Buying a car is not fun. Everyone on the other team is match fit, and systematically incentivised to rip you off – if you let them. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Here’s how to recognise the car dealer’s tricks and sidestep the traps. Let’s focus on the car you want. It might not look like a commodity, but that’s exactly what it is. There’s no qualitative difference between the car you want at Dealership A and the same car at Dealership B. They came out of the same factory. Their mothers can’t tell them apart. The dealership doesn’t change them in any way, or add intrinsic value. The dealership is actually just a fancy vending machine. When you’re buying a commodity, the only factor that matters is the price. Lowest price wins. That’s what you need to deliver.