price on your vehicle.  

If you’re in the market for a pre-owned vehicle, Dallas Lease Returns can help you get a great price on exactly what you want. Click here to contact our team of car experts today!