Many people get taken advantage of when they go to buy a new car, truck or SUV. This can be avoided by taking some simple precautions and being prepared ahead of time. Take a look at these suggestions and commit them to memory so that you don't get taken to the cleaners on your next automotive purchase. First off, do you research and don't go into a dealership half cocked with little knowledge.

You want to be armed with the cost of the vehicle you are interested in, the value of your vehicle if you are trading it, financing terms and interest rates, and be on guard against sales tactics. Never buy a car impulsively, think it over. The internet had millions of pages of research and content available about vehicles, financing, and anything else you may care to know about the car buying process. There is absolutely no reason for anyone not to take the time to get the information they need to be able to have a positive car buying experience. The best way by far to deal with financing your vehicle purchase is to get pre-approved by your personal bank or credit union.

This will give you a position of power to negotiate from. When you go into the dealership you are now basically walking in with cash and the ability to do business immediately should you so desire. Another thing it gives you is the ability to play the lenders against each other to get a better rate.

Many times the dealer may offer you a better rate by as much as two percent just because of the volume of business they do. Remember this sentence is you remember nothing else, "The salesperson is not your friend". They will try to make you think they are on your side, they are trained to do that. It is all part of the psychology. Don't buy into it, they are paid a commission based on the profit of the vehicle in most cases, so the more you pay for the car, the more they make. Many times there are bonuses on particular vehicles as well.

You may go to a dealership on a Saturday morning and see three salespeople trying to sell the exact same car. The reason, unknown to the potential buyer is probably because the sales manager has offered a $500 bonus for selling that particular car. If a salesman is trying to push you on a particular car, beware, there is a reason the car hasn't sold and for the dealer to offer a bonus to get rid of it.

Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. Find more articles about cars and car care products at http://www.5starshine.com