Things You Should Keep To Yourself When Car Shopping

Cynthia Measom

Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 8:06 AM 4 min read

When car shopping, saying the wrong thing can give the dealership the advantage and wreck your chances of getting a money-saving deal. That doesn’t mean you have to lie, but you also don’t need to share everything. According to U.S. News & World Report, you should keep the following to yourself while you’re at the dealership, to avoid any car buying mishaps.

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If you tell the salesperson how much you want your vehicle payment to be, there’s a good chance the dealer will build the deal around that number. You might end up with a longer loan or extra costs just to fit the payment you mentioned. If the salesperson asks what you want your payment to be, tell them you want to focus on the total price of the car, including the loan length and interest rate.

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It might seem like paying cash for a vehicle would help you get a better price, but that’s not always the case. Dealerships make money on financing, so they may not be willing to lower the price if they know they can’t earn anything from the loan. If you’re asked about financing, simply say you haven’t decided yet.

If you disclose you have a trade-in, you’ll give the dealer a chance to work the deal to its advantage. For example, the dealer may give you a lower-than-average offer for your trade-in and, in turn, lower the price of the car you’re interested in to make it look like you’re getting a great deal. Or it might give you a higher offer for your trade-in to satisfy you but raise the price of the car you’re interested in. Either way, you lose. Negotiate the new car price first, then ask what they’ll offer for your old one.

If you say your current car is falling apart, the dealership might assume you don’t have time to shop around. That means they won’t feel pressured to offer a better deal since they think you’ll buy something no matter what.

Getting pre-approved at your bank or credit union before shopping is smart. Telling the dealership about it right away isn’t. If the dealership knows you already have financing, it may be less flexible on the price. Only talk about financing once you’ve negotiated the price of the car.

It’s OK to get butterflies at the sight of your dream car. Just don’t make it obvious. The more excited you seem, the more the salesperson will think you’re all in. And when that happens, the dealership may not be willing to work with you on the price.