Brian, let me ask you something. Have you ever seen a car listed online at an incredible price, driven to the dealership excited, and then discovered the real price was thousands more? You are not alone. This is one of the most common bait and switch tactics in the modern car business, and it has gotten more sophisticated in the internet age.
Here is how it works. Dealerships know that the lowest price on AutoTrader or Cars dot com gets the most clicks. So they advertise a price that includes every possible discount, whether you qualify or not. Military discount. College grad discount. Loyalty discount for owning a previous model. First responder discount. Sometimes they stack four or five of these together to get that advertised number as low as possible.
You show up and the salesperson says, oh, that price includes the military discount. Are you active military? No? Okay, so the price is actually twenty-eight thousand, not twenty-four thousand. Surprise.
Some dealers go even further. They will list a price that assumes you are financing through them at a terrible interest rate. The low sticker price is subsidized by the high-rate loan. If you want to pay cash or use your own financing, the price goes up. They literally charge you more for not borrowing money from them. Think about that for a second.
And then there are the online-only specials that require you to come in to claim them. You drive thirty minutes to the dealership, you have invested time and energy, and now you feel committed. Sunk cost fallacy kicks in. The dealer is counting on you being too invested to walk away over a few thousand dollar discrepancy.
The defense is simple but it requires discipline. Before you drive anywhere, email or text the internet sales manager. Say: I want to confirm the out-the-door price on stock number whatever, including all taxes, title, and fees. I do not qualify for any special discounts. I will be using my own financing. Get that number in writing — an email, a text, even a screenshot of a chat. If the number changes when you arrive, you have leverage. And if they will not give you a straight answer over email, that tells you everything you need to know about that dealership.