What price shenanigans have you seen dealerships do?

[mortalsphere]

Just got a casual quote for A Mojave. I did this to test the dealership and have no intention of buying this specific Mojave... Doesn't have the options I want. But can someone tell me why I'd pay $899 for "PERMA PLATE NEW", $499 for "Tint and Edge Guards", and $995 for Proc/Doc Fees? Am I stupid, or are these ridiculous and they think I'm stupid?

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[Coletrickle]

Just got a casual quote for A Mojave. I did this to test the dealership and have no intention of buying this specific Mojave... Doesn't have the options I want. But can someone tell me why I'd pay $899 for "PERMA PLATE NEW", $499 for "Tint and Edge Guards", and $995 for Proc/Doc Fees? Am I stupid, or are these ridiculous and they think I'm stupid?

Back door add ons, some people pay. Smart ones don't. Find a different Dealer.

 

[Free2roam]

Just got a casual quote for A Mojave. I did this to test the dealership and have no intention of buying this specific Mojave... Doesn't have the options I want. But can someone tell me why I'd pay $899 for "PERMA PLATE NEW", $499 for "Tint and Edge Guards", and $995 for Proc/Doc Fees? Am I stupid, or are these ridiculous and they think I'm stupid?

What state are you in?

 

[mortalsphere]

What state are you in?

Georgia. Not by choice.

 

[mortalsphere]

Back door add ons, some people pay. Smart ones don't. Find a different Dealer.

Ok, good to know. I'm definitely going to shop around.

 

[sdk131]

Most of what I have seen has been covered above....just wanted to add a tiny anecdote about my experience at one of the "7% below invoice dealers" mentioned often here. I also want to mention that I have around 20 years of experience managing large federal gov contracts and I am very used to negotiations and reviewing numbers very quickly (to add a little perspective).

1. Salesman was great! Right to 7% below invoice, no games, no dance, all numbers matched price sheets shared here for invoice prices. I had to ask them to remove optional wheel locks they stuck on there....but the charge was removed with zero hassle.

2. Everything matched again when I showed up to pick it up....and I was thrilled that Jeep now had a $1500 incentive in place. Salesman went over it all quickly, and we were all set.

3. Finance Manager Left off incentive - I was ushered in to the finance guys office to complete the paperwork. First issue - he did not have the incentive entered on his screen and was rushing along to show me monthly payment numbers. They didn't match the pre-calculated numbers I had with me on a cheat sheet....so I called BS. He offered some resistanc eand suggested I might have bene wrong and that his system calculated it all. I demanded he showed me the screen with all the input numbers nad it was clear the incentive was not included. Up until the second I pointed to the line he was acting like I was out of line and confused. Then he pretended to dig around for about 5 minutes to confirm the incentive applied to me (after salesman had confirmed it did). He then added the incentive.

4. Then the finance manager started the push for an aftermarket warranty. I knew they are a gimmick....but for a minute or so I was a bit weak and sugegsted I might be interested. He then banged away on the keyboard and suggested that because I had such good credit and could get a low rate he could work the warranty into the loan we were discussing and the payment would only be a dollar or two a month more....I was slightly interested...but on high alert as it seemed to good to be true. Without telling me he changed the loan term from 60-63 months. I ONLY caught this because I saw a "63" flash by in a split second as he was quickly moving between screens. So, he was trying to get another $1800 or so out of me by adding it on the end of the loan. When I got very firm he insisted he had told me it was 63 months but he had not. I simply told him to remove it all, put the loan back to 60 months or I was walking. He knew I was done playing.

5. As a final display of his sleaziness I asked (really just for fun...I already knew the answer from reviewing the loan paperwork) him, "I can just pay this off early if I want to right". He looked me in the eyes and said that I could not because it would violate the contract and would mean that I would have to pay back the 2% discount I got for financing with them. I just chuckled and said "oh ok". The loan paperwork (which is controlled by state and other legal mandates for truth in lending) very clearly says there is no pre-payment penalty. Once that paperwork is signed the loan is a matter between you and the bank....not the dealership.


Sorry for the long-winded story...but be sure to always have your guard up and remember that often the finance department is detached from the sales department. Would I buy from this dealer again? Yes, I would.....for 7% under invoice on a special order I honestly expected to do a little dance with them. They still totally crushed the prices I was seeing from a handful of other local dealers, and many of the other dealers did not even want to talk about a special order.

 

[mortalsphere]

Most of what I have seen has been covered above....just wanted to add a tiny anecdote about my experience at one of the "7% below invoice dealers" mentioned often here. I also want to mention that I have around 20 years of experience managing large federal gov contracts and I am very used to negotiations and reviewing numbers very quickly (to add a little perspective).

1. Salesman was great! Right to 7% below invoice, no games, no dance, all numbers matched price sheets shared here for invoice prices. I had to ask them to remove optional wheel locks they stuck on there....but the charge was removed with zero hassle.

2. Everything matched again when I showed up to pick it up....and I was thrilled that Jeep now had a $1500 incentive in place. Salesman went over it all quickly, and we were all set.

3. Finance Manager Left off incentive - I was ushered in to the finance guys office to complete the paperwork. First issue - he did not have the incentive entered on his screen and was rushing along to show me monthly payment numbers. They didn't match the pre-calculated numbers I had with me on a cheat sheet....so I called BS. He offered some resistanc eand suggested I might have bene wrong and that his system calculated it all. I demanded he showed me the screen with all the input numbers nad it was clear the incentive was not included. Up until the second I pointed to the line he was acting like I was out of line and confused. Then he pretended to dig around for about 5 minutes to confirm the incentive applied to me (after salesman had confirmed it did). He then added the incentive.

4. Then the finance manager started the push for an aftermarket warranty. I knew they are a gimmick....but for a minute or so I was a bit weak and sugegsted I might be interested. He then banged away on the keyboard and suggested that because I had such good credit and could get a low rate he could work the warranty into the loan we were discussing and the payment would only be a dollar or two a month more....I was slightly interested...but on high alert as it seemed to good to be true. Without telling me he changed the loan term from 60-63 months. I ONLY caught this because I saw a "63" flash by in a split second as he was quickly moving between screens. So, he was trying to get another $1800 or so out of me by adding it on the end of the loan. When I got very firm he insisted he had told me it was 63 months but he had not. I simply told him to remove it all, put the loan back to 60 months or I was walking. He knew I was done playing.

5. As a final display of his sleaziness I asked (really just for fun...I already knew the answer from reviewing the loan paperwork) him, "I can just pay this off early if I want to right". He looked me in the eyes and said that I could not because it would violate the contract and would mean that I would have to pay back the 2% discount I got for financing with them. I just chuckled and said "oh ok". The loan paperwork (which is controlled by state and other legal mandates for truth in lending) very clearly says there is no pre-payment penalty. Once that paperwork is signed the loan is a matter between you and the bank....not the dealership.


Sorry for the long-winded story...but be sure to always have your guard up and remember that often the finance department is detached from the sales department. Would I buy from this dealer again? Yes, I would.....for 7% under invoice on a special order I honestly expected to do a little dance with them. They still totally crushed the prices I was seeing from a handful of other local dealers, and many of the other dealers did not even want to talk about a special order.

Thanks, that's really helpful. Gives me an idea of what I should be aware of. Was it a dealership in MD? I have family there.

 

[sdk131]

Thanks, that's really helpful. Gives me an idea of what I should be aware of. Was it a dealership in MD? I have family there.

yep...Criswell in Gaithersburg. Just shared this for awareness of one angle to watch for. Again, it still blew all other local prices out of the water....and I honestly expect a tiny bit of dancing on any car deal. Also, folks should know that on these 7% and 8% below invoice deals....you WILL pay a tiny bit higher interest rate by using the dealer financing....thats just how it is, and where they make their money. In contrast the dealership 5 miles from my house wouldn't even discuss a special order, and only wanted to sell me one of their vehicles on the lot (that they had shoved a bunch of cheap wheels/tires and other bling on......and marked it up $6k or so over msrp).

 

[DBT]

Probably doesn't count as a shenanigan, but I was using the Jeep Configurator to find a diesel Sport S with a few needed options. Found a perfect match 5 hours away for $49k before typical discounts. Wasn't until I was about to get a cashiers check from my bank and drive there that morning that the dealership asked, "You do know about the tires, right?" Turns out the dealer had added wheels, tires, lift kit, various Mopar add-ons to get the price up to $61k. For a Sport S. Why? Ended up getting mine from a different dealer.

 

[guarnibl]

I ordered a vehicle before pricing was known (this was not a Jeep and many years ago) and the agreed to (and signed) document stated X % off invoice. Vehicle showed up and calculated the price, and it was way too high. They tried to claim invoice was the 'invoiced price' and is MSRP. Then tried to hold my deposit. Disputed on credit card and never contacted them again.

Other than that, typical dealership addon attempts. When I ordered from Chapman here locally I had in writing a set price for the vehicle as well as a signed statement saying no dealership addons would be installed and delivery would be as from the factory. They tried hard to get around that but backed down pretty quickly after seeing the original paperwork. I think it was somewhat of a honest mistake, as it's standard practice for them to try to put a couple grand worth of addons on the vehicles during/post PDI.

Of course when leasing there's more options for them to make money by inflating money factor -- so every time I tried to lease a BMW that was the first thing they attempted.

And of course you have the all too typical dealer suggested services scam.

 

[OrangeTJ]

The whole dealership model just needs to go away. In this day and age, we should have the option of ordering directly and not having to put up with all of this cr@p from the middlemen.

The job description of "the finance guy" surely must be to try to swindle every customer who comes through the door. I've walked out of more than one finance offices and never looked back. These guys actually seem to be offended if you don't fall for their unethical and simply dishonest business practices. So unnecessary.

The ways that dealerships can and do work you over for $$$s at every turn are innumerable. It is such a short-sighted approach to business: work the customer for as much cash as you can, honesty and ethics be damned, and make every step an uphill battle. Having to do that dance is what keeps me from buying a new vehicle every couple of years. So while the dealership may make more money on an individual transaction by being scoundrels, they lose out by selling fewer vehicles than they otherwise could if it wasn't such an utterly sh!t experience.

 

[doc-ketamine]

Dealer tried to sell me “their” warranty program after I explicitly stated I wanted the MOPAR warranty. Then they tried to tell me they couldn’t order the MOPAR warranty. Then when I said I would pay for it myself after the sale, they magically remembered how. Badmouthing the MOPAR warranty all day long, of course.

Even tried to sell me their warranty again right before I signed.

 

[WXman]

Today the dealer I've always bought or leased from quoted me $1,600/mo on a JT 80th anniversary lease. No exaggeration. Using the lease hackr calculator the payment in my situation should have been high 500s. So the dealer was finding another $1,100 per month to stack on somehow. Most outrageous deal I've had presented to me in my life, and really hurt my feelings considering how often I've done business with them.

Tried another dealer down the road and they're over $800/month.

My credit is good so these dealers are getting extremely greedy in this vehicle shortage COVID world we're in.

Looks like if Gupton can't come through for me I'm out of the Gladiator search.

I've never seen anything like this in my life.

 

[Free2roam]

Today the dealer I've always bought or leased from quoted me $1,600/mo on a JT 80th anniversary lease. No exaggeration. Using the lease hackr calculator the payment in my situation should have been high 500s. So the dealer was finding another $1,100 per month to stack on somehow. Most outrageous deal I've had presented to me in my life, and really hurt my feelings considering how often I've done business with them.

Tried another dealer down the road and they're over $800/month.

My credit is good so these dealers are getting extremely greedy in this vehicle shortage COVID world we're in.

Looks like if Gupton can't come through for me I'm out of the Gladiator search.

I've never seen anything like this in my life.

Have you tried Eliott at SLC valley Jeep yet?

 

[Hootbro]

Today the dealer I've always bought or leased from quoted me $1,600/mo on a JT 80th anniversary lease. No exaggeration. Using the lease hackr calculator the payment in my situation should have been high 500s. So the dealer was finding another $1,100 per month to stack on somehow. Most outrageous deal I've had presented to me in my life, and really hurt my feelings considering how often I've done business with them.

Tried another dealer down the road and they're over $800/month.

My credit is good so these dealers are getting extremely greedy in this vehicle shortage COVID world we're in.

Looks like if Gupton can't come through for me I'm out of the Gladiator search.

I've never seen anything like this in my life.

There is no loyalty in the car business anymore on either side of the deal. I had bought 5 vehicles from one salesman over the years and probably steered another 10 sales his way and finally stopped dealing with that salesman as it really banked me nothing for future considerations.

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