Worst Dealer Scams

I read your comments and most of you are on the mark, but seriously, the banana brain who wrote this article must still need his mommy to buy his underwear!! all I can say is R U SERIOUS??? since this article is on scams, why don't they talk about the main culprit of "the scams", THE BANKS! If your smart you'll use a credit union instead, banks get their money from the feds at prime, then jack it up to "current market" which usually means they will make anywhere from 1-4% on money thats not even theirs! and they make stupid desicions(ENRON AND FIDELITY come to mind) then get bailed out! Credit Unions always have great rates and use their own customers money to invest. No federal money grubbing goes on, and they care about the communities they represent!

Also, the "bad dealerships" you refer to are what I affectionatly call "pot lots" and you know who you are! the ones that pop up over nite and take over a vacant lot, use big peel off numbers and use catchy slogans like, " drives like new" or "must see to appreciate", and lets face it, because of the"information highway" available to EVERYBODY, you would be doing yourself a dis-service by not researching what you intend to buy. Remember this : It's your hard earned money your playing with, so put emotion on the back burner, and be realistic with yourself and the dealer your working with, "don't go to a car lot with a champagne appetite and a cheeseburger bank account! and if you want a cheap car, thats what you'll get, don't cry "victim" if you did it to yourself.

Alot of buyers on here make valid points. Many dealers ruin the reputation for alot of dealers. I am in the car business for 8 years now and have been a sales manager for the past year. The business has gotten extremely competetive and is definitly not what it used to be. Internet has changed the game drastically. People come in to my showroom loaded with information and sometimes know more about the vehicle than my sales reps (shame on me). Customers have access to all rebates and incentives. You can see what the dealers cost is and what others are paying for the same car . It is pretty much impossible to "rip off" the average consumer. I truly beleive that if you treat the customer right and show passion and effort to really help someone, it will make you a succesfull sales rep. I actually get at my sales reps when they get too pushy with customers and remind them that this is a big purchase for the average buyer and to be sympathetic to that fact. But you have to admit that the customers are no angels. Alot of times a customer lies MUCH more than the dealer. There is a differene between negotiating and being an aggressive shopper and just lying and being unrealistic. Customers will lie about a price they got elsewhere, lie about the history and condition of their trade, lie about their credit history or that someone they know paid cheaper. I also beleive that customers cornered dealers into using these "tactis" and "scams". People like to play games, like no matter how low of a number I offer, even if im truly losing thousands of dollars and completely blowing the car out, the customers answer is always the same, " O NO THATS WAY TOO MUCH, SUCH AND SUCH OFFERED ME 2000 LESS. You guys tell us to play it straight and just give you the best numbers without the back and forth...that never works, you always feel like we are making thousands of dollars on every transaction. In 2012 the average profit on a new car sale is around $300. Customers will come in with an ad that says "lease for $169" but when their payment goes to 300 because their credit is destroyed they run out screaming "bait and switch" "they are scammers". They will get your best pricing and come back 2 months later expecting the same deal, after the manufacturer changed all rebates and ended certain sales and once again the dealer is lying. When we say this deal is good for a limited amount of time...thats not a scam. I sell Nissan and i have a 1000 rebate until the end of the month. If I quote you today and you come back next month, that price is going to be 1000 more than quoted. Than you tell all your friends that Im a thief and trie dovercharging you. Thats like getting mad at macys because their 30% off sale ended and you didnt make it in time. I know I probobly sound like a bitter sales person but its a two way street. Consumers definitly have a big part in the way this business is these days but you dont ever hear that side of the story because the customer is always right, right. End of rant.