It’s easy to get on your high horse and look down on people who have found themselves in a tough financial spot because they didn’t do the math before they bought their car, or because they need a car so badly they had to take on a rough deal. But this loan term on a six-figure Porsche Cayman GT4 reveals that money…
Working with Kia dealers, even in this modern age of car shopping, can be an exercise in futility. Attempting a deal on a Kia Stinger in Florida, a state that is notorious in my experience, for bad dealers, could have been a nightmare. But sometimes things don’t always go as expected. Here’s how I pulled off a deal in…
There are all kinds of websites, platforms and startups that are supposed be “disrupting” the whole car buying process, yet every day people end up with bad deals. But the most powerful tool is something buyers have had for a while, and they don’t even have to download it.
I know a few good salespeople who would rather lose a sale than put someone in a car that is going to strain the buyer financially. But that level of ethical sales is rare in the industry. There are far too many stores that will do whatever it takes to get you to sign that contract, even it means crushing debt.
The internet has changed the way cars are bought and sold. It’s now a lot easier to figure out who has the best deal on a new car, but used cars are more complex. A lot of buyers get frustrated when they run into walls asking for large discounts on used cars. Here’s why that happens.
Buying a car shouldn’t be that complicated. You shop around, you get a quote, and make your purchase. Still, we all know it’s not simple because some dealers will use various deceptive and tiresome tactics to make it seem like their quote is the best when it may not be—including pairing a crazy low price with a…
I’ve brokered thousands of car deals and encountered all sorts of reasons why some dealers refuse to email price quotes. A reader recently reached out to me with one of my favorite bullshit excuses, however: dealers who claim emailed prices are illegal.
Well, friends here is yet another topic that I shall file under “things I thought were obvious,” but apparently there are a number of folks who think they have a legal case because a dealer for whatever reason did not sell them a car.
I’ve brokered thousands of deals and have encountered a variety of excuses as to why a car’s price was not competitive, but I’ve have never had a dealer say the automaker made them charge more. If the email I just got is any indication of the norm, the excellent Kia Stinger is getting absolutely screwed by its dealers.
When comparing prices you always want to get a total cost—that includes all tax and fees so you know exactly how much you are paying for your next car. But some dealers are employing a questionable tactic to make their out the door price cheaper than the competition.
Since 2018 is predicted to be a slower year for car sales, dealers are pulling out all the stops to get you into the showroom. Presidents’ weekend is usually a big time for car buying, but some of these so-called deals don’t really offer the yuuuge savings you would expect.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Subaru in America, and it’s a story any company would be proud of. While the automaker is small compared to the domestic brands and import giants like Honda and Toyota, it has broken into the mainstream with record-breaking sales through a focus on quality and some very clever…
If you had a bad experience at a car dealership, there often isn’t much you can do. In some cases you can get a lawyer involved, but if you truly think a dealer isn’t operating within the confines of the law, you can report them to the Federal Trade Commission who can investigate and even fine dealers who are in…
A Colorado man recently took his new Ford F-250—which had a violent front-end shake on the highway—to a dealer, only to be told that the truck was “not designed to go over 65 mph.” It’s a ridiculous and untrue claim in what is just a baffling audio recording. Just listen to this nonsense.
The mathematical skills of the American population are, for the most part, pretty poor. Dealerships and lenders will often use this as an opportunity to take advantage of people, but sometimes the opposite happens when someone with bad math skills walks away from a good deal because they don’t understand how the…
As you may be aware, in addition to blogging hot takes about cars and giving you car buying advice, I run a consulting business where I actually help people buy cars. Sometimes, folks will come to me with a certain car in mind and I convince them to go in another direction. Here is this year’s list in helping folks…
Well, we all knew this was coming. Despite Dodge’s best efforts to mitigate the bonkers markups on its insanely hyped Dodge SRT Challenger Demon, there was bound to be at least a few stores that would attempt to make huge profits on this rare muscle car.
For those of you out car shopping this holiday season, you will likely see some dealers advertising some “free” giveaways with your car purchase. These things could include a TV, some oil changes, or even a free vacation. I hate to be the one to break this to you, but none of this stuff is actually “free.”
Even when even vintage milk can be bought online, you might as well try and lock down a good Cyber Monday deal on a car. And while a few dealerships have made the effort to make buying a used car online easy, far too many still have inaccurate listings or are generally uncooperative.
