See Inside
Knowing the laws of persuasion is especially handy with car dealers
Which they did the very next day. Of course, we both know that I didn’t really work hard. But that can be our little secret. Because we’re friends, right?
This article was originally published with the title Rules of the Road.
Steve Mirsky has been writing the Anti Gravity column since he was a man trapped in the body of a slightly younger man. He also hosts the Scientific American podcast Science Talk.
See what we're tweeting about
GarethIdeas 'Does good music need to be good?' great @sfj on new daft punk http://t.co/77bIYITXtq
scicurious "The Scent of a Kitten" Fear may smell like cats, if you're a mouse. http://t.co/461kV2WvUK
jgold85 RT @avflox: The truth behind the hoax about the man who tried to have sex with a hornets nest: http://t.co/RoEXVQwrTx
Deadline: Jul 30 2013
Reward: $100,000 USD
The Seeker desires a method for producing pseudoephedrine products in such a way that it will be extremely difficult for clandestine che
Deadline: Aug 31 2013
Reward: $100,000 USD
The Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative (GBFAI) is launching the 2013 Geoffrey Beene Global NeuroDiscovery Challenge whose
Powered By: 
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
5 Comments
Add CommentRegarding the "scarcity tactic," as we say in the horse business, "There's always a better one on down the road."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI read that article back in 2001! (Or was it his book on that subject?) Thanks for the refresher.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNever enter a car dealership before 8PM. A more basic human trait, hunger, will speed up the sale.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor gosh sakes, Steve! You almost certainly paid too much for that new car. Whatever possessed you to visit a car dealership in person and subject yourself to psychological warfare at the hands of a rapacious salesman? Here's the correct way to buy a new car:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1) Select the make, model and accessory package you want.
2) Find out the dealer's cost for the above. (You're undoubtedly resourceful enough to figure out how to obtain this info on the Web.)
3) Make a list of five or six dealerships within a 25-50 mile radius of your home.
4) Call the closest dealer on your list, ask to speak to the sales manager and offer him $100 to $500 above your previously determined dealer cost. (The precise dollar amount will be determined by the popularity/scarcity of the car. You might have to experiment a little, but never exceed $500.)
5) If he accepts, buy the car, if not, call the next dealer on your list.
I've used this method several times and have never had to phone more than two dealerships to make a deal.
Good luck buying your next car in a decade or two!
Good article but a bit thin, it could have used a bit more elaborating, but space is "costly", I understand. Steevo up there or down there where ever the heck he is in relation to my post, had some great tips. For those heavy into researching such things, there is a cornucopia of superb articles at Edmunds. Here's a link for the lazy:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/