Recently I’ve heard of a few cases where someone went to a car dealer intent on buying one car, and ended up driving away with another. Now, sometimes such a switch will be for the better. But, in general, if you feel yourself considering a different car than you came in for, walk out.

Dealers are interested in selling what they have on hand. If they don’t have the car you want on hand, or they sense a possibility of switching you to a more expensive car, they will try to get you to buy a different car than you came in for. And they can be quite skillful at this. Many people get nervous in car dealerships, and perhaps excited as well, such that it becomes hard to think clearly. Especially when they’re throwing a ton of information at you. So it’s all too easy to only realize what happened during the drive home in the new car.

To avoid this outcome, if you find yourself considering a different car than you came in for at the car dealer, walk out. The car’s not going anywhere, at least not soon. Take a day or two to think it over back home, where you can relax and perform some additional research. Maybe the new car is a better choice. Maybe not. But the car dealer is not the best place to figure this out.