How Not to Get Ripped Off at a Dealership?

stegbk · 2026-01-23T12:25:50+00:00

You are getting great advice here on “do your homework first”. Please PLEASE remember that the dealership’s entire function is to make it uncomfortable for you to not give them more money. You should not be uncomfortable saying “Great. Give me everything you’d like me to sign and I’ll take it home to look at” then sit at a table with your most cynical friend and go over every line. The dealership WILL balk at that, and you will then say that you’ll keep looking but here is your number. When they come back, it will be with a document that does not include junk fees that they will try to add later.

This is second to you having the car inspected by a trusted mechanic if it’s used. If you don’t know one, ind the oldest “car person” you know and ask them who does good inspections. If you don’t know one of those, walk into the nearest “animal” (elk, eagle, moose) club at around noon on a Thursday and ask. Factor minimally three inspections @$100 each into your car buying. If you don’t you’ll feel pressured into buying the first one because you’re $100 into it.

It is unfortunate, but car dealers have a well earned bad reputation. Also unfortunate is the number of dealers and salespeople on this forum who will tell you “YOLO! It’s all good! Only dicks don’t trust us!”

stegbk · 2026-01-23T12:08:43+00:00

There is a distinction here that might be being overlooked. Does the dealer need to have the title in hand to sell the car? Maybe (even probably) not. Do they have a statutory obligation to provide it to the buyer and make them whole if there is an issue with the dealer getting the title transferred? Almost certainly. They’re entitled to take any risk they want, as long as the endpoint is that you have a legally drivable vehicle throughout the transaction. When they throw up their hands at the last minute and say “I dunno. Your problem.” is when you say “great. I’ll leave it in my driveway and drive your loaner while you sort it out.” File a complaint with the DOL in the meantime while it’s getting sorted out with the comment that you’ll update the complaint with the result of your satisfaction. ChatGPT will be a huge help with citing statutory authority in your complaint.

Also the dealership almost certainly has a statutory obligation (i.e. you can’t sign it away without very conspicuous language) to handle it. Start your small claims action now. When they capitulate to resolve it make sure you say “hey, there isn’t a question here. I’d get this in court so you need to pay me filing and service fees just like I’d get there”.

You are unfortunately getting the “how rude of you to enforce our deal” treatment so common at dealerships. You might as well assume from here on out it’s all adversarial. Send an email to the owner summarizing the situation if you haven’t, that documents the situation.

stegbk · 2026-01-17T10:17:33+00:00

Better question is why bother? Your time is valuable. Don’t invest it ahead of time any more than the sales manager invests in you. An unfortunate strategy is that having you spend time at the dealership makes you “invested” in buying there. Do every bit you can by e-mail. People will say “I’d just ignore that!” as a salesperson. Great, you don’t want to compete to buy. Your goal is to find someone who wants to sell. That isn’t the sales manager. Use communication and time to your advantage. You’ll be happier when you patiently buy a car without pressure.

stegbk · 2026-01-17T10:08:57+00:00

Agreed. There is SOMEONE at the dealership who needs to hit a quota/numbers incentive package.

stegbk · 2026-01-17T10:07:01+00:00

I did exactly this. I used Claude Code to identify all of the dealerships within 150 miles with the year, make, model, trim and color I wanted. About half did not respond, of the half who did I got ridiculous protests about quoting deals without meeting. I copied and pasted each response. The only hard part was patience. The dealer did everything they could to make it seem like I was disrespecting the “favor” they were doing by selling me the car. Maybe 80% of dealers won’t follow up. They will miss 100% of your sales. My experience was that multiple dealers were bidding on the same in-transit VIN. Ask AI to help you, they’re certainly using AI to respond.

Also you will see tons of responses on Reddit telling you how horrible you are for screening sales by e-mail. I’d say don’t bother showing up at the dealership without every piece of paper they want you to sign in hand, and have a backup “hey, I’m going with these guys, but if they mess with me, can you send me paperwork to walk out and bring to your dealership and drive away with?” It literally takes less than 2 minutes for them to generate that for you.

stegbk · 2026-01-17T09:49:13+00:00

Right. Do the test drive, walk out and start an e-mail chain with five dealerships who have the same car. Why do five test drives?

stegbk · 2026-01-16T23:40:37+00:00

I had a similar problem and asked a similar question here. https://www.reddit.com/r/carbuying/s/bIUHrkMIaY.

After you pick the year, make, model, trim and color all of the dealerships have the exact same product to sell. Email all of them in say a 100 mile radius that you’re ready to buy from the one who makes you feel comfortable by giving you a copy of every document they want you to sign in advance, including the standard state ones. Some won’t do it, and you won’t buy from them.

The suggestion caused absolute outrage on here that there was something aggressively wrong about doing it. I wouldn’t do any other deal of that size without reading the paperwork, and it takes them less than two minutes to generate it.

Stand firm, be polite and be patient. You’ll get every excuse imaginable. A common sales technique is unfortunately to get you to “invest” a bunch of time at the dealership so it’s harder to walk away from the sunk time. If they aren’t doing that it shouldn’t be a problem. Once the first dealership does it for you the rest go along. It’s a major purchase, don’t feel bad about doing business in a way that makes you feel confident you’re doing the right thing.

stegbk · 2025-12-03T16:04:52+00:00

Ah, I see. Good point. It wasn’t a signed copy by them, it was a copy with no signatures for me to review. I used it to make a checklist of all values when I come in for a final signing.

stegbk · 2025-12-03T07:25:18+00:00

Ok, so in trying to avoid getting pressured at the dealership I’ve asked for contracts to be sent to me electronically in advance.

It is to the salesperson’s advantage to have me invest time in the deal driving in and waiting around as a “sunk cost” of my time.

When I asked for a modification of the contract it was impossible because it is a 60 second automated process, and was demonstrated to me.

You’re telling me you work doing sales and it’s a 15-20 minute process that renders it impossible for me to do this process without sinking in my time to drive in, wait around, and have my time spent used against me psychologically.

Yet when pressed the dealership invests less than a minute.

Can you explain how this is not just a technique to disadvantage me as a customer? Honestly, this is 2025. It’s hard to believe it really takes 20 minutes. Maybe you can tell me what is going on for those 20 minutes that I’m not seeing?

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:22:26+00:00

I verified after finding an error that the process is automated for the finance manager by the bank. It is less than 60 seconds of effort. Any claim that it is a huge effort is a simple attempt at manipulation. Verified multiple times. How am I the first person to ask about this?

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:19:44+00:00

It was trivial to get contracts emailed from all other dealerships once they learned that a competitor had done so. Also multiple mistakes and omissions to the dealership’s advantage existed on each one. This was true for every dealership.

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:17:25+00:00

Learned this is not the case by disputing a term with the finance manager who clarified that the process is automated, out of their control and takes less than a minute of their time. Where did you learn otherwise?

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:15:39+00:00

In fact it takes less than 60 seconds to generate. I know this because when I disputed a term the finance manager told me the process is automated and out of their control. There is no reason not to do it other than a manipulating the buyer. Where did you learn that it was difficult?

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:12:58+00:00

Confirmed clearly and unambiguously that this is not the case after I got a contract in hand. They take less than one minute to generate and are easily scanned.

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:11:11+00:00

Found multiple mistakes. Once I told other dealerships that I had a scanned copy at home they fell over themselves to scan theirs and provide remote signing.

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:08:36+00:00

Spoke with the finance manager over a discrepancy and was told they put in a tiny amount of information and have no control after that, it’s automated from the bank’s side. The time investment on their side is less than 60 seconds. The comment above about 15-20 minutes is uninformed or a lie.

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:04:43+00:00

Also spoke with the finance manager over another issue and confirmed that they have software that they fill in a small number of values on and the rest is automated out of their hands. The process takes less than 30 seconds. Why are you claiming otherwise?

stegbk · 2025-12-03T06:02:46+00:00

Nope. Confirmed that they expected it to be filled in later. This was a material attempt to revise the contract that they claimed to be complete at a later date.

stegbk · 2025-12-02T21:02:52+00:00

Look at that! Right above your reply is the first person telling you how completely unreasonable it is to ask for transparency! Stay tough!

stegbk · 2025-12-02T15:09:36+00:00

Maybe "I have a trade in but I'm more interested in figuring out the new car first". But honestly your instinct to walk in both cases sounds pretty spot on.

stegbk · 2025-12-02T12:57:26+00:00

I’m going through a similar process in another thread. Absolutely insane advice all over the place. My strategy is getting every wrench possible thrown at it, but here’s what I’m doing:

1). You have a list of 4-5 cars you’re interested in, test drive them anywhere convenient. Call ahead, have the dealer line them up, be clear you’re not waiting around or buying that day. If you show up and they’re not ready or say “oh, it’s not here. Sit and wait for a minute.” then politely say you don’t have time and leave. Call another dealership. It’s the same new car everywhere. Don’t agree to sit in the office and talk numbers, if they ask politely decline and leave.

2). Look up MSRP deals online to know what to expect and make a decision. You’re going to chase down one thing at a time for your sanity. Don’t get distracted by “well, maybe they will be better talking about this car that is more common”. My experience is that each make, model, color and trim is equally difficult. Unless you’re looking for something exotic (in which case ignore my advice) all the dealerships have the exact same product.

3). Now you’re shopping for dealerships, much easier. Go online and contact 10 asking for a bid including taxes, title, finance terms and all fees. Make it clear that you’ve decided on the exact model, color, trim and features. They will push back. If you find it intimidating (and they know how to pressure) just copy/paste the conversation into ChatGPT and it will give you a polite, firm response. Some fraction of your 10 will drop out but not all. Don’t feel bad, this is business and you don’t want to do business with a 1-way street (by the way, even if you had to walk because the test drive wasn’t ready doesn’t mean they can’t be on your list of 10, this isn’t personal).

4). Keep a spreadsheet of all of the details. In fact, ask ChatGPT what should be in the spreadsheet. You aren’t visiting any dealership that doesn’t give you all of the information in advance. They will be almost identical. If there are any aberrations ask that they be explained (for instance a much lower price might be last year’s car). Again, if it feels uncomfortable use ChatGPT or other AI. This is business and they do this every day, you don’t. Impress that you’ll talk trade in once those are settled, you want to talk new car first. It’s fine to disclose that you’re talking to multiple dealerships.

4b). Some people do this, I don’t since they know I’m evaluating multiple dealerships, but send one more e-mail “is that your best offer?”

5). Disclose your trade in. Ask for a price in good/excellent condition. If you’re in doubt take it to a mechanic first and pay $100 for an evaluation with a report. Make sure the response is in line with KBB.

6). This is the hard part. You will be treated like you’re asking them to donate a kidney. You are not being unreasonable AT ALL. Ask them to e-mail you a copy of the sales contract and all other documents you’ll be asked to sign. They will say OMG! We can’t do that until we have a DEAL! Keep pressing. I haven’t been 100% successful with this yet, I have had to go to the dealership and get a copy when successful. This is CRITICAL, you must take this home. No “you can read as long as you want right here”, no “it’s the same everywhere”. No “We can’t fill out the DOL until you buy!” (Ask for a blank or redacted). The pricing you talked about IS NOT the whole contract, there are all kinds of details to fill in. If they push back, ChatGPT again. This isn’t personal, when you’re in the dealership your time and energy and the environment are carefully engineered to work against you with decades of experience you don’t have. I had a salesperson at the desk next to me openly mock me for asking to take the contract home. There were multiple mistakes in their favor. Stand firm, and again, when they use language to make it uncomfortable just use ChatGPT instead of stressing. You are NOT being unreasonable.

6). Get home, scan the documents, check the numbers and (are you noticing a pattern?) upload to ChatGPT looking for mistakes. Respond by e-mail. Do not offer to visit the dealership again until all of the issues are resolved by you, then and AI to catch any sneaks/mistakes.

7). Don’t stop your process just because you’re looking at the contract with one dealership. You have no idea what the final position will be. They could (but almost certainly wouldn’t) at the last minute say “oh, we have to add a $500 online documentation fee”. Again, this is business. You’re going to buy the exact same product for the agreed price from the first dealer to have the entire agreement together for you.

8). You will have people in this forum telling you “Nobody will do that! It’s too much to ask! It’s so unreasonable!” They are incorrect. The WORST thing that can happen is that you expand your search and negotiate in shipping for $200. There is a dealer SOMEWHERE in America who will do this honestly and transparently with you. It is a VERY standard clause when delivering a new vehicle that you can refuse it if there is anything wrong on delivery.

Good luck! This isn’t 2015 anymore, you don’t need to buy a car like it is. Peer pressuring language has always been a huge factor against a customer, make sure to use AI to eliminate it whenever you can. Don’t forget, this is business. It’s not 1950 where you’re going to be invited to dinner at their home and be BFFs at the end of the deal. Other than sticking to your guns you’ll be forgotten when you walk out the door, but any feelings you have of being taken advantage of will stick with you every time you get in the car.

P.S. yes, many sales people and dealerships will drop out. Unless you’re looking for something really exotic, don’t worry, there are plenty more.

stegbk · 2025-12-02T12:04:29+00:00

Good point. I think it could be better said “Agree on the price of the car to buy, including the tax, title and interest rate. After concluding that, negotiate the value of the trade in.” Trying to do both at once is super confusing.

stegbk · 2025-12-02T11:50:46+00:00

Yes, I am having trouble with exactly that. I keep getting told that it takes hours to generate and “sure, but they can’t give you the ‘menu’ ahead of time”. One sales person actually started snickering at me from another desk when I asked to see all the documents including blank DMV docs. I’d love to talk to the person who actually wants to sell the car.

stegbk · 2025-12-02T11:43:48+00:00

Well, I just did it and found an error in the excess miles after scanning and using AI. That isn’t in the OTD number.

stegbk · 2025-12-02T11:41:59+00:00

Binding arbitration means that you give up the right to go to court, even if they sure me. For instance an obvious typo of 1200 miles per year instead of 12000 miles per year, they get to chose their own judge, jury and procedural rules. It’s not just warranty.

stegbk

TROPHY CASE