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Top 10 Things Your Car Dealer Won't Tell You

By Mark Pereira RSS feed

Posted Aug 15th 2012 3:45PM

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Many of us get excited when it's time to shop for a new car, but some car dealers have devised sneaky ways to take advantage of you. The consumer watchdogs over at Reader's Digest have compiled a lengthy list of common car dealer practices which we had to share.

These often used sales techniques are designed by some dishonest dealers and shady salesmen to make you feel like you're getting a great deal, even when you're not. Knowing what to expect and how to avoid some of these shady tactics is the first step towards protecting yourself and finding the best value on your next vehicle purchase.

Click here to find out the Top 10 Things Your Car Dealer Won't Tell You.


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News Source: Reader's Digest

Image Source: Copyright 2012 AOL / Respective Owners
Related GalleryTop 10 Things Your Car Dealer Won't Tell You
Expensive add-on options can cost you more.Beware of the old Make sure you are armed and educatedWatch how many times they go back and forth to their manager?Always question extended warranties.What about those ads that promise amazing trade-in value for your clunker?Asking you to step inside to their officeLooking to get a great price with minimal haggling?

Category: Car Buying, New Car Tips

Tags: car buying, car sales, dealership, new car, readers digest, sales, scams, tips, tricks

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5 Comments

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TAR

.... no one is asking how much mark up is on a fridge because you are paying 1-2K...a car is a bit different at 22K plus (Canadian). That is a big chunk of change and it usually has to be financed over 3-6 years.

January 04 2013 at 4:20 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jake Romeo

It is sooo many honest sales persons out there , I would'nt know where to start .. Do you know any?????

January 04 2013 at 5:25 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
a1dastranj

I totally agree(100%) with both Alan and the car guy.

October 07 2012 at 6:30 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Alan

This is a great article if you are an AMERICAN perhaps. If you do some research on Canadian dealers you will find that 90% of your suggestions dont even apply here. It would be nice if Autoblog Canada did some actual Canadian reporting instead of reposting American stories

August 16 2012 at 10:42 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
TheCarGuy

Wow, this articale is out of date by about 25 years.

First things first... most sales people are honest hard working people who are trying to make a living. Margins on new vehicles have never been lower and incentives have never been higher. If a customer walked into a dealership and paid full retail for a vehicle (which never happens) the customer would still be getting a deal.

Next - why is it nobody asks how much Sears makes when they sell you a fridge or Sleep Country Canada makes when they sell you a mattress but everyone figures they should be able to dictate what a dealership is allowed to make when they sell a car? Every employ in every industry would like a safe and secure job where they get a raise every year, a bonus at Christmas (if they're lucky) and a boss who shows them some respect but Sales Consultants are supposed to be happy living below the poverty line dealing with customers who grind the hell out of them because of unbalanced journalism such as this. Please don't pass the buck and say you didn't write the article - you chose to repost it here. Surely somebody at Autoblog reads the articles they chose to post.

"The trade in game"... show me a customer who has a realistic idea of what the whoesale value of their car is - I triple dog dare ya. That's right, I said wholesale. Dealers take in vehicles on trade, recondition them (often correcting problems that customers hid on purpose - gasp! you mean customers aren't always honest? If that's true why wasn't it in the article? Sigh...) then put them on the lot of their dealership (which they spent 4-16 million to build), advertise them and then pay a commission to the salesperson (who got to get abused by the customer who's wise to his "games" thanks to this thoughtful article).

Publications such as Autoblog due dealerships and their employees a genuine disservice with garbage journalism such as this. Just once I want to read an article that presents a balanced look at the business and accurately reports on the facts. Perpetuating inaccurate lies about an industry that has been hammered by hardship in recent times (do you think that GM and Chrysler could go bankrupt without dealerships and their employees losing their livihoods?) does a disservice to everyone. Maybe next time you'll try a bit harder...

August 16 2012 at 7:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply