I have written a check, used a debit card, and used a cashier’s check. All those worked just fine.
I always wanted to go in and slap down actual cash, but I never did that. But I think it would work!
The little yellow one? Cool!
I’ve financed a couple of new vehicles through the “Bank of Dad” (personal loan from the folks at 0%). The dealerships were more than happy to take a personal, out of state check.
I used to work in the Financing Dept of a small Car dealership.
We would take a personal check, no problem. All banks have a phone number that merchants could call to see if a particular check would clear if it were presented at that moment.
We would take cash, no problem. Just keep in mind if you pay with more than $10,000 in cash for any part, there is a form the dealer will fill out and send to the IRS. That isn’t done if paying any other way because there is a clear paper trail of where the money is coming from.
We would take credit and debit cards, but tried to not advertise that fact. All merchants who accept credit and debit cards pay a fee for the transaction. It can be up to 6% on credit cards, but typically less than 2%. On debit cards it used to be a flat 75¢ charge. If the dealership has a good salesman, he will know how the vehicle will be paid for. If the customer will be using a credit card I guarantee the dealership will build in enough profit to cover the fees. Our credit card machine was at our service dept a mile down the road. If the customer wanted to use plastic, we would pack them up and drive them there OR suggest they walk across the street to the bank and get a cash advance against the card.
Yes, But it does not make sense unless you can pay off the credit card right away. Who wants to pay 18 percent interest for a car? You can get much lower financing at a dealership. I have bought one new vehicle and that was to raise my credit rating so I could get a mortgage. I didn’t even like the 4 percent they charged me. They are still charging me interest on my own money.
I like to save and just go in and buy a car and be done with it. I know credit is important but at this stage in the game I’m all about keeping it simple. I have like 4 bills a month to pay. In my 20’s and 30’s I has tons. Online banking rules!
I would also love to go in and just plunk down the cash. I just like having the receipt or I probably would. It feels good to work hard for something and save for it and then go and buy it free and clear.
I see so many people buying new cars that can’t afford them. Bob Brinker from, ‘Money Talks’, pops into my head. “If you don’t make a hundred thousand dollars a year you can’t afford to drive a new car”…
Funny, I’m buying a car with cash today and my bank gave me a choice to either draw up a draft cheque or I could pay the amount online.
Apparently, dealerships do not like when you pay with debit or credit cards as they pay a small percentage for each transaction so large amounts cost them too much.
Personally, I’d use my airline miles credit card. Charge it to get the miles, then pay off the credit card bill the next day with an electronic payment from my bank.
Tell me about it. I went down to the Store 24 to buy two town trashbags and they would not accept a debit card, only cash. I asked why and they said they get charged for every transaction and they sold the town bags as a favor to the town so they were losing money!
I did it!!!
Put $5000 on the credit card (for points, will pay off this week) and the rest personal check. The dealer was none too happy. I think it never occurred to them I might not finance.
The sales manager tried to argue that I could only put $1000 on the credit card, saying he had to pay a fee over that. I said that I didn’t think he could limit me, per his agreement with Visa (thanks for telling me that! I learned it in this thread). He said he would call his manager. Got back to me and said I was wrong, but they would let me do it anyway. Yeah, right. 
He also said he would take the $150 fee he had to pay out of the saleswoman’s commission. When I said “too bad” he said he was just kidding. Jerk. I didn’t believe him, but thought it was a crappy thing to say, to try to make me feel guilty.
So the deed is done and the car is lovely! Robin’s egg blue Limited Edition VW Beetle. I am in love.
That one pisses me off; I’ve gotten that line when I’ve driven a particularly good bargain. My standard response is "I want to speak to the general manager. No, the real general manager. I know you’re not the real general manager because the general manager’s job is to pay his employees, and you’re trying to get me to to that, so you must not be the general manager. So either do your job and pay your salesman, or get me the general manager who can, or be prepared to lose a sale.
I wanted to use my credit card for the whole amount but they refused to charge more that $2000, which I did, and then gave them a cheque for the remaining $26000.
When people talk about “paying cash” for a car, that’s usually a catchall term that covers cash, credit card, debit card, personal check, money order, and any other form of paying the money upfront as opposed to financing it.
Like several others in this thread, I paid $18,000 last December for a new car with a personal check.
I tried to buy a car with cash once, meaning paying in full and not financing. You’d think I’d asked the salesperson if I could go on a date with his twelve-year-old daughter. They really, really didn’t want to sell me that car, not for cash, not for a certified check or a wire transfer or anything. They wanted me to finance it.
We went back and forth, and they allowed that they’d sell me the car for cash if I took a bunch of options. Automatic transmission (didn’t want it). Floor mats (at that price? Are you kidding?). Some lighting package, special headlights or something. More bullshit.
Eventually I just left. The next day the salesperson call me and said that OK, they’d sell me the car, but by then I’d realized that I’m better off not owning a car, and I thanked the salesman for helping me to realize that, and I’ve never even thought of buying a car again.
yeah, much like anything these days, they make their money only from you being in hock. what you’re actually buying is almost incidental.