Customer Reviews

The Car Buyer's Bible

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I live in NYC, I've never purchased a new car so I approached buying one with great trepidation. When a friend recommended this book I had a yeah, yeah attitude but to my surprise it was fantastic, covering every aspect of the car-buying process.

Armed with my new knowledge and following the eight commandments I saved hundreds of dollars. I even had a good time doing it. It made the salespeople seem like human beings.

The guide to related web-sites was also very useful it saved me a lot of time in researching information about dealer costs, financing, fuel-efficiency, and safety. Everything was right there.

This guide is a bible for the proactive buyer. I recommend it highly.

I have to confess that I am someone who managed to get through the first 20 years or so of adulthood without ever having bought a car. But now that I may have to bite the bullet, I found this book indispensable. I never realized that buying a car can be such a minefield and that there so many things that a prospective buyers needs to be aware of. I thought that this book gave me some very clear principles to use when approaching a show room. I particularly liked the advice about getting financing at your own financial institution instead of falling for the financing deals that the dealerships will try to offer. I also liked the authors point about NOT trying to understand the dealer and his or her perspective - that is probably the first mistake I would have made had I not read this book. The book is written with a very witty style and I found that once I started reading I couldn't put it down and read practically all of it in one sitting!

With much anxiety, I was in the market for my first new car. Using the Car Buyer's Bible's easy to use commandments, I was able to negotiate a price $500 below invoice for a 2005 Subaru Outback XT2.5 Limited! I am so pleased with this purchase!

Segal thoroughly describes the mindset of the car salesman and strategies for working with them (don't forget to bring a notebook to the dealer!). I successfully dealt with 2 different Subaru salesmen at 2 different dealerships, an ethical one and a confirmed liar (revealed by my trusty notebook!). Guess who I bought from?

This book will save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, not to mention provide you with the long lasting satisfaction of NOT GETTING RIPPED OFF!!

I wish I had had this book in my hands when I walked into the showroom to buy my last car! For some reason, independent, self assured professional woman that I am, I wound up somewhat timid/intimdated at the dealership.

I had followed commandments two and three on finance and model. Yes, I had purchased Car and Driver and Road and Track and surfed the web. I was downright excited about the car I wanted. Then, I might as well have been going to the dentist.

Commandmants 5, 7 and 8 are key. Number Seven was humbling. As a former senior negotiator for the US government, I should have known better.

Highly readable - laugh out loud - at moments. The perfect Mothers/Fathers Day or Graduation gift.

I have been buying new cars for over 40 years, and finally, after not knowing whether I was paying too much or not, I got hold of this book, and everything changed for me. Just by following the eight commandments, which are easy and straightforward, I'm finding car buying can happen without hassle or mystery, and by using the web sites listed in the appendix, I know where to look up everything I could possibly need. Finally, I feel in control, and so much more confident that I'm not spending too much money. The stories communicate how important the commandments really are. Besides being a wise investment, this book is fun to read.
 

It's a fun read. All car shoppers as well as anyone facing a purchasing negotiation can benefit from this book. It offers precise tips on how to avoid common pitfalls and get the best deal possible in any car purchase or lease situation. It's also a great read and a facinating tour of how a car dealership operates. It took us forever to decide whether to buy or lease until we read this book!

A light psychological pep talk, the book wasn't what I expected. The information wasn't substantive enough on its own to go in and negotiate a good deal.

It was also disturbing to find typographical errors - in fact two on the same page in the section where the author compares car-buying and prostitution.

Some might disagree, but I found the book to be a waste of time and money. It might provide an "atta girl" nudge to the truly trepidatious (which I found pretty insulting as a woman considering the number of books out there trying to convince us we can do it rather than showing us how to get it done.)

i did not find this book of any value and would recommend that you did not waste your money on buying it, i am certainy sorry that i did.

I wish I would have gotten this book a long time ago. There are a few spelling errors, but nothing that you can't figure out. The book is written by a former Car Saleperson; She confirmed my suspicions on the Added or Hidden fees that car dealers add to the price of your vehicle, such as a cleaning fee (Prep). The dealer has to prep and inspect your car before delivering it to you,,, it's the law! Locater Fee,,, only if you insist on a specific color or option!
We ended up ordering a specific color car with Navigation system (new for Scion TC 2010). The dealer didn't even know about the Navigation option. We didn't buy the dealer installed fog lights ($399); I purchased some on-line for $100 and installed them in less than 1 hour. The tiny mud flaps were over $150 at the dealer; bought those from Toyota Direct for less than 80 dollar and installed them myself.
We also found out that Scion has different brands of tires on their new cars.. we demanded Yokihama tires... the dealer threw a fit, but we got what we wanted. We also chose not to pay the crazy price for floor mats. Order them yourself, or have the dealer throw them into the deal.
If you're buying USED, always check for a spare tire, jack, and lug wrench; Required as part of the Safety equipment. I've heard of some people buying used cars from dealers and not getting these things. YOUR fault if you drive it off the lot and it doesn't have the safety inspection and safety equipment. Don't drive off the lot with slick tires or a light that doesn't work.
OH,,, very important. Spend the small (around $50) and join a Credit Union. They will give you a much better APR (annual percentage rate) on the loan. I admit, I was ripped off when I bought my truck in 1997 from the dealership, and got them to finance me. Payments were high, and it took 6 years to pay off. I made the same mistake when buying a new 2006 Scion TC.
With our new (2010)car, payments are almost 3/4 of what we paid on payments for a 2006 Scion TC when it was new,,
I'm glad I read this book. It gave me lots of money saving pointers,,, like: don't talk about money with the saleperson.
First, go to the credit union, join, and talk to them about your credit limit,,, then go find a car. You can be preApproved for a lot more than you think (but don't go out and buy an expensive vehicle just because you can). THEN, go look for the car you want. When the saleperson starts talking about financing, just tell them that you already have the Credit Union. Once you get the figures worked out with the sales guy, you can hand them the PreApproval, and let them work out the details with your Credit Union.
I'd suggest this book as a MUST for any first time car buyers. Learn from my mistake of not having this knowledge on my first few car purchases.