11 Tips Car Salesmen Don’t Want You To Know

5) Refuse to use the Four-Square Worksheet

The four-square worksheet is an old trick used by salespeople to confuse buyers and make them think that they’re getting a better deal than they’re actually getting. The worksheet includes four boxes: the purchase price, down payment, your trade value, and the monthly payment. The salesperson will start by filling in the boxes with insultingly low numbers. This is done on purpose—the salesperson will then look good when they get you a better deal. The deal won’t really be as good as the salesperson says it is, though. Plus, there will be so many numbers inside the boxes you’ll easily get confused and agree to something you don’t really understand. If you see the salesperson pulling out a four-square worksheet, simply tell them that you know what the worksheet is, and you don’t want to use it. This will show the salesperson that you’re aware of their tricks.