"G.R. Patterson III" wrote in message
...

Back about 1979, Dodge came out with a pint-sized pickup truck. I used to
pass
one of the dealerships on my way home every day, so one day I stopped in.
There
was no price sticker in the window -- I found out later that these were
not
required on trucks at the time.


The older guys still call them a "Monroney," after the congressman who
sponsored the bill requiring them. Now that grandmothers who know nothing
about cars can look up invoice prices on the internet they mean even less
than they did 20 years ago.


He said "That all depends on what you trade in."


This is still largely how the game works. About a year ago I was toying with
the idea of buying one of those new Saab convertibles. I went to one dealer,
went for the test drive, etc. Then we sat down to talk price. I told him I
wanted two prices, one to buy the car straight and another to buy it with my
Jeep as a trade-in. He wouldn't do it. I ended up dickering with him for an
hour before he finally settled on one price with my Jeep as a trade-in. In
the end though the final price he offered was excellent. You don't sell a
lot of expensive convertibles in February in New England when there's a s--t
job market and a foot of snow on the ground.

-cwk.