This is just one of the stories from our “I’ve Always Wondered” series, where we tackle all of your questions about the world of business, no matter how big or small. Ever wondered if recycling is worth it? Or how store brands stack up against name brands? Check out more from the series here.David Anderson from San Antonio, Texas, asks: Why do we buy cars the way we do? All the negotiations, the conditions? I just saw an ad promising 90 days without a payment, as if financing your car with interest for an extra 90 days was a benefit. Why are car prices more negotiable than anything else we buy?Scott Politte, president of Stivers Ford Lincoln in Iowa, said he's been selling cars for over 34 years and bartering over prices is just the way business has always been done. While we can't haggle over prices at the supermarket, he understands why it's part of the car industry. Dealerships aren't owned by the manufacturer, so they're competing with other dealerships. (Though some carmakers like Tesla are now fighting this status quo, many states have laws prohibiting automakers from selling directly to consumers, meaning that buyers are forced to go through dealerships.) Politte points out that there are four or five Ford dealers in his market that people can go to. "The factory sells it to us for the same [amount], and at that point, the issue becomes who wants to make a car deal, and we're conditioned to sell a vehicle," Politte said. And not selling that vehicle is expensive."Every single day that it sits, it actually costs them money," said Ivan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds, an online car shopping resource. "They actually borrow money to buy the cars from the automaker, and then they pay interest on it every single day that's sitting there. So they have their own incentive to sell it as fast as they can." Automakers, even though they don't own the car anymore, also want to help dealers, which is why they might throw in different financing options, like a low interest rate, Drury said. How pricing worksDealers don't have to follow a lot of rules when it comes to pricing, which can cause confusion, Drury said. ("There's a reason why Edmunds exists," Drury pointed out.) When automakers give a vehicle to, say, a Ford dealership, they give it an MSRP, which stands for a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price. Key word being "suggested," Drury said. "And what do people see as the price they don't want to pay? MSRP," Drury said. "Like, I don't want to pay that. I got to pay less because I know it's negotiable."Because there aren't a lot of rules surrounding prices, the business has come under scrutiny. During the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was such a constraint on the supply of new cars that many dealerships were charging the full MSRP or higher, Drury said.And many customers did end up paying what they were asked, Drury said. "When it comes to prices, they're so individualistic to the consumer because there are many different components," Drury said. For example, you have to factor in whether customers have a trade-in, which gives you credit to buy another vehicle. However, manufacturers do discourage selling cars above MSRP or price gouging, Politte said. There are some vehicles that do sell above MSRP, which manufacturers understand, like limited-edition vehicles, Politte said."But that is maybe 10 vehicles out of the 2,000 new vehicles we sell a year," Politte said. Car dealerships also have to follow guidelines when it comes to advertising a car. "Some manufacturers have guidelines for you to receive incentive money from them. You cannot advertise it below a certain price," Politte said. Why negotiating will probably never go away So is the ability to negotiate prices good for either the consumer or the dealer? "It's something that I don't think benefits anybody overall. There's so much stress. There's so much research that goes into it," Drury said. "So we do go through these kinds of crazy emotional roller coasters of going to the dealership, getting mentally prepped, and saying, 'I'm gonna bring my friend who sells dishwashers, and he knows how to negotiate. He knows when someone's lying to me.’" Because at the end of the day, nobody wants to pay full price for a car, Drury noted. Some car brands, like Lexus, have attempted set pricing, but it hasn't taken off, Drury said. "It doesn't really seem to help, as much as people hate haggling. They know they want a deal," he explained. If you're in the market for a car, Drury has some tips: You should be as informed as possible. You shouldn't fall in love with any car you see online because you might realize you don't like it when you test drive it. And you should know that you can always walk away."If you're not confident in the price that you're gonna pay, it's time to go because you'll never feel right about it, and you'll have buyer's remorse," Drury said.