Buying a car can be overwhelming and if you’re not careful, it can easily be taken advantage of. Even after you’ve done the research and looked at online quotes and price comparisons, dealers still find ways to make the process confusing.
Couple catches car salesman lying
TikTok user Olivia (@sylver.witch) shared her recent experience buying a Toyota Sienna, and she says things got suspicious.
“Three things are true this morning,” she says in her video. “Car salesmen are liars, they don’t like being caught, and it’s hilarious to see an Italian man get angry.”
Olivia explains that she and her husband had been shopping for a Sienna for a while. They had already collected several quotes, including one from the online team of the same dealer. But when they showed up in person to meet with different vendors, they were told something different.
“He says, ‘There’s no negotiation. The Toyota Siennas have a suggested retail price,'” she says, referring to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.
“We pride ourselves on our honesty and integrity. This is just the price you get,” she remembers him saying.
But Olivia’s husband, Justin, wasn’t convinced. “He says, ‘Well, this is off to a really bad start,’” she says. When the salesperson looked confused, Justin pulled up the dealer’s own online quote, a quote that offered a lower price.
“He says, ‘When we first started, you told me you value integrity and honesty. That’s not what I see now,’” she says.
‘We were not supposed to give that discount’
Things escalated when the dealer’s manager came by. “He said, ‘Yes, sorry, that was a mistake. Our sales associate wasn’t supposed to discount the Sienna,'” Olivia says.
Still, the manager decided to honor the quote. “He says, ‘We weren’t supposed to give you this $500 discount, but we’re going to honor it — and to show good faith, I’m going to give you another $200.’”
Olivia says she appreciated the small price drop, but wasn’t sure she believed the “error” statement. “I think they got caught,” she says. “If they were really not allowed to give that discount, then I feel sorry for that bad reputation.”
She ends the video asking her viewers, “What do you think?”
Commentators are on the buyer’s side
In the comments, many users supported Olivia and said the seller’s excuse sounded unconvincing.
“They act like the market is booming right now,” one person wrote. “Sounds vague.”
Another shared insider knowledge: “If you, as an ex-salesperson, worked with someone on the Internet, you should have worked with the person on the Internet. It’s all a game, but Toyotas usually don’t drop prices much.”
Others said they have seen similar tactics. “Many dealers have moved to no-haggle pricing, but the internet side sometimes has better deals. It’s all about who gets the credit for the sale,” one user explained.
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Source: Jeff Perez / Motor1
What buyers need to know
According to AutoEdgeTactics like the ones Olivia described aren’t exactly rare. Some dealers try to create a sense of urgency by telling customers that the price they are offering is “good today only.” In reality, that same deal will probably still be there tomorrow, or even next week.
Another common rule is that the dealer “loses money” on the sale. That is almost never true. Between manufacturer rebates, financing commissions and warranties, there’s always profit in there somewhere.
Then there’s the classic “someone else is about to buy it” shot, designed to get you to commit before you’re ready. Dealers also like to inflate trade-in values to make you feel like you’re getting a good deal, when in reality they just put that money back somewhere else.
And when they say the car has a ‘clean history’, AutoEdge suggests not to assume that this means it is error-free. They warn that even cars with perfect reports can have hidden problems, which is why it’s always worth having your own inspection done.
The bottom line is, if a deal seems rushed or too good to be true, it probably is.
Engine1 has contacted Olivia via Instagram messages for more information and will update this article following her response.
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