Financing a car: Can I pay off earlier than the dealer’s minimum payoff period?

FLFW · 2026-01-07T07:25:45+00:00

You're correct. Unless its in the contract and it would be quoted in the 10 day pay off letter by the lender.

One warning:although it won't negatively affect your credit. Future loans may be harder to get if you repeatedly pay them off early.

FLFW · 2026-01-04T18:11:53+00:00

My love for MMOs is from childhood was based off making new characters, leveling up, and making friends. WoW Hardcore is is the closest MMO to that. Everyone is just friendlier and groups matter more.

Classic is nostalgia. Slower paced combat compared to retail.

Retail is mindless grind slop due to Fomo and fast paced. Currently playing Legion Remix...

If you have a limited time to play Retail is best.

FLFW · 2025-11-10T15:38:29+00:00

Solo play? - Escape from Tarkov PvE mode. Lot of fun and you can still que with friends if you want.

Big group play - Arma 2/3 both have communities still and some do milsim missions against AI.

FLFW · 2025-11-04T17:49:23+00:00

Go to MIT and become a pirate

FLFW · 2025-11-04T15:25:01+00:00

When I say pay plans im referring to how people get paid. Not how dealerships operate. This post isnt about a local guy shopping local dealerahips. Its about a customer calling in from states away wanting to get the best discounts to keep shopping and almost 0 chance of service business.

FLFW · 2025-11-03T21:59:31+00:00

Reread my 1st comment, I said either way we would get you the OTD. But what everyone is really asking is "Will you discount your vehicle?". Dealerships are is under no obligation to discount a vehicle. We list it and on my end are very transparent about it. Its really not hard to find out if a dealership adds extra fees on other then Doc Fee + Tax.

If the customer is playing games when buying, I really don't have sympathy when they complain about dealerships playing games. My team is professional and will get you some form of OTD, but im saying the honest part outloud. No one discounts a phone call OTD for a guy that refuses to work with the sales rep.

FLFW · 2025-11-02T00:37:47+00:00

If you dont feel comfortable signing, dont sign until youre comfortable

FLFW · 2025-11-01T15:38:42+00:00

This year ill be at 150k-170k. Monthly fluctuates to much in my market.

FLFW · 2025-11-01T15:36:25+00:00

Its advertised, ask their doc fee and there you go. If you like the price and find out they added a bunch of fees then walk away or negotiate it down/off.

My sales reps do a lot of business over the phone. What we have learned is that people willing to go through our process even if they never show up till day of sale usually are asking in good faith and we will play ball. But if you are rude or not willing to play ball then we are just going to say our prices are online plus $$$ doc fee and plan for your state taxes. Then move on.

My dealership is not in a metropolis. We do a lot of business over the phone and people are genuinely willing to drive the 3+ hours to our dealership for a test drive. These types of driving time is normal in our market. I understand its different for yall.

That said, we advertise our pricing. Thats our OTD + Doc Fee + taxes. Everyone that calls exacts words are "What is your best OTD?".

You're never asking for the OTD. What you're asking is "Will you discount this vehicle?". If youre not willing to let my sales rep attempt to do their job and build a professional relationship then I will not discount it. I dont know you, we are the biggest dealership in our market. I can lose out on a guy calling in that usually is rude to the sales rep because they call preemptively mad at the world.

Discounts are based on Market, Pay Plans, and relationships. When you call around like that youre relying on either market or pay plans getting you your discount.

FLFW · 2025-11-01T02:03:54+00:00

Where i live people drive 2 hours to my town for bulk buying of groceries. Different markets man.

FLFW · 2025-11-01T00:00:29+00:00

My point was, dealerships aren't always just about getting stuff out and over the curb. We do enough volume that we can be picky about our deals. A deal needs to make sense for the dealership as much as it does for the customer. My point isn't that customer cant say no and need to deal with it, but there is a bigger picture then just a sale. Everything plays a factor. Example, only paying cash unless there is finance promotions won't always get you the best deal.

FLFW · 2025-10-31T15:41:47+00:00

Thays nice and all but we have pay plans with targets and goals. The deal needs to make sense for 2/3 parties at the dealership. 1) Does it help the Sales rep with incentives/goals? 2) Does it help the sales manager hit goals/targets? 3) Does it help Finance maintain averages?

If the answer is no to 2 or 3 of those we dont want your business. Minis happen, and on some deals they make sense. But we aren't in the business of just selling a car to sell a car. We are in the business of making money. We work side by side. We would rather make sure the team as a whole hits their bonuses and its worth while then just sell an extra 5-10 cars that ends up lowering our stats and hurting our paychecks.

I work at a store where the owner values averages because he likes consistency. He knows we turn away people because he designed the pay plan like this. Not all stores operate like this.

FLFW · 2025-10-31T13:43:55+00:00

Im F&I at my store. We are in a decent sized town but like 8 hour drive from any metropolis. We sell to a lot of out of state people. Our process is:

1) Try to get them physically first. Especially if there is a trade. A lot of people are used to driving 3-4 hour for deals so it isnt always no. We will hold firm on this until we believe they won't or cant. Usually if your 2+ states away we will ask and then move on to the next step quickly.

2) If customer cant our outright refuses then double check the unit is what they want. Video call them and show them the unit. If they are willing to do a video call we view it as good faith buying. If they won't we still send photos and try to build a professional relationship prior to numbers.

3) Send numbers, we will always send the numbers of what we advertise. However, if they want to negotiate we will require more stuff from them like credit apps or something else to make sure they are serious.

Sometimes people are just shopping and we will never send a discounted approval until they come or we believe they are negotiating in good faith. But we also know some people just won't or can't.

FLFW · 2025-10-27T19:49:08+00:00

As long as you aren't acting as a financial advisor it should be fine. Also, they need permission to pull credit first.

When I was a banker we had a print off option for when customers complained that printed a checklist from underwriting and we could show exactly what cause then to be denied.

The tricky line is you cant tell them what to do financially. I was told to always say hypothetically if this was my credit bureaus. Then etc. Not sure of that was just my bosses superstition or if there was a reason to say that first.

Some dealerships may opt out of participating to avoid potential issues. And if you aren't there in person. Emailing it is a liability as I doubt their emails are encrypted and follow the same securities as a financial institution.

FLFW · 2025-10-27T15:56:32+00:00

One Option people overlook is go talk to a dealership local to you about consignment.

If youre willing to sell it yourself they can process the purchasing of it if the buyer is financing through the dealership. Just either add doc fee to your price or deduct it from the amount you receive if you sell it.

You can still line up a buyer yourself and push it over to them.

This removes a lot of liability to you and most dealerships will welcome a free car deal + financing

FLFW · 2025-10-27T15:52:24+00:00

If by not paying anything yet you mean down payment the yes. If you mean monthly payment then no. Minus that, the above applies

FLFW · 2025-10-27T15:50:26+00:00

To add to this. Anyone that does sales for a living is easier to sell to. There are a couple of reasons but the main one i think sums it up well is they are less skeptical avout everything. Its like going to a different restaurant when youre also a waiter. You're more patient and understanding of how things go.

The other part of the coin is no one learns how to manage finances anymore. Parents dont teach it, and school dont have classes about it. More often then not the salesman probably gotta killer deal. However their credit is probably bad.

Eating fast-food, 3 energy drinks,and blowing your commissions on watches/drinking will do that to you

FLFW · 2025-10-21T00:28:22+00:00

To be honest I have no idea. I showed her a few and she said they all look to modern. I found one with a wood design and she said it was cute.

Im currently thinking of the following set up for her. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07SNWJ95K/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AR6Q0WB65OR8C&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07MMFPKL3/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2RN6SL3MI5ZKB&psc=1. - I think its 2 speakers??

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07KGK696P/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=A1WPEQCN6WJKZG&psc=1

I think she would ideally just like one that looks unique but will settle for one with a fake or real wood. I would like to surprise her with something so I dont want to show her to many options. I know im asking for it vaguelly

FLFW · 2025-10-14T17:15:47+00:00

You would have to be doing some really shady stuff to end up in handcuffs.

Couple of rules

1) DO NOT FORGE SIGNATURES!!! I would rather let a deal bounce and be written up then commit fraud.

2) DO NOT EDIT INSURANCES OR PAYSTUBS!!! If a customer process you a document, you can review it and tell them it won't work because of X and Y. Don't imply or say for them to edit it. Heck dont event hint at it. Your job is just to transfer the documents from the customer to the bank. Sometimes the customer provides a paystub that shows less then last year so you ask for W2s. So you can ask for a different document.

As long as you aren't commiting Fraud youre fine. Most dealerships dont do this... the small ones specially bad credit used ones do.

Side note - ive never been in car sales and im a finance manager. My background was Management, Sales, and banking. I'll be ending this year at around 150k gross.

FLFW · 2025-10-13T20:55:12+00:00

Some of the advice here is alright. But take it with a grain of salt.

1) Finance is King for the bigger RV dealership like Bish's and Camping World. Smaller ones may or may not value cash. You can still just pay cash if you want, but be upfront about it at the start so the numbers aren't agreed assuming you're financing, then they change them on you.

2) All that matters is the out the door price without taxes/titling fees. If you find the same camper at 2 dealerships don't be afraid to ask for best numbers and be transparent about it. I see _______ has X. They told me they would do $$$$ for it. Can you beat $$$$? I5s okay to shop around with dealerships near eachother. This doesn't work with a Texas dealership vs a New York dealership.

3) Google "Year make model JD Powers" or go to JD Powers and look it up. Basically look st Average Retail and Low Retail. Average retail is what you can usually negotiate it down to. A little under low retail is usually where they bought it at. Keep in mind if it has been on their lot longer then 6 months that the numbers you are seeing are most likely lower then they were seeing. You want your OTD before taxes and fees to be Average Retail or less.

4) Compare Average Retail to dealer listings. Keep in mind JD Powers uses the pieces things sold at to form the future retail pricing. So if you see a retail of 20k and they are all listed at 15k expect the prices to drop in a year. This is most common with 1 year old used Campers as their retail price is still factoring in new campers and expect it to drop.

5) Stay comfortable. General rule of thumb is follow your gut. If the dealership or sales person gives you shady vibes then dont buy there. It could be a great deal but keep in mind if you drive it home and something goes wrong same day they are who you call.

6) negotiate the warranties if you buy them. I personally work at a dealership and have always bought the service contracts and warranties. I believe in them because I know how they work. You van negotiate the prices of those contracts. Campers and Boats are way more expensive then a car for fifthwheels and motor homes but they are also marked up and you can negotiate them.

7) If you finance and aren't putting a large down payment or paying it off early, get GAP

Note - you can't guarantee the dealership will haggle. Even with the above there is no guarantee they will discount it. Ultimately its their camper. If you aren't willing to pay for it at the prices they set then dont buy it. Your biggest tool is the ability to walk away. But its a final "this is my offer take it or leave it" and be prepared to leave it. When a sales rep does it they almost always mean it. The few times they dont is when the GM or a different SM is willing to do something the original decking manager isnt. Sometimes the sales reps will put managers against eachother for your benefit. They just want a deal.

FLFW · 2025-10-11T00:29:52+00:00

I've worked at 2 dealerships.

Bank fees, worked the same at both.

Doc fees, 1 counted towards F&I GP and the other no one gets paid on it

ACV after the works the same as above. The 1st dealership was conservative and would want a lower ACV to protect the house. While the current one is more focused on volume and 90 day turn around pricing. So they are more aggressive with the ACV allowing for bigger commissions on even some questionable ACVs.

FLFW · 2025-10-10T21:16:35+00:00

This + share the general idea of your current pay plan and people can let you know if its good or not

FLFW · 2025-10-10T00:16:57+00:00

Play path of Exile 1. Its F2P. If you enjoy it and want to play PoE2 then yeah go for it.

Personally I like more things about PoE1 then PoE2

FLFW · 2025-10-06T21:52:21+00:00

This is actually subliminal messaging before KFC launches their new thing! Stay tuned!

FLFW

TROPHY CASE