# Why don't US car ads tell you the price? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 29, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418 "2014-12-29T05:52:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/41 "2014-12-30T20:09:50Z")
> [@elninost0rm](#): > > I’ve never had a problem getting decent financing through the finance manager / dealership. My wife bought a _used_ car last night with a 2.46% rate. My credit union offered 2.5% on 60-month loans. YMMV and I guess credit score is a factor as well. I’m talking about value to the salesman, not the buyer. People with a bankruptcy or other problems in their credit histories have difficulty getting financing through traditional banks/credit unions. A good finance manager can often find financing through institutions that are willing to accept higher risk for a higher return. ---
**Author:** ![Tuxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ee59a6/32.png) [@Tuxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuxie)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/42 "2014-12-30T22:57:16Z")
Wouldn’t the internet change things? People can shop around more easily; Call 5 places selling the car you want, go to the dealership and refuse anything above what they told you over the phone. Not happy with the price? Go to the next one. I don’t get the hate for the whole haggling aspect. Figure out the price you want, and stick with it. Use the word ”no” liberally. I’ve known people who bought the same model car at the same dealership. One spent six hours, the other spent 90 minutes. The difference was one was a pushover and one knew how to put her foot down. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/43 "2014-12-31T00:16:18Z")
> [@Tuxie](#): > > Wouldn’t the internet change things? People can shop around more easily; Call 5 places selling the car you want, go to the dealership and refuse anything above what they told you over the phone. Not happy with the price? Go to the next one. I think ideally this is the best way to do it these days, but the only problem is that most dealers are very reluctant to give you a straightforward out-the-door price over the phone or e-mail. It’s also easy to say “I’m walking out the door if you charge anything more than you told me” but once you’re in the door it’s hard to say you’re going to start the whole process over for a few bucks here and there, especially if the next dealer might be 10’s to 100’s of miles away. > [@Tuxie](#): > > I don’t get the hate for the whole haggling aspect. Figure out the price you want, and stick with it. Use the word ”no” liberally. I’ve known people who bought the same model car at the same dealership. One spent six hours, the other spent 90 minutes. The difference was one was a pushover and one knew how to put her foot down. Let’s suppose I am “a pushover” or simply don’t like hostile and uncomfortable social situations. Why should I have to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars more for a car? I get dickering over a used car where there’s all sorts of variables and you’re making a somewhat subjective assertion of value, but a new car is a 100% known commodity. The sole purpose of haggling in that situation is to soak more money out of people who don’t like haggling. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2014, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/44 "2014-12-31T00:44:33Z")
> [@elninost0rm](#): > > I’ve never had a problem getting decent financing through the finance manager / dealership. My wife bought a _used_ car last night with a 2.46% rate. My credit union offered 2.5% on 60-month loans. YMMV and I guess credit score is a factor as well. Agreed. The last time I bought a car, the dealership offered a much better deal than my bank did. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/45 "2015-01-01T01:52:52Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > I must also confess to never having bought a new car (or any car from a dealer for that matter), but my impression here is that the advertised price is pretty much what you’ll walk away paying, unless you also opt for some sort of extended maintenance or warranty. The second part of that quote proves that the first part is true. You clearly have never bought from a dealer. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/46 "2015-01-01T04:29:25Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Thinking of a major purchase in terms of the payment amount is one of the worst single mistakes a consumer can make. > > It’s a factor, certainly - but it should only apply in a narrow sense to a buying choice. True, but many Americans have no option but car ownership. Paying cash for a car is an option available to few, and public transportation is often an unavailable alternative. ---
**Author:** ![DingoelGringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@DingoelGringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DingoelGringo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/47 "2015-01-01T04:31:16Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > So the wife’s at work, the daughter’s with the grandparents and it’s just me and my son in the house. Great, I’ll be able to watch the cricket. Unfortunately New Zealand won early (by 8 wickets, nice!) so I thought I’d watch an NFL game. > > Every commercial break was dominated by car ads, which prominently display the monthly payments, interest rates and all sorts of cash back deals but not a single one of the dozen or so I saw even hinted at the price of the car. Hell even an ad for an iphone through one of the mobile providers was all about the zero dollars down deal without once saying what the phone costs. Is this usual in the US? > > While some car ads here go for a ‘high’ concept [approach](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JspHqoegTkc) most put the price [front](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQJ__FpzOCg)and [centre](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myMvIunLh3k). Why the coyness in the US ads? They are ashamed of how much they are expecting people to pay for a car! ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/48 "2015-01-01T05:00:19Z")
> [@GreasyJack](#): > > I think ideally this is the best way to do it these days, but the only problem is that most dealers are very reluctant to give you a straightforward out-the-door price over the phone or e-mail. It’s also easy to say “I’m walking out the door if you charge anything more than you told me” but once you’re in the door it’s hard to say you’re going to start the whole process over for a few bucks here and there, especially if the next dealer might be 10’s to 100’s of miles away. Some of the power of the internet would be the customers communicating, though. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard about sites out there that are beginning to compile lists of what people are paying for cars. Previously, I had no idea what other people were paying for cars, but if I know that a particular car/option package is going for about $27K in my area, my negotiating ability becomes somewhat less important. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/49 "2015-01-01T07:12:55Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > The second part of that quote proves that the first part is true. You clearly have never bought from a dealer. No, he has never bought in the US. I have bought in and out of the US and much prefer the model where you pick cars to try based on size and price, go to the different dealerships and get one. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/50 "2015-01-01T09:31:45Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Car dealers love people who believe this to be the case. There are some dealers who won’t negotiate: Honda is notorious for this, and I’ll never buy another one. But most will play the game. MSRP is a suggested price, not a firm price. The object is to get the price down as close to factory invoice as possible. > . I got 3 Honda dealerships to bid against each other by traveling to all 3, getting their bids, and then getting the one closest to me honor the lowest price of the 3. It sometimes helps if you dont have a trade in. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/51 "2015-01-01T09:34:43Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > They don’t give the price because they don’t want you thinking you can’t afford the car and staying home, they want you down at the dealership so they can put you in a car you can afford, or that they can fool you into thinking you can afford. It’s a lot easier to hard sell someone who’s already in your office. True, what sounds better? Telling a person a car cost $30,000 or telling them its only $249 a month? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2015, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418/52 "2015-01-01T11:36:40Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > As a former car salesman I’ll say that definitely helped. If it’s the end of the month, one of two things is true. Either the manager has not yet reached his quota, in which case he really needs to sell you that car and will be willing to make let profit, and thus lessen the chances of getting in trouble with the general sales manager; or he has already met his quota, in which case every sale he makes adds to the bonus he’s getting that month. > > You were also wise to get the loan through your credit union. The dealership’s finance manager is not your friend. Hell, he’s not even the salesman’s friend. I’ve always been offered a better rate from dealer-arranged financing. Credit unions aren’t some magical unicorn. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-us-car-ads-tell-you-the-price/708418.md?page=2)