At the dealership
The four-square worksheet
A grid that scrambles price, trade, down payment, and monthly payment together.
What to say
“Let's do one number at a time. First, what's the out-the-door price on the car itself?”
What it is
The four-square splits the negotiation into four boxes (vehicle price, trade-in value, down payment, and monthly payment) and moves numbers between them so a concession in one box is quietly taken back in another. The defense is to negotiate each element separately and in order: agree the out-the-door vehicle price first, then the trade as its own number, then financing.