[Nathans_Dad]

So Por_Sha, I guess the question is although all these actions may be explainable on technical terms I think you would agree they are not completely honest or up front ways of doing things. Why do car dealers insist on doing this stuff? I mean it has gotten to the point of being cliche. That's why people are already on the defensive when they go into a car dealer, they KNOW all the BS shenanigans that go on.

As for the finance people, I think it goes a little beyond offering a "dessert". I would say it would be more like forcing you to wait after your meal and then go into a room to talk to someone about actually being able to sign your bill. That person proceeds to try to sell you life insurance (which is overpriced and generally not anywhere near as good as a policy you could get otherwise) as well as all sorts of packages for coupons for repeat meals at the restaurant (as long as you come on certain days and oh, by the way the prices on the coupons are actually exactly the same or more than what you would pay al a cart). Then when you decline these things and ask for your check the "finance manager" proceeds to berate you about how stupid you are for declining these very sensible offers. It's really a ridiculous practice.

Some of my favorites from prior car dealership experiences:

One place had a "dealer special" that was placed on every single car on their lot. It consisted of a window tint (at double what you would pay on the market), "vehicle lusterizing sealant", fabric protection (for $300...try a couple of cans of Scotchgard instead), "sound deadening", etc. This stuff was done on all their vehicles so there was no escaping it.

That same place offered a maintenance coupon deal from the finance manager. I actually took them up on it because it sounded like a decent deal. Reduced oil changes, free car wash and detail when you get service, etc. Guess what? The "reduced oil change" was a coupon for 20% off the cost of the oil change. Well, if you look at what that dealer charged for the oil change in the first place, it was 40% higher than say Jiffy Lube. So, you got 20% off a product that was 40% overpriced. What a deal!! Oh and the "wash and detail" was them running the car through their automated wash without even drying it.

This kind of crap is why people go into car dealerships with their guard up and radar on. It is the rule in car dealerships and not the exception. Why is it necessary to try and use dirty tricks to make a living?? I guess you could say "vote with your feet" but when every single dealer is pulling the same crap, you eventually have to hold your nose and deal with one. I will say that IF you can get a dealership to deal with you strictly over the internet and get them bidding against each other you can often times get excellent deals without having to sit in a dealership for 5 hours. The only caveat is the "bait and switch" type stuff where they will suddenly no longer have the car you were discussing over the internet when you arrive and you have to start over. Or, you get what happened to me; one quote over the phone "Yes sir, this is a firm deal. Just come in and do the paperwork." Then when you arrive the sales manager says "Well, that salesman wasn't authorized to make that offer from me so it doesn't really count."