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: July 31, 2007

Now completely rewritten and back in a handy trade paperback edition

Through six editions, this invaluable tool by "Public Enemy #1 of the car dealers" (The Washington Post) has remained the definitive guide on buying or leasing a new or used vehicle. Completely updated, Don't Get Taken Every Time takes readers inside the world of the auto business itself. It exposes hundreds of tricks some dealers use to separate unwary customers from their money. Sutton alerts people to dealer scams on the Internet, tampering with credit ratings, and more. From negotiating to financing, the step-by-step techniques offered here make any car shopper a savvy purchaser.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Remar Sutton is president and cofounder with Ralph Nader of the nonprofit Consumer Task Force for Automotive Issues. Dateline NBC, 20/20, 60 Minutes, Today, Good Morning America, CNN, ABC Primetime, USA Today, The New York Times, and hundreds of others regularly use Sutton as an authority.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Revised edition (July 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143038885
• ISBN-13: 978-0143038887
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Professional & Technical > Automotive > Buyers' Guides

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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 (Mass Market 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!

33 of 33 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 (Mass Market 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 (Mass Market 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.