How To Avoid Car Dealer Rip Offs

May 25, 2009— -- Car dealers get a bad rap -- deservedly so in some instances. The Better Business Bureau processed 28,000 complaints about them last year, the second-most for any trade, behind only the cellphone industry.

Granted, dealerships report a higher rate of conflict resolution than average (82 percent of complaints resolved, vs. the average, 73 percent), but that's small comfort to buyers who drive off feeling like they've been suckered.

Paying attention to a few car-buying pointers can alleviate a lot of that anxiety. Better yet, shoppers who follow these tips will feel more confident, and as a result, stand a better chance of negotiating the best possible deals.

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The good news is that these days, buyers have bargaining leverage at their fingertips. Online sources like Autotrader.com, Kelley Blue Book, and the National Automobile Dealers Association can narrow the list of what type of car might work best and provide a reasonable price range as well.

Print the prices and specs you find online and take them to the dealer, suggests Lori Johnson, an automotive consultant and owner of Ladies Start Your Engines, an automotive repair class for women. That way, you'll have a hard-and-fast baseline for dealing with pushy salespeople.

"If you feel like you're going to … get ripped off and they're going to try to talk you into something, be very mindful of what it is you're looking for," Johnson says. "Don't say, 'Well, I'm not really sure.' That's how you get sucked in, and you end up with something that you may not like."

It's smart to know what you want before you hit the lot: Maybe a fast little number for weekend flings or a practical people-mover for soccer practice. But it's also important to stay flexible on specifics. The $38,200 Lexus RX350 and $37,200 Audi Q5, for instance, are well-known crossover SUVs that offer similar benefits but very different impressions.