Mainline car dealer insanity!? (fees & such)

Stampie said:

In reply to jgrewe :

Wow I never knew that was available.  Thanks!  Adding to my bookmarks.

Yes, really useful for you, might be useful at least a few times a year, for me maybe twice a decade. 

TJL (Forum Supporter) said:

As a way to make $$ they go ahead and add all the garbage packages that the finance dept used to push. The "protection package" is a total crime. They sell it like its some amazing thing, its literally just armor all, scotch guard and a wax job. I used to detail at a ford dealership and was the one who "applied" the super fancy protection package for the fools who got suckered into it. Now they just include it automatically. . 

I was told they apply the Tru-Kote at the factory.

I bought my 2021 Mazda CX30 from a Subaru dealership in February.  Car was priced at $19.5k.  When I sat down with the salesman, he had a quote marked up with taxes and tag, lifetime oil changes, tru coat, golden floor mats, doc, dealer fees, handling, etc. with an OTD price of nearly $28k and a finance rate that was a joke.  And when I said I didn't want any of that, he got super aggressive to the point I got up and left.  The next day I came back with my own financing and the quote to get me around $21k OTD, which is what I bought the car for.  

When my son was looking at the local big used lot, the place that preaches - literally, how their shop is owned and run by the lord, quoted him $31k for a $19k car. They tried to sell him some really expensive insurance that would protect the value in the event it was written off or stolen. If I wasn't there my son, who's somewhat naïve in these affairs, may have paid it. Berkeleying douchebags praying on the uninformed.

When I ordered my '23 BRZ back in April 2022, they tried to add a $1k markup. I promptly stood up offered to shake the salesman's hand and told him I would not be paying any markup. Within 90 seconds the fee was gone if I would finance through them, which of I agreed to. Because I'd just refinance if they tried to stick it to me. 

But in reality, when the car arrived, they got me a better by about .75% than I could have received through PenFed using Capital One. 

I paid no markup, got a better rate, and they got their kick back. Everybody wins. 

This month I learned never to trust a mainline dealer's advertised price.  I was for a used EV/PHEV for my daughter's first car in order to take advantage of the 30%/$4,000 IRS rebate.  Every main line dealer we went to or contacted was adding $3-4K in undisclosed fees to their EVs/PHEVs.  I wasted hours in travel and test drive time before learning that lesson 

Peabody said:

When my son was looking at the local big used lot, the place that preaches - literally, how their shop is owned and run by the lord, quoted him $31k for a $19k car. They tried to sell him some really expensive insurance that would protect the value in the event it was written off or stolen. If I wasn't there my son, who's somewhat naïve in these affairs, may have paid it. Berkeleying douchebags praying on the uninformed.

Kudos for the last sentence. 

A local tow company has crosses painted on their trucks. They are the most expensive tow company in the area. I live in an area with a LOT of this sort of thing. When they advertise their faith, more often than not they are going to screw you. Unless you belong to their particular church, of course.

Plenty of other businesses around run by people of faith who don't wear it on their sleeves, so to speak, that aren't ripping people off under the guise of religious righteousness.