Britain's What Car? magazine sent a pair of investigators -- one male, one female -- to a string of dealerships to find out who could negotiate the most money off a new auto. The woman got 7 percent knocked off the floor price, while the best the man could do was about 5 percent.
"Our investigation has overturned the traditional belief that women are sold short when buying cars," says Steve Fowler, the magazine's editor. Savings of more than $3,000 made by the female buyer over her male counterpart "are significant," he adds.
"On the part of the dealers," Fowler says, "there may be vestiges of male chauvinism at work, but our survey shows that good and bad salesmanship can come from either sex." But the bottom line is: "If you are a man buying a car, you would do best to ask a woman to negotiate for you."
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