Despite the economic climate, car dealerships, managers and salespeople are still doing everything they have done in the past to milk consumers of every dime they can using lies and thievery despite their ads which assure otherwise. Isn’t it inspiring to see all the car ads on television from all of the big companies explaining how much they care for the consumer in these dark and troubled times? It is understandable that everyone needs to make money on a car sale, but the left and right hands are not communicating.

Car sales have historically been a shyster-driven position that is based on a multi-level marketing scheme disabling the buyer from using their common sense. Here are some tips that should be considered.

1. Call first and go with your gut. If you place a call to a dealer regarding an ad, ask them about it. If the answer is anything other than “Yes, we can do that for you” hand up the phone and call someone else. The TV spots are the biggest lies and their advertised deals are almost always “incorrect.”
2. If using the internet for research be careful and tread with caution. Most car dealers lie. And by most, I mean all. Some will never update their website so that you are drawn to come in to see something which is a hot seller, but they have no intention of having that car. This is usually when they say “It just sold this morning, sorry.”
3. Others will have a minuscule fine print addendum to an online listing saying something to the fact “price is dependent upon a $3000 down payment plus covering all taxes, title and documentation fees.” Yeah, alright and I guess this is an honest way of doing business.
4. Many car manufacturers offer insurance in case the buyer loses employment. One thing that I have discovered is not disclosed by car sales-lizards, I mean salespeople, is that if you buy that “demo car” with a thousand miles on it, you aren’t covered. A friend of mine did that, lost their job and now is out of luck despite all the ads. A heads up would have been much appreciated.
5. Remember all those extra fees that car dealers added on for year? Ever hear the TV ads about how dealers are being honest and treating customers with respect and not doing that anymore? One article is not long enough to summarize all of that, but suffices to say, car sales fees are now hidden through other areas of the contract process including financing rates, extended warranties, repair plans, gap insurance, documentation/discovery/location fees, etc.

Image by The Library of Virginia via Flickr

If buying a car, even now, trust no one unless they are family. And if they are family, be sure it’s not your estranged uncle with the plaid jacket.