I try not to treat them bad. It's not a me versus the sales person thing. Actually, the nicer you are to them, the more likely you're going to get what you want. In both cases that I mentioned in my post both me and the sales person were smiling and shaking hands in the end.
So, if you're going to negotiate with a sales person, don't be a dick to them!
I couldn't agree more ... Being nice and friendly throughout the negotiating is part of the game.
Naturally, buying a car takes these concepts to a whole different level, given that negotiation is part of every sale. I know that many people hate buying cars for that reason, but I love it. I like to play games with the salespeople (just as they try to do with consumers). I like to request the calculator from them and start working the numbers. Actually, they usually go get the manager at this point. Then I calculate the deal different ways - first starting from list and working backwards and then starting with invoice and adding everything in, including a reasonable commission for them. I always do my homework first, trying to identify all of the incentives and kick-backs from the manufacturer. All of this in a friendly manner, of course.
Sometimes I have to play different dealerships against each other to get the price down. Walking out is sometimes necessary - they always call back afterward.
I've been offered jobs at car dealerships 2 times while buying cars.
