Avoid car dealer tricks by buying your next car online part 2
Avoid car dealer tricks by buying your next car online part 2
Posted on October 23, 2020
If you read last week’s post, you will remember that we covered a neat side benefit of buying your next car online. That benefit was avoiding all those tricks some lower quality car dealers use to part you with your cash.
As that post seemed popular, I thought I would outline a few more tricks low quality dealers use. It will not only give you more reason to buy a car online but also alert you to potential pitfalls if you do go to a dealership.
Those tricks are:
Limited time offers
Limited time offers are designed to create a sense of urgency. It’s a tactic used by many salespeople across all industries. The idea is to create an artificial time limit to prompt you into making a hasty decision on the spot.
Sometimes there is a genuine time limit such as for manufacturer rebates but many are created purely to hook you in and then create that sense of urgency.
You’re not the only interested party
Ever heard this on a forecourt? ‘Someone else is coming to see it in a couple of hours so you need to be quick.’ This is another trick to create urgency and to provoke fear of missing out (FOMO). This is a very effective tactic as FOMO works on almost everyone.
Nobody wants to miss a bargain and nobody likes the idea of losing out to someone else. It’s usually just a tactic. If a dealer wants to sell you a car, they will find you another if that model is sold.
I’m a fan too
All salespeople are trained to look for common ground in order to create a relationship. The idea is that you become an instant friend, with all those obligations that come with friendship, like helping them out.
You will usually find it more difficult to say no to a friend rather than a stranger and that’s all this is about. They aren’t your friend, they just want the sale. Be friendly and make a connection by all means, but always remember their motives.
We’ll settle the finance
If you’re part-exchanging a car on finance, the dealer may offer to pay it off for you. We have seen this before, although not recently. A customer trades in a financed car, the dealer offers to pay it off and subtracts the amount from the part-exchange value. Only for the customer to receive a letter a few weeks later asking you they didn’t make their payment.
Always say no to this offer and always pay off your own finance.
There are literally hundreds of tricks some car dealers use to shift inventory. I could write a dozen blog posts at least, but I won’t. Suffice to say, if you don’t like the traditional dealership experience, try buying your next car online!