Car Buying Guide for Cars, Trucks and SUVs

Practical Car Buying Tips That Work in 2025.

Free online car buying guide to help you save money when shopping for a new or used car.

Welcome to my 100% free online car-buying guide for new and used vehicles. My name is Carlton Wolf, and I’ve been in the retail car business since 1994.

Finding a good deal on a new or used car in 2025 is difficult. Most dealers lack inventory, and car buyers frequently spend more than the suggested retail price. However, you can still find the best deal in your local area by using an online shopping service to compare prices.

I created the Auto Cheat Sheet to help buyers better understand the deceptive sales practices in many dealerships. While it’s important to recognize that not all car dealers are dishonest, you never know who you will run into at a dealership.

Car-Buying Cheat Sheets

How to buy a new car online and save the most money.

Used car buying tips that will help you save money when buying a used car from a car dealership.

Step-by-step guide on how to trade in a car, truck, or SUV at a dealership to guarantee you get the most money.

How to Buy a New Car Online

Do you want to buy a car but don’t want to be ripped off by an unethical dealer? The solution is simple: Get new car price quotes online from several dealers.

When you create competition between several dealerships, they MUST lower their prices to get you to buy from them. When dealers compete, YOU WIN!!

Don’t worry. It’s easy. My new car-buying cheat sheet will walk you through the steps.

The quick and easy way: If you’re short on time and need to find a good deal fast, get a dealer price quote from local dealerships in your area (it’s free). Then contact the dealer that provides you with the best price.

Negotiate like a professional: If you want to buy a new car and are willing to put in a little effort. Follow my easy-to-understand New Car Buying Cheat Sheet. It’s the same as above, except I show you how to contact dealers via email and have them compete in a reverse bidding war for your business.

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Who’s Behind This Car-Buying Guide?

My name is Carlton Wolf, and for over two decades, I’ve helped tens of thousands of consumers navigate the deceitful car-buying process. More about me >>

2025
Strategic adviser
2006
Dealership owner
2003
General manager
2002
General sales manager
2001
New car sales manager
2000
Used car sales manager
1999
Finance manager
1998
Internet manager
1997
Closer
1996
Used car salesman
1995
New car salesman
1994
Dealership greeter
1993
US Coast Guard

Where Can You Save When Buying a Car?

If you could look behind the curtains of the dealership, you would discover that everything you see is a profit center—all of them competing for the money in your wallet. So who typically wins this war of dollars, and how does the dealer make money? The answers might surprise you.

Offer a Fair Profit
Offering to buy a new car at an unrealistic lowball price will immediately let a dealer know you’re not well prepared.

What is a new car fair profit offer?
Factory Invoice Pricing
Contrary to popular belief, the factory invoice price of a car is NOT the dealer’s actual cost.

Factory invoice price is not the dealer’s actual new car cost
Dealers Compete
Take advantage of online car-buying sites to have dealers compete in a reverse bidding war, so you pay the lowest price.

How to make car dealers compete online

Configure Money Down
Should you put cash down when buying a new car? If so, how much should you put down?

How much money should you put down on a vehicle?
Time Your Car Purchase
Timing is everything. Target the best time of the day, week, month, or year to buy a car to improve getting the best deal.

When is the best time to buy a car?
What is Dealer Holdback?
Car dealers will rarely be upfront with this closely guarded secret unless you understand how it works, bring it up first, and use it to your advantage.

How to calculate dealer holdback

ALL NEW CAR BUYING TIPS

What Car-Buying Tips Can an Insider Deliver?

Most online car-buying guides were created by individuals with no prior experience in the field or who have merely researched the industry. The Auto Cheat Sheet provides real-life modern car-buying tips from a dealership professional with decades of experience in the retail car industry.

$2,500+

Average Dealer Profit

New cars are a high-ticket item, and recent car sales account for over half of the total gross sales at the dealer. Gross profits hover around $2500 per car, but new car sales generally lose money from a net-profit standpoint. However, additional products and dealer strategies make up the rest of the average.

September

Best Time to Buy a Car

September to December are the best time of year to buy a car. Dealers have sales quotas, typically breaking down into yearly, quarterly, and monthly sales goals. The most significant rebates are always available at this time of year, which helps the dealer move the old models to make room for the new cars.

87%

Car Dealer Scams

Not all dealers and their staff are unethical. However, you never know who you will be dealing with when you walk through the door. Car dealer scams cost uneducated buyers thousands of dollars a year. The problem with most car-buying scams is once you become a victim, it’s too late.

Buying a Used Car?

Buying a used car instead of a new car has its advantages. The most beneficial, someone had already taken the substantial initial depreciation loss on the vehicle when purchased new.

Estimate cost
No matter what anyone tells you, there’s no way to tell what a dealer paid for a used car. Each used car must be looked at individually.

How to estimate a used car’s value?
Comparison shop
Requesting used car price quotes online from local car dealerships is the best way to compare prices on pre-owned vehicles.

Find local used car price quotes online
Check history
This simple step may save you from making a substantial multi-thousand-dollar mistake when buying your next used car.

How to find any used car’s history?

ALL USED CAR BUYING TIPS

Do You Have a Trade-in?

I always recommend selling your car privately over trading it at a dealership. However, I do understand some people must trade their vehicles because they lack time or patience.

Appraisal process
The used car appraisal process may vary slightly at each dealership, but the principles of the trade-in process are the same.

How the trade-in process works
Most money
When you trade your vehicle in with a car dealership, you become the seller, and the dealer becomes the buyer.

How to get the most money for your trade
Junk car
Trading in an old junk at a car dealership will usually only net you a couple hundred dollars. See your options when selling an aged vehicle.

How to sell an old junk car online

ALL TRADE-IN TIPS

How Do Car-Buying Scams Cost You Money?

Dealers always start with something that takes your focus from the matter-at-hand, such as misdirection, gimmicks, and too-good-to-be-true scenarios in their advertising.

Spot delivery
The spot delivery scam takes shape when the dealer knows that the buyer will not be approved at the rates the dealer signed them at.

Spot delivery scam explained
Trade-in payoff
What happens when the dealer forgets to pay off your trade within the time frame allowable? Now you have two vehicles you’re responsible for.

Forgot to pay off your trade scam
Deferred down payment
When you purchase a car and don’t have quite enough money for a down payment, be very cautious about the dealer’s offer of a deferred down payment.

Deferred down payment scam

Forced extended warranty
Forced warranty or hidden warranty occurs when a customer is told that he is not eligible for a loan until he pays for an extended warranty.

Forced extended warranty scam
Guaranteed credit approval
This is used in dealers advertising to drive high volumes of bad to poor credit customers to a dealership in the hopes of being approved to finance a vehicle.

Guaranteed credit approval scam
Excessive dealer fees
The dealer prep fee lets a dealer pick up a quick profit from consumers in the range of anywhere from $500 – $2500.

Dealer prep fee scam

ALL CAR DEALER SCAMS

Raise the Hood!

Is your car-buying experience stuck on the side of the road? Please give me your questions, comments, and suggestions for improving my website. However, please remember that response rates are determined by demand, complexity, and availability (retirement is sweetness).

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Insider AT autocheatsheet.com
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Car Buying Guide for Cars, Trucks and SUVs

Car-Buying Cheat Sheets

How to Buy a New Car Online

Who’s Behind This Car-Buying Guide?

2025

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