Customer Reviews

Car Buyer's and Leaser's Negotiating Bible, Third Edition (Car Buyer's & Leaser's Negotiating Bible)

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This book explains how to avoid paying more than you have to for a new car by getting new car dealers to compete with each other on price. The premise is that unlike used cars, each of which is unique in its own way, new cars are a commodity, that is, they are all the same (given a color and options). It does not matter who you buy that new car from, so why not buy from the dealer that offers the best price.

The more dealers competing for your business the better, but it is too hard and time consuming to visit them all, so fax their sales managers your requirements, and invite them to contact you with their offer. Then call back the ones with higher than best offer and see if they will lower their offer.

What counts is the "drive out" price, the final, bottom-line total you pay to get the car, including tax, title, documentation, destination fees, etc. But you won't know how good your deal is unless you know in detail how much the car really costs the dealer. That includes what the dealer must pay for the car and what incentives the dealer is getting from the manufacturer. This information is also helpful if you want to press a dealer to lower its price.

To get up-to-date information that goes beyond what you might find on the Internet and to provide you with a sample fax and step-by-step instructions, the book invites you to order an information package from the author at www.fightingchance.com. Surprisingly that package included enough on the techniques from the book that in my opinion the book is unnecessary if you get the package. The book then just becomes a long infomercial for the information package.

However, the book is more entertaining to read than the material in the information package. The author has a good sense of humor, has amusing quotes at the beginning of each chapter, and tells the situation like it is with directness and candor. The book and package also cover the ins and outs of getting a good deal on leasing a new car, and the book gives brief advice on purchasing a used car.

When purchasing a new car what counts is the bottom line, so here is my bottom line on this book. Get the book if you want an entertaining explanation of how cars are sold, what motivates dealers, and how the so-called "fax attack"can be used to get a really good price on a new car. If you just want to buy a car using the "fax attack" then just get the information package. It has all you need. And it works. I used the fax attack and got a new car at more than $1500 below invoice, a price no other dealer within 50 miles could beat. Thank you James Bragg!

This book is an absolutely incredible resource for the new car buyer. It explains in detail just how the car dealers will try to screw you. Then Mr. Bragg provides just about all the information you need to walk into a dealership and pick up a car for invoice or less. I couldn't have imagined how well this would work.

I sent faxes to 30 Baltimore / Washington Honda dealers explaining exactly what I wanted in my new Accord, and telling them that I was comparing plenty of prices. In a week I had serval dealers practically begging me to take exactly the car I wanted off their lot for less than invoice. I also met some of their sleazy competitors, but thanks to this book I identified their games and refused to play. The dealer even comped me on his dealer-added pinstripes and undercoating, since I had stated in my fax that I would refuse to pay for such additional add-ons.

You can count on an advertisment for an additional $10 per model for a copy of the dealer invoice and option prices, and a report of how the cars have been selling recently. Even so, $25 total is not too much to spend to save literally hundreds.

Thanks for providing such an incredible book.

Mr. Bragg's book is by far the best book available about the new-car buying process. He describes how an uninformed car-buyer is treated, versus how an educated and well-armed buyer is treated by the dealer sales staff, and my experience matched exactly. I bought the book after I started looking for a car, and by following his guidelines I noticed a positive change in how I was treated. By far the best part is the supplemental service he offers- a nominal fee will get you an information packet for the specific car or cars you are interested in. Mr Bragg tracks several industry sources, which he uses to generate his reports: manufacturer quality, sales performance statistics, even typical selling prices are reported. I expect to save nearly $4K on a popular model by applying his tactics!

Given I hold on to my cars for an average of 8 years, and I am not by nature comfortable with the entire bartering process, I really dread buying a new car...doing the purchase takes all the joy out of it for me.

But, this book provides SO much helpful information in such an easy-to-read format, that I breezed through it enthusiastically in just a couple hours and felt much more comfortable about what I'm up against...

The "fax attack" is a GREAT tool for anyone with the time and patience to do it. For me, it's too much like my day job. :-) BUT...luckily, for people like me, Mr. Bragg outlines another option: carbargains.org - a non-profit buying service that will get five dealers in your area to compete against each other to sell you the car you want. Yes, you pay a fee to them, but I believe it would be very much worth it not only for the savings they get you, but the hassle saved. Kind of like paying someone to do my taxes...

I can't recommend this book highly enough! Even if I choose to take the easy way out, the knowledge I gained was invaluable!

i am a 58 year old los angeles attorney. i know how to negotiate and figure deals. i know how to find dealers' costs from other sources. i always thought i outsmarted the dealers in my previous purchases and leases. then when recently leasing a car i decided to double check myself against some of the books on the subject. there are many and i bought bragg's book by chance and two others for comparison. YOU don't have to bother. Bragg's is all you need. i learned in 45 minutes how much i didn't know about buying and leasing, and by the time i was done with the process i KNOW i got the best deal available and no wool was pulled over my eyes this time.

Using the methods given in the book (and the model-specific information that the author's website sells) the quote I got for a Toyota Avalon was about $1200 less than any dealership quoted. And after I bought the book I didn't have to speak to a single salesperson! And the dealership I went to got rid of some excess inventory in that specific model. Win-win. You can save money just with the technique and the information Bragg supplies (without buying the on-line info) as well.

In addition to saving money, I enjoyed learning about how the car industry works. This guy knows his stuff.

I teach negotiation at an Ivy League law school, and have bought my share of new and used cars. But this is the book that made all the difference. I did better via the "Fax Attack" than is was able to do in person, DESPITE comfort and skill in negotiating and solid preparation. We bought for more than $500 under invoice, which I couldn't get close to in the dealership. Now all my negotiation colleagues have used it to buy their vehicles, and we all heartily recommend it.

Yes indeed buy this book! I also used the fax attack for my used, yes used '03 Camry and paid $2400 less than my good friend who foolishly walked into five (5) dealerships until she got what she thought was a "good price". Trust me, follow this book, go to the website and buying your next car will be a piece of cake. The book and website works "like a charm"!!

This book and Mr. Bragg's "Fighting Chance" information are the most powerful combination of tools you need to purchase a new vehicle. You aren't just learning how to negotiate the price of a car, or just good negotiation skills - you are really learning the auto sales business and techniques, as well as reinventing the way in which to purchase a new car. Following Mr. Bragg's advice (especially the "Fax Attack" method) you really do become the cat instead of the mouse. You do NOT need to walk into a dealership and negotiate price. Use the Fax Attack method and just wait for dealers to call with quotes; field the lowest offers, and start them on a bidding war against each other! I actually found the process fun (surprise that buying a new car could be fun!). And I got a new 2004 Toyota Corolla for $500 under invoice!

The book was very good. As a result of this book I was able to purchase a 2009 Lexus LS460 with $5,000 of the sticker price. This was lower than Edmunds.com said people were paying in our area. I also read reviews on the vehicle before I purchased it. Information from the reviews and the book were very helpful. My husband and I are glad we chose to read the book before any negotiations.