# taken at the car lot
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 12, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925 "2002-10-12T04:13:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@funguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/funguy)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/1 "2002-10-12T04:13:23Z")
i bought a car today from a ford dealership and they did two things i feel uncomfortable about first they told me my interest rate would be 6.9 when i signed the papers it said it was 6.99 i was assuming it was 6.90 not 6.99 not that it would make a great difference but still i find it was a bit underhanded. and second we had haggled back and forth for the past week on price and we agreed on a price of $11,000 down/ 2500 rebate and to finance 19901.25 when i went to sign the papers it was stated i would recieve a $3000 rebate from ford so which in turn i said my finance number would become $19401.25 but they wouldnt budge( they maintained the $19901.25 figure) and my wife wanted the vehicle so i swallowed hard and got the car did i get taken? đ
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### Author:  [@dead0man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dead0man)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/2 "2002-10-12T05:26:56Z")
Where did the other 500$ go then? A check to you? Cash to you? Vanished into thin air(in the dealers pocket)?
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### Author:  [@Riboflavin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riboflavin)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2002, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/3 "2002-10-12T06:31:47Z")
Looks like you got taken by the last minute switcharo - they promise one thing when youâre negotiating, then turn around and change it just a little in the final paperwork. You got taken, when dealing with a car dealer you should insist on sticking to the terms you verbally agreed on when youâre comitting to paper. Then again, going into a car deal without being able to walk away is just asking to get screwed over - you should always be ready to say âno, thatâs not what we agreed toâ and walk away if they donât play bal.
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### Author:  [@tmwster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tmwster)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2002, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/4 "2002-10-12T06:45:50Z")
I have no facts to back it up, but a friend who worked at a dealership told me to never use the dealerâs financing - always use a third party, because the dealer always gets their money back from you with some screwy financing rip-offs.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2002, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/5 "2002-10-12T14:13:21Z")
My neighbor worked for a car dealership & his boss made him do that bait & switch once & he on quit after that.
[carbuyingtips.com](http://carbuyingtips.com) might have some info.
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### Author:  [@GTPhD1996](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GTPhD1996)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2002, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/6 "2002-10-12T14:40:20Z")
It doesnât seem to me like you were taken. You financed the same amount as you agreed upon. Does it really matter if it is listed as a rebate of $3,000 or $2,500?
GTPhD1996
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/7 "2002-10-12T16:39:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by dead0man \*
> **Where did the other 500$ go then?**
The bellboy took it.
Seriously, these kinds of financial shenanigans are reprehensible and only proves that you should get everything in writing as early as possible and keep your own copy handy, comparing it to all later documents.
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### Author:  [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/8 "2002-10-12T18:35:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by GTPhD1996 \*
> \*\*It doesnât seem to me like you were taken. You financed the same amount as you agreed upon. Does it really matter if it is listed as a rebate of $3,000 or $2,500?
>
> GTPhD1996 \*\*
Of course it matters - he paid $500 more for the car. Itâs true he financed the same amount, but the downpayment he gave the dealer increased by $500. The manufacturerâs rebate belongs to the purchaser. He may agree to sign part or all of it over to the dealer as downpayment, or he may take it all as cash if he wishes.
The myopic focus on the amount financed (and, even worse, on what your monthly payment is) is an easy way for the dealership to make money from a purchaser who is confused.
Yes, the OP was âtaken.â Was there a trade-in, I wonder?
- Rick
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### Author:  [@MannyL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MannyL)
#### Post date: [October 13, 2002, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taken-at-the-car-lot/131925/9 "2002-10-13T17:20:40Z")
Sorry to hear you got taken. I just bought a newAztek (well my aprents bought it, but Iâll be making the payments) and I think we did very good on it although we got less for the trade than we could have if we sold privatly, we knew that going in. 21K for an Aztek Base model w/ a few upgrades plys a 5yr/100,000 mi Gm extended warr 0 deduct. And 5 oil chanegs a year for 4 years.