# Trying to buy a used car from a dealer. Are they insane or off or just me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 6, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536 "2024-06-06T00:34:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/121 "2024-06-13T04:01:43Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Favourite line - “we have other buyers waiting with cash offers.” I thought only real estate agents pulled that trick. Heh… when we bought a condo in Florida, the seller’s agent tried that with us. Yep, that’s why the place is 2 years in arrears in HOA fees and taxes and has lots of lawyers planning seizure actions on the place. Their “cash offer” could have bought any of the 8 or so condos on the market in the same community. We stood firm on the offer. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/122 "2024-06-14T15:34:16Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > You’re lucky if a chain oil-change place can even manage to do the oil change right. I was unlucky years ago, they didn’t replace the drain plug properly, oil drained out and the engine fatally seized up before I could get the car off the expressway. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/123 "2024-06-14T17:04:09Z")
Here in the UK the price you see is basically the price you pay. Sales tax (VAT) must be included in the price shown (technically you can show the price excluding VAT, but you must also show the price including VAT _at least as large_, which makes it largely pointless). Since the last time I bought a car, there has apparently been the introduction of “admin fees” though and these have been creeping up; while typically only a few tens of dollars some dealerships have been getting into the hundreds of dollars range. Already this is on questionable legal grounds, and Trading Standards have made some dealers reduce those fees. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/124 "2024-06-22T17:40:57Z")
Kind of a tangent (if not an outright hijack), but it kind of fits. As if buying a car wasn’t weird enough: > **[CDK Global cyberattack leaves thousands of car dealers spinning their wheels](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdk-cyber-attack-outage-update-2024/)** > > "Everything is frozen, everything is tied up," one auto dealership owner said after cyberattacks crippled software maker CDK Global. > Car dealers across the U.S. are floundering after cyberattacks this week on CDK Global, a maker of software used to operate their businesses, made it all but impossible to sell vehicles. > > Tom Maioli, who owns Celebrity Motor Car Company, which operates five luxury car dealerships across New York and New Jersey, told CBS MoneyWatch his business is “completely shut down.” > > “We cannot process paperwork. Everything is frozen, everything is tied up — we cannot move money back and forth to pay off cars, to finance our customers’ transactions,” he said. > > Such disruptions are particularly damaging to sales-driven businesses like auto dealerships, where car shoppers who are primed to lay down their cash on a vehicle may walk away when faced with frustrating delays. Maioli said that while he’s trying to keep customers engaged, he has no sense of when his sales systems will be fully functional again, leaving the business in limbo. According to a later report, CDK is going to pay the hackers; but until further notice, call ahead if you’re car shopping. And bring cash, because the dealer may not be able to explore financing. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2024, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/125 "2024-06-23T03:55:16Z")
… or better yet, sit on your hands for a couple of weeks and THEN go there… they might have to recoup 2-3 weeks worth of sales and are probably way behind sales quotas, etc… for the month … hence more willing to cut a deal… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/126 "2024-06-24T20:30:59Z")
I am currently shopping for a used car, with a top price of $7000, and I could almost guarantee (based on experience) that if I tell this to a dealer the only cars they will show me are above $7000 or, as they phrase it, “In the $7000 range you told me you’re looking for.” ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/127 "2024-06-24T20:45:50Z")
I _really_ doubt that many new car dealers will have many used cars on their lots for under $10,000. They tend to keep only late-model used cars. You’re probably going to have to go to those used car specialty lots. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/128 "2024-06-24T21:03:41Z")
I never said I was going to new car dealers. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/129 "2024-06-24T21:08:48Z")
In that case, don’t tell them your budget; just tell them that you want to wander their lot on your own. Though nowadays most of these places probably have websites with their inventory you can look at from home. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/130 "2024-09-21T01:17:32Z")
I went through Carfax’s website. I love that I could filter for no accidents. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/131 "2024-09-21T02:33:55Z")
Does Carfax guarantee the “no accidents” pledge, or are they off the hook if a seller lies to them? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/132 "2024-09-21T02:36:02Z")
It means there is no insurance record of an accident involving that car. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/133 "2024-09-21T05:25:45Z")
Yeah. I mean, if you about total your car but you’re a mechanic and fix it yourself you might not report it. My car had been a company leased car, so I’m sure they had every little thing fixed. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/134 "2024-09-21T14:05:43Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Why do people insist on getting regular maintenance done at over priced dealers? I have a service contract with the Ford main dealer that sold me my car back in 2015. For a reasonable monthly payment, I get an annual service and the car is collected and returned. On the few occasions I had to go in for unscheduled maintenance and a couple of recalls I get priority treatment. I ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/135 "2024-09-21T14:26:50Z")
Annual monthly payments for a yearly checkup? What do your monthly payments add up to per year? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/136 "2024-09-21T14:49:57Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Why do people insist on getting regular maintenance done at over priced dealers? > [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Because I’ve had two incidents in the last 20 years where the “trusted local mechanic” has fucked up the car to the tune of thousands of dollars and refused to compensate us. > > Another local mechanic will not touch the Volvo. > > The dealer keeps consistent records, has a comfortable waiting area, gives me a loaner car if it’s going to be more than four hours, and washes the exterior and vacuums the interior. > > Last time I took the Volvo in because a warning light came on, I told them I needed to join a meeting at work. They set me up with an office so I wasn’t joining a call in the customer lounge. > > In any case the independent garages are not that much cheaper anyway. Certainly not on the Toyota or the Subaru. Maybe 20% cheaper. I agree. I pretty much gave up on independent mechanics when they repeatedly couldn’t find or fix the issues I brought to them. I don’t know if this is because cars are more complex these days and it’s difficult to keep up all of the advances from various vehicle manufacturers. In one case I paid an electrical specialist several hundred dollars of diagnosis time to NOT find an electrical short. The dealer mechanic found it instantly and didn’t even charge for the diagnosis. In another case, an independent mechanic flat out refused to replace the head gasket on a Subaru engine, saying it was too complex. The dealer fixed it, gave me a good deal, along with a free loaner they let me drive to Maine for a week-long trip that had previously been planned. In yet another case, the dealer mechanic messed up a repair (replacing the suspension) but made it right at no cost to me with new parts because they were able to pin the blame on bad service bulletin instructions and they were able to get replacement parts from their corporate parts supplier for free. I would have been out of luck with an independent mechanic who would likely be working with after-market parts. For more routine stuff, the dealer mechanic is not that much more expensive, plus they give out coupons all the time. They also do a free maintenance and safety check. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/137 "2024-09-21T15:02:15Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > I have a service contract with the Ford main dealer that sold me my car back in 2015. For a reasonable monthly payment, I get an annual service and the car is collected and returned. On the few occasions I had to go in for unscheduled maintenance and a couple of recalls I get priority treatment. I’ve never felt that any service contracts (for auto or home) are worth it because they always seem to look for a reason to deny you service due to some exception in the fine print. The aggravation is not worth it in my opinion. As for routine service, that simply doesn’t seem to cost all that much these days because everything seems to last a long longer than in years past. My 2015 Toyota 4Runner goes 10,000 miles between oil changes with synthetic oil. The spark plugs last 120,000 miles, and the ATF and coolant last 100,000 miles. The differential fluids last 60,000 miles. Brakes last 40-50,000 miles. With me driving about 15,000 miles per year, all I’ve done in the last year is an oil change that cost about $70. Of course other years are more expensive when those various intervals come up, but I think it still works out cheaper than a monthly payment. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/138 "2024-09-21T15:48:46Z")
Just over £300. A full service at the dealership currently costs over £200 for my car and the MOT is £50. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/139 "2024-09-21T19:39:16Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Annual monthly payments for a yearly checkup? What do your monthly payments add up to per year? I expect for my BMW, maintenance appointments can cost close to $1,000 and even more if there’s a decent amount of work discovered. But Ford? Yikes. The point is, newer cars, especially the fancy ones, are complex. The mechanics at the dealer are (we hope) sent on special courses to understand the technology in all its details. They can spot the issues and from working on the same type of car, know what to look for. (And yes, they will find stuff that needs to be fixed eventually, and recommend you do it now…) The days where a backyard mechanic could do almost anything are long gone. Most higher end cars it seems have included regular maintenance for the first 4 years or so for a while - so the dealer will do that anyway. Plus, if I trade the car in for a new one, the dealer can see they have inspected it regularly. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536/140 "2024-09-21T19:54:03Z")
> [@robby](#): > > I’ve never felt that any service contracts (for auto or home) are worth it because they always seem to look for a reason to deny you service due to some exception in the fine print. The aggravation is not worth it in my opinion. > > As for routine service, that simply doesn’t seem to cost all that much these days because everything seems to last a long longer than in years past. Yep. > [@bob\_2](#): > > Just over £300. A full service at the dealership currently costs over £200 for my car and the MOT is £50. A full service at my local mechanic is about $70. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-buy-a-used-car-from-a-dealer-are-they-insane-or-off-or-just-me/1002536.md?page=8)