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Don't Get Taken Every Time : The Ultimate Guide to Buying or Leasing a Car in the Showroom or on the Internet
An updated edition of the classic car buyer's bible gives practical advice on every aspect of purchasing or leasing a car or truck, explaining how to determine budget limits, buying new or used vehicles, negotiating a deal, and financing arrangements. Original.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 13, 2009
We are considering a new car purchase in the coming months so I picked this book up after reading some positive reviews on it. The approach to car buying outlined in the book is extremely well thought out and I plan to use it when we do make our purchase, although some of it definitely seems like too much work and I will probably not follow through on all of the steps.
The descriptions of some of the darker aspects of the car industry are eye-opening, but he definitely goes way over the top in his discussions of what they can do, particularly when he discusses how they use the internet to know every little detail of your life.
What was really illuminating for me was his discussion of the way the industry has changed in response to the ready availability of information on the internet. The last time I bought a car, which was over a decade ago, the big thing was the rise of sites like Edmunds that told you what dealers paid for their cars so that you could hold them to a reasonable profit margin. Today, these sites have basically gotten into bed with the dealers (all of these "consumer" car buying sites now have links to ... guess what! Get a quote from a dealer! How convenient!) and the dealers have come up with other ways to profit from car buyers, with trade-in values, financing, and add-ons being the primary profit drivers instead of sticker price.
I would recommend this book to anyone buying a car with the caveat that he is way overestimating the capability of car dealers to invade your life and privacy.
The descriptions of some of the darker aspects of the car industry are eye-opening, but he definitely goes way over the top in his discussions of what they can do, particularly when he discusses how they use the internet to know every little detail of your life.
What was really illuminating for me was his discussion of the way the industry has changed in response to the ready availability of information on the internet. The last time I bought a car, which was over a decade ago, the big thing was the rise of sites like Edmunds that told you what dealers paid for their cars so that you could hold them to a reasonable profit margin. Today, these sites have basically gotten into bed with the dealers (all of these "consumer" car buying sites now have links to ... guess what! Get a quote from a dealer! How convenient!) and the dealers have come up with other ways to profit from car buyers, with trade-in values, financing, and add-ons being the primary profit drivers instead of sticker price.
I would recommend this book to anyone buying a car with the caveat that he is way overestimating the capability of car dealers to invade your life and privacy.
July 11, 2008
opened my eyes to how evil the car industry is, but I think some of it is out-dated or over-the-top in its accusations. definitely is helping me prepare to buy a car and not get swindled, though. has a great chart in it to help you calculate what your car payment would be with different variables. Also gives lots of advice on which websites are worth using in your search, and how to find the true invoice price on new cars. Too wordy, but worth skimming for the valuable stuff.
August 28, 2017
Very honest, bold book from a person, who knows the backstage tactics of Dealers selling drama. Though, very lengthy book (around 475 pages) and little dry in the beginning, where he startlingly explains the imaginary dealer shop and imaginary sales person and their black magic tricks, the initial portion prepares us for the other sections of the book, where he details us through the trade-in, buying new/used cars, even leasing a car from dealer.
We have to appreciate Remar Sutton for his whistle blower skills to understand the wrongdoings of the dealership world.
I would suggest anybody considering buying/selling car to read this book. This book will definitely save atleast few hundred dollars, if not thousands of dollars in the wallet.
Highly recommend.
We have to appreciate Remar Sutton for his whistle blower skills to understand the wrongdoings of the dealership world.
I would suggest anybody considering buying/selling car to read this book. This book will definitely save atleast few hundred dollars, if not thousands of dollars in the wallet.
Highly recommend.
December 12, 2019
Although quite dry in the beginning, the book is an absolute must-read for anyone new (or even old) into the car-buying process so as to not get ripped off at dealerships whether it be in the form of financing, add-ons and what not.
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June 21, 2023One read of this book in about 1984 has saved me thousands of dollars buying cars from private users and dealers. It gave me confidence in preselecting, inspecting, dealing with salespeople, setting my purchase price, negotiating effectively, selling my trade in, arranging finance; everything you need to know about the process so that you are in control from start to finish. I have purchased 10 cars now and each time I apply the knowledge I got from this book. Most recently, this week (5/22/22) I negotiate my first used car from a dealer and found all the lessons applied even though my last purchase was 19 years prior (a Volvo that lasted 175k I had a blind date with a deer).
Cars are central to most American's adult lives. They are typically the first or second largest expense in most people's budgets. Yet most folks I know do nothing to educate themselves about how to go about buying or leasing a new or used car. Lots of dollars down the drain.
Maybe it's better that they don't read this and find out they spend 100's or thousands of dollars needlessly. The only downside to reading this book is that you are likely to experience some fierce buyer's remorse when you think about the way you bought cars before reading it. You'll get over that quickly though and knowledge is power. It's an easy read and you don't have to be a mechanic, or banker, etc. to understand anything here.
There may be other good books that have been published on the topic but I never had to ready anything further after this one.
Cars are central to most American's adult lives. They are typically the first or second largest expense in most people's budgets. Yet most folks I know do nothing to educate themselves about how to go about buying or leasing a new or used car. Lots of dollars down the drain.
Maybe it's better that they don't read this and find out they spend 100's or thousands of dollars needlessly. The only downside to reading this book is that you are likely to experience some fierce buyer's remorse when you think about the way you bought cars before reading it. You'll get over that quickly though and knowledge is power. It's an easy read and you don't have to be a mechanic, or banker, etc. to understand anything here.
There may be other good books that have been published on the topic but I never had to ready anything further after this one.
August 29, 2008
If you are in the market for a new or used car, be sure to read this book first! It tells the sneaky tricks that "Killer Monsoon", a top car salesman, uses to gain the most profit for the dealership at your expense! Recently revised and updated, this edition also covers Internet sales and leases and shows us how to get around the dealer-controlled web sites. It also helps readers to understand their own emotions about cars, the pitfalls of financing, and how to negotiate to get the very best deal. After reading it, I feel wiser about dealing with salespeople in other venues as well.
April 20, 2011
The best book I've seen on how to buy a new or used car. Sutton explains all the techniques the auto dealers use to get you to buy at THEIR price. Sutton explains how you can buy at YOUR price. One thing he doesn't cover that dealerships are doing now, is the dealership that says, "No bargaining necessary, we already have our cars marked at their lowest prices. No need to negotiate." Unless you trust these guys and want to spend more than you really need, I'd stay away from this kind of dealership just like the plague.
March 13, 2008
Do NOT buy a car without reading this book first! Written by a former car salesman, it shows you all the standard tricks salesmen use to make you spend more money on a car than you should. And just because it was written in the 90's, don't think it's not relevant today. I actually went to a local car dealer and spotted at least 4 of these tactics being used on me. I didn't buy the car and never went back to that dealership again.
December 25, 2013
You should definitely read this before buying a car. I just finished my first negotiation after reading it and it was amazing to walk through almost every trick the salesman pulled and catalog their appearance in this book. It feels so much more empowering to by a car when you know a bit more about how it is going down and having a basic algorithm to adapt to your own situation
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May 6, 2014I guess we'll find out how helpful this book was when I actually try to buy a car. I pretty much used this book as a delaying tactic because I really don't want to buy a car at all and I tried to read this as slowly as possible. But I can say that I learned everything I know about car buying from this book.
November 11, 2010
I recently bought a used car, and this guide proved helpful in arming me to negotiate with the dealership. While Sutton can be hyperbolic at times, presenting salesmen as unscrupulous sharks with the dealership as their feeding pond, the book does contain some useful tips.
July 10, 2013
Quite a compendium of gotchas and watch-out-fors regarding the car selling process and techniques designed to rip off the naive car buyer.
Could save you some money on your next visit to the car lot or the internet sales websites.
Could save you some money on your next visit to the car lot or the internet sales websites.
March 12, 2010
Excellent book on how to buy a new car and avoid all the absurd games car dealers like to play.
July 10, 2010
Indispensable for anyone in the market for a new or used car. Spend $16 on this book and save thousands on your auto purchase.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews