I was messing around on YouTube and found this funny video about Obi Wan from Star Wars trying to buy a car. It’s pretty funny, because he’s throwing the car salesman off completely and saying things like “my last car was more on the dark side” when looking at a silver car. You can click the arrow in the center of the image below and watch it, and laugh. It’s one of those funny homemade videos where people go out and confuse people in the real world like crazy, not scripted but still hilarious.
The thing about it, though, is that it really illustrates something about good strategies for buying a new car. The first one being that Obi Wan comes heavily clothed, because when you buy a car you’ll probably be there a while and those offices can get cold. Nah, it’s more serious about this.
If you watch the video, you’ll see that it focuses around Obi Wan asking the salesperson questions about the cars he’s interested in. He asks questions about mileage, how the handling is, what kind of speeds the car goes, and tries to bargain a price at the end. This kind of attention paid to the details of the car he is purchasing is important in any kind of car buyer. The negotiating of the price, too, is an important final step once you have settled on a vehicle.
Where Obi Wan went wrong, though, is that he didn’t know much about the cars before he got to the lot, and doesn’t seem to have a clear idea of what kind of car he wants (other than one that will outrun the imperial ships). This is a dangerous way to enter a car lot. Remember when you’re talking to a car salesperson, they want to sale you a car. They might get commission for it. They might not, but even if they don’t, selling you that car is their job. So does it have good handling? Sure, it has GREAT handling! But that isn’t necessarily true. They could just be trying to sell you the car.
Researching a vehicle before you go to the lot is important so that you have unbiased information about the vehicle you are investing in. Also, pay attention to Obi Wan’s negotiating practices–he focuses on the total price as well as the monthly payments! Okay, so maybe that isn’t a monthly payment he’s talking about, but it’s some kind of installment. Anyway, the point is that a lot of people ignore negotiating a monthly payment price once they’ve settled on a total price they like, and this is a big mistake.
So, to bring this to an end, research and ask questions when you’re buying a new car. When you head to that car lot, you’re going to need more than just the force.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.