Don't Get Taken Every Time : The Ultimate Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car in the Showroom or on the Internet [Paperback]

Remar Sutton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2001

For fifteen years, automotive consumer expert and former auto dealer Remar Sutton has helped hundreds of thousands of car buyers to get the best deal in town. This completely new edition protects car buyers from the dealers' latest secret weapon-the Internet. Even the smallest bit of information entered on a Web site can give dealers what they need to take unfair advantage of their customers. From shopping and negotiating to financing, Sutton exposes car dealers' scams and gives you step-by-step instructions on how to get the best deal. With vital information about Internet shopping, privacy issues and how to use the Internet safely, and taking on the dealers, Sutton's guide is a must-read before stepping into a real or virtual showroom.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Don't even touch your computer before reading this extraordinary expose on the new schemes and scams in the...world of automobile sales.... -- Patricia Sturdevant, Executive Director, National Association of Consumer Advocates

Remar Sutton is without peer in presenting the lures, pitfalls, and price packs that are now part of so many car-dealers' practices. -- Ralph Nader

About the Author

Remar Sutton, an automotive consumer expert, is a former auto dealer. He is president and co-founder with Ralph Nader of the non-profit Consumer Task Force for Automotive Issues and has been a consultant and expert witness on automotive matters for twenty-three states' attorneys general.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 5 Revised edition (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141001496
• ISBN-13: 978-0141001494
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,072,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Get Taken Every Time: The Ultimate Guide to Buying or, June 3, 2001

By 

Baron Wilkes (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Get Taken Every Time : The Ultimate Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car in the Showroom or on the Internet (Paperback)

...I spent 16 years in the car business both as a factory representative and as part owner of a dealership. When people find this out they ask how to get the best deal on a vehicle purchase. I tell them to read "Don't Get Taken Every Time."... if I had read this book when I was in the automobile business and knew that it was out there and accessable to the average car buyer, it would have frightened me. Indeed, you will probably never see this book reviewed in your local newspaper or in most other media because they depend so much on dealer advertising that most are afraid of what might happen to their advertising revenues if they publicized this book. ... Remar Sutton's book can give you the preparation that it takes to even the playing field and take control of the buying situation. Back in my days in the business I have been in the exact situation that Killer and his manager experience in Chapter 10 when they confront a car buying couple who have done their homework. The only thing that a dealer can do in this situation is make a modest profit as opposed to nothing and move on to the next customer. I will admit that some of Suton's stories of Killer and the American Family Friends dealership chain are a little extreme and not typical of every dealership, but most people would be surprised to know how close to the truth these seeming fanciful tales are. Sit back and enjoy the stories as you learn the underlying basic principals of being a smart car buyer. This book will not only save you money; it has the potential to make buying your next vehicle fun!

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DONT BUY A CAR WITHOUT THIS BOOK FIRST! GET THIS BOOK NOW!!!, May 13, 2002

By 

selffate "invigorating genius" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Don't Get Taken Every Time : The Ultimate Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car in the Showroom or on the Internet (Paperback)

Remar Sutton with coy charm, and an acid pen, takes you on a SERIOUS ride into the mysterious world in which most consumer people know little (or even worse think they know a lot). Buying a car.

I bought this book while researching for my first new car, and while I found numerous tricks before through some websites, this book had everything and more. Dealer tricks, tips, how to finance, understanding the lingo, and knowing most importantly what YOU need.

The book is written in a very logical style, and goes through a hypothetical situation of the ultimate care salesmen nicknamed 'Killer Monsoon'. With Killer in tow, Suton creates a world that is massively informative and entertaining to the reader. You are followed through the day as Killer rips off, people and moves like a shark with stealth pray all the while, you the reader learn how to beat his (and the dealerships) secrets. This how to manual is hardly boring, always fascinating, and enjoyable (yet frightning) to read. I bought this book with the intention of reading it for a 2 week vacation period, but started reading it before I left and COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN! I finished it in about 4 days. And that's the joy of this book, besides its massive amount of information it is never dull or confusing to read, but majorly entertaining as Remar creates every scenario you may face when shopping for a new/used vehicle.

I can't wait to use the knowledge in this book to my advantage I've never been so excited about what I know and what others don't about the whole dealership experience. Suddenly terms as 'water' at a dealership, and 'in the bucket' will keep you empowered.

DO NOT BUY A CAR WITHOUT READING THIS BOOK FIRST!!!!! GET IT NOW!!!

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for buying a car. Fun to read too!, February 4, 2002

By 

S. Van "skating11" (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Get Taken Every Time : The Ultimate Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car in the Showroom or on the Internet (Paperback)

If you don't mind giving your money away, don't read this book but if you're sick and tired of being confused, intimidated and feeling inferior, this book is all about EMPOWERMENT. I agree with the previous reviewer, this book makes you ill reading about car salesman strategies and tactics but when you figure out their game, it's fun to turn the tables and see THEM squirm. Don't forget to do your internet research on car invoice pricing too. That's more arsenal in your pocket! I'm a female car buyer who was robbed on her first car (must be a rite of passage or something) but now feels SOOOO confident about shopping for a car that I don't need to bring my husband along as a "bodyguard". I am shopping for car right now and I have seen every trick described in this book used on me. It's actually funny to see what they'll do next.