Put Yourself In The Driver's Seat

When Ellen Byck bought her Nissan Maxima four years ago, she told the salesman exactly what car options she wanted--and exactly what she wanted to pay: $27,000. To get a fix on the price, Byck talked to a lot of people, including an auto dealer friend. Of course, the salesman tried to haggle, but Byck held her ground. She was ready to buy at the price she wanted to pay, she told him, and could write a check immediately. Otherwise she would walk. Her tough stance worked: She got the car at her price. "If you do your research, you'll feel confident in your negotiations," says Byck, a pharmaceutical representative for Schering-Plough in Westchester County, N.Y.

Unlike Byck, most women car buyers (and many men, too) don't get the best price. The two times I bought a car on my own, I was surrounded by three men in their fifties claiming, "There is no way, honey, we can sell you this car at that price." I caved in--I had no confidence that I could wrangle a better deal elsewhere. I know that I overpaid, because I later learned of others who bought the same car for less money. I'm not alone. Studies show that women typically pay more for a car than men. For a $25,000 vehicle, women on average pay $500 more, says Chris Denove, a partner at J.D. Power & Associates.