Everyone wants to help you get the best deal on a car. And you've got all the information the internet can endow — dealer-invoice pricing, scam-avoidance tips, even an entire psych workup on salespeople's use of light-trance techniques. But it's not all perfect. What's the biggest car-buying myth?
Financing through the dealer is always more expensive than getting outside financing.
Who hasn't told you to get your financing before you walk through the dealership door? And yet, while exploring third-party financing is an important task when buying a car, is it always a better deal? No, but it can be. But, what it can do is, if you walk into the dealership with quotes from an outside lender, you can use it as a bargaining chip by holding it close to the vest and asking the salesperson for a finance rate. Two things can happen: The dealer will offer a lower rate straight away — take it — or his rate will be higher than the third-party rate. If it's higher, that's when you pull out your outside number and bargain away.
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