Here’s how I did it: When I decided to buy—at the end of December, when salespeople are desperate to meet their quotas—I reached out to seventeen car dealers and told them exactly which car I wanted. I said I was prepared to buy the car within two weeks and, because I knew exactly how much profit they would make off the car, I would go with the lowest price offered to me. The same day, as I sat back with a cup of Earl Grey tea and three tacos with habanero salsa, responses started rolling in from the dealers. After I had all the offers, I called the dealers, told them the lowest price I’d
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