Negotiating a deal at a car dealership can be stressful and overwhelming if you’re not prepared. By doing some work in advance, you can easily reduce those stress levels and, hopefully, save yourself some money on your purchase. Here are 3 early steps you should take before even trying to negotiate a deal at the dealership:

• Research: firstly, you need to look into the value of the cars you are interested in, your credit score and report, and what interest rates you can get pre-approved. You’ll want to be armed with all of this information before you step foot in the dealership to start trying to negotiate a deal.
• Vehicle Value: look up the true values of each kind of car you’re looking into. Bargaineering suggests using Kelley Blue Book and Craiglist to determine what you’d be willing to pay for each car. Be sure to bring your list of prices with you when you go into the dealership.
• Loan Pre-Approval: once you’re aware of your credit score and report, head to a local credit union or bank to get pre-approved for a car loan. Getting pre-approval won’t lock you into a decision, but it will give you some negotiating power with the dealer.
  

  Dealerships usually have access to ten or more lien holders when they work deals, but they will only go out of their way to get you the absolute best deals if they know that you have other options.

For more advice, check out Bargaineering’s Tips for Getting a Great Deal at a Car Dealership.