The PROBLEM with Car Dealerships

Car dealerships are one of those things we all kinda hate and distrust, and yet they still somehow keep getting away with absolutely gouging us on prices. So what are we supposed to do about it?

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Script: Holly Maley
Editor: Melody David
Lead Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

[bad_anima]

My dad did have a car dealership try to "misplace" his keys. When he threatened to call the police, they "found" the keys very quickly, and he promptly walked out. The manager called him later and apologized profusely and tried to offer him a "deal" but there was no way he was going to give them his business.

[Skidmark]

I used to be a salesperson for both new and used car dealerships. I hope direct manufacturer to consumer sales will happen in the near future.

[KingUnKaged]

I think a big part of the stigma associated with dealerships and salesmen comes down to perception of value. Auto-mechanics have a pretty bad reputation for scamming as well, but they don't generate the same visceral hatred that dealerships do because they have an obvious and necessary set of skills that require hard work and talent to cultivate, and that society values. The dealership and salesmen in it, by contrast, seem to exist only to make your life worse, and people are pretty aware of it.

[dylanmorgan]

I walked into a dealership with $35, 000 and went to buy a $25, 000 car in cash and my exact words were "if there's any BS the deal is off". The first guy listened, he brought me a $25, 000 minivan as is and said I was ready to pay and go. The people in the financial office didn't listen, and AFTER A 4 hour meeting about the 9000 signatures they needed I wound up with a final price of $38, 094. It was a fight to cancel the sale and leave because i wasn't anout to put up with that. To this day I don't know what happened between the first guy and the second guy but even people paying cash get hit with BS.

[angieemm]

I am a car enthusiast. I love to race them, work on them, build them, and just drive them. I've only bought one new car in my life and it was one of the worst experiences I've ever had. I'm dreading having to do it again and it seems unavoidable.

[boian-inavov]

As a European this just doesn’t make sense to me… The car industry has worked fine without locking out manufacturers selling their cars… It’s like not allowing people to buy eggs from the farm and only for a select stores… Why?!?…

[bruceleeroy]

My suggestions for dealing with dealerships:
1. Have a set, out-the-door total before you go in and start negotiations
2. Don’t give them more information than they need.
3. If you have a car/trade-in, do NOT give them any access to it until all deals are finalized, I wouldn’t even park it near their lot
4. Be vigilant the entire time. The salesperson is the mini-boss, the finance manager is the real villain
5. Most of the add-ons they sell you aren’t worth it at all.
6. If you don’t want it, don’t sign for it and always be in position to walk out

[MrCashMoneyD]

When I was a salesman we sold a car for what I was made to understand from my managers at an over $5k loss. When I checked the sales record we still made like a $1k. From then on I knew that all the numbers you see are meaningless 🤦🏾‍♂️

[pappaslivery]

The supply is starting to catch up with demand. Do your shopping. A short drive can save you thousands by going to a different dealer. I paid $500 to ship a car two states away that in real money saved me about $5k

[Dtgray]

My mom was coerced into buying a car from a dealership when they lost her keys during a warranted oil change. The dealer kept her there for hours and she was so fed up she eventually cave in and upgrade from a Corolla to a Camry. She was so fed up she ended up taking that new Camry to a Nissan dealership and got an Altima from them. She gave the first dealer a bad review and I think he was eventually fired.

[ViburaBlanca]

I went to a dealership to buy a Shelby GT500 and they wanted $145k for it. Simply walked out and bought one from a previous owner for 90k and still been happy with it ever since. I buy from people now, don’t care if its new or used

[TheCubanGamer]

I took my Mustang for an oil change. I dropped it off and went to work. During work, I noticed that it's taking a long time for the dealership to respond back. I called them to check on the status. Thats when the service associate said, " So one of the mechanics backed up a car too fast and hit your car." I was furious. When I showed up, they were nice enough to fix it and change oil for free. That's when the sales manager got word of the incident, came up to me and said he will pay in full my remaining balance on the Mustang if I trade it in for new car in their lot. So, I took their offer for my Mustang in paper and went to a different dealer for a trade in using that same offer given to me. I managed to increase the trade in price for the Mustang by couple grands more than what the first dealer ask for.

[allanjmcpherson]

This is (one reason) why we need better public transportation, intercity transit, and walkable, bikeable infrastructure.

[johnchedsey]

I remember the finance office guy trying to give the hard sell on the extended warranty. He went on and on about all the problems that could happen. Eventually I said, "Wow, you don't seem to have much confidence in this vehicle you're selling me. Perhaps I should reconsider"

The hard sell ended. I didn't pay for extras that day.

[makatron]

Stealerships will always try to come up with shady reasons to drop markups and BS "upgrades". Direct sales should be an option in every state.

[gtech]

I do my research before buying a car and walk into a dealership with a binder ready to do battle. I never buy padded fees and will/have walk out if they try to scam me at all. You have to be prepared to walk.

[marie]

I’ll most likely never buy a car in my life, but here I am because I can’t skip a new Future Proof video

[rustywilson]

Due to the extreme depreciation of a car (there’s that stat about a car losing half its value the second you take it off the lot), I’ll only buy used cars. This is also why maintenance is so important, prolonging the life of your car is one of the most environmentally friendly and cost effective options.

[MonsterDiesel-vhkx]

I worked at a dealership and they literally would not let anybody leave until they talked to a manager for a second chance of selling. They would harass me to push any and every vehicle on every customer weither they could afford it or not. Not going to say the local shop but it was Toyota.

[johnnyonthespot]

I bought a used 1 ton van literally in the beginning of March of 2020 and I paid a very fair price (from a used car lot) and I also picked up a 2 year extended warranty with it.
The value of this van almost doubled a month after I bought it but the real beauty happened when my warranty expired - $5500 for a rebuilt transmission.
I ended up misjudging when it ran out. I got in under the wire by 6 days and it was fully rebuilt on the warranty companys dime.
This NEVER happens to me so I thought I'd share the crazy. 😁