Never Say These 4 Things at a Car Dealership: “They’ll Cost You Thousands”
A sales rep advises aspiring car owners to keep their emotions at bay.
Whether you’re a first-time car buyer or in the market for an upgrade, browsing for a shiny new vehicle is fun stuff. However, it can also be stressful, overwhelming, and downright exhausting. Before you step foot on a car lot, we highly suggest looking at your finances and doing your own research. Then, when it comes time to woo over the sales rep, familiarize yourself with the dos and don’ts of dealership jargon. In a viral clip, car salesman and TikToker Roman (@theromandrives) shares four things you should never utter at a dealership—doing so could wind up “costing you thousands.” Read his advice here.
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1
“I love this car.”
According to Roman, one of the biggest mistakes a prospective car buyer can make is telling a salesperson, “I love this car.”
“If you do, then they know they got you [and] it’s over,” he says.
U.S. News & World Report has similar advice and notes that a sales rep will use your excitement to “move you toward the deal they want to give you.” Which, in many cases, isn’t always the best one.
“A car purchase is a business transaction—nothing more, nothing less. Do your best to keep your emotions in check. At any stage in the car-buying process, you need to be able to walk away from the table. It’s harder to do when you’re in love with the car, and good car salespeople know that,” says the media outlet.
2
“I can only afford…”
Secondly, don’t ever tell a car dealership, “I can only afford $500 a month.” (Or however much the top end of your budget is.)
A sales rep will use this information to their advantage, likely putting you at a financial disadvantage. “So now, a dealership will stretch your payments up to 84 months, and they will pack your payments with all the extra products they have available,” warns Roman.
They can get away with this because, argumentatively, they’re still respecting your $500 monthly budget. Of course, that’s probably not what you had in mind when you initially shared your max budget.
Some of these added expenses may include:
- Certain warranties
- Gap tires
- Windshield protection
“That’s most stuff you probably don’t even need,” Roman points out.
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3
“I’m trading in my car.”
Never tell a car salesperson that you plan to trade in your current vehicle.
“Now the dealership knows they have control on both sides of the deal—for the new car and your trade-in,” explains Roman.
Instead, he recommends checking available trade-in offers on reputable sites like Carvana, CarMax, and Vroom.
Likewise, U.S. News & World Report says that revealing you have a trade-in “adds another ingredient to the car-buying stew they’ll cook up for you.” Introducing other variables gives a dealership more opportunities “to manipulate the final price or monthly payment.”
“For example, they can lowball your trade-in value, and then lower the price of your new car to make it look more attractive. Or, they may show you a higher value for your trade-in and tell you they’re being generous, only for you to then notice that the price of your new car went up,” reports the consumer outlet.
4
“I need a car today.”
But above all else, don’t ever walk into a dealership with this mantra: “I need a car today.”
That sense of urgency is “actually music to their ears,” Roman shares. “Now they know it is over for you [because] you’ll buy a car no matter what today.”
This gives sales reps more pull during the negotiation process and leeway to sneak in extra (read: unnecessary) incentives.
They could also be under the impression that you won’t be reading the fine print of your contract, which you most definitely should. In fact, get a second set of eyeballs to glance it over, too.
