Consumer Caution from Jeff D'Ambrosio CDJR
At Jeff D'Ambrosio Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, we are committed to giving you the best buying experience possible. That means that we make sure our inventory offers you an impressive variety of new and used vehicles at the lowest possible prices and that our sales team works tirelessly to get you what you need. We want you to feel like you're a part of our family, and that means you should get straightforward information, the best quality vehicles possible, and some perks because we value you. We know the dealership experience that we provide is NOT the standard everywhere, and we're shocked at some of the things we've heard from customers. To save you from the same fate, we've put together some examples of things you should watch out for: loopholes and tricks that some dealers use to get you in the door. You deserve better, so let's arm you with information so you can control your dealership destiny.
Trick #1: The Triple the Rebate Option (Or So They Claim)
Listen, you know the drill: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The same is true with any dealer that is offering to triple the rebate or incentive on a vehicle. Business doesn't work like that--they've got to make money to keep their doors open, so there's got to be a catch somewhere in this deal. Let's look a little deeper. The first red flag should be their advertised sample payment. If you see a dealer offering you a special APR (or interest rate) AND all of the rebates, that's a problem. You won't be able to qualify for both, which means that low advertised payment is already going to be higher. Take a look at the down payment as well. Are you prepared to put nearly $7000 down on your vehicle? Good, because you should prepare for more because that gasp-inducing price doesn't include tax, tag, and all fees--so it will keep climbing. To be sure, to get that payment to be $388 a month, you're going to have to put down a lot more money.
All right, now let's compare the MSRP from the dealer's online listing to the one on the manufacturer's window sticker. Do you notice anything fishy? The dealer "list price" is actually $2000 MORE than the manufacturer MSRP--which means the HUGE deal they're giving you isn't actually that much better, because they're marking up their vehicles to make the discounts look even better. This move is classic, and one that we've seen over and over again. No dealer can give you such a deep discount without making it up somehow. Do your homework so you know what you're working with!
Before you walk into the dealership or click to call about this deal, make sure that you check the disclaimers. The longer the disclaimer and the fine print, the more digging you should do! This disclaimer? WHOA. Their dealer fee is separated into two sections, so that you'll think you're not paying quite as much, but totals nearly $1100. Right after that dealer fee, they explain the reason why that sample payment they sold you on won't fly once you start the financing process by saying that offers can't be used in conjunction--EXCEPT THEY USE THEM IN THEIR VEHICLE LISTING! We agree that showing a potential payment can be helpful, but if a customer doesn't understand all the details, they won't understand why things don't work out the way the website says it will. This dealer also refers to the MSRP, which they don't even show you, but...and here's the best part...they tell you to consult the dealer for actual price and details. What does that even mean?! If what they're listing on their vehicle page is not true or accurate, what IS accurate? Well, don't fall in love with that price for another reason--the vehicle shown might actually have additional equipment that isn't included in the cost. Finally, you get to the standard disclosure, price, and payment information, which mentions that you are still responsible for the tax, tag, and documentation charges. Obviously, this dealership is hoping to woo you into coming into their dealership, based on discounts and monthly prices, without showing you a clear breakdown of how those prices will happen.
Trick #2: Hiding the Price Breakdown
There's nothing more exasperating than wondering how $43,265 magically becomes $38,812--unless you assume that it happens for anyone who buys this car. We know that's not the case, but customers might not, based on this online vehicle listing.
The principles on a dealer website should be the principles you learned in 2nd grade math: SHOW YOUR WORK! But this dealer buries the lead into the vehicle description, which finally gets down to the details: they're using a lease conquest/lease loyaty rebate AND a military program rebate to get to that online advertised price. Think about how many people are both active or retired military AND have a current lease--would you consider that a large section of the vehicle-buying population? Probably not. If you don't fit into those categories, your price will increase about $1500 over the advertised price. That's a nice surprise, right? This dealer also does not disclose dealer fee amount, so you won't know until the very end of the vehicle purchase process how much EXTRA money you'll have to come up with. Without these fees disclosed, the dealer has the option of adjusting the fee whenever they want, even on an individual deal. And guess what? You've got the dealer-installed option loophole as well, which forces you to pay for things you may not even want if you love this vehicle.
Trick #3: The Lowest Price Guarantee--Unless You're Financing
Sometimes you'll find dealers who try to win you over with a "lowest price guarantee," a deal that says they'll beat any written offer by a certain amount. It sounds great--but it's a play to get you in the door and undercut competitors BECAUSE they're pretty sure they won't have the lowest price. They're not saying that every price on the lot will beat their nearest competitor by 5 or 6%--they're saying they'll take whatever the final negotiated price is and beat it. Some dealers, like this one, will also give you an "everyone's price," implying that regardless of your credit score or financing situation, this will be your price. But then they undermine their own claim by giving AN ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT to people who finance their vehicles.
Take a look at their disclosure--if you can't tell, this is where you'll find the real information about a dealer and how they operate. While every dealership will have a disclosure on their websites, not all dealerships use it to hide information about price or fees. In the disclosure, the dealership says that the advertise dprice does not include finance charges. Above, they advertise a finance bonus cash incentive for those who choose to finance their vehicle. What other charges are they adding to the price? The dealer fee is nearly $1000, without the documentation charge which doesn't have an amount. The admin fee, then, will be more than $1,000!
Trick #4: The Dealer-Installed Accessories Price Hijack
Dealerships sometimes list the all-inclusive "price may not include dealer installed accessories," which means you may have just fallen in love with that red Charger but it may include an undisclosed amount of accessories that puts the price out of your reach. In this example, the dealer doens't give you any idea what those items are or what they cost, which gives them the ability to adjust the price on the fly for you as they negotiate your deal. Wouldn't you want to know ahead of time what the value of those items are so you can effectively compare? Some dealers we've seen will disclose what accessories are on the vehicle when you're speaking to them via text or email, only to add them to the final price when you arrive to finalize your deal.
This customer approach continues in their disclosure, where they separate the administrative fees so you may not realize that the total is $2 shy of $1000. That's not all, though. They also say that that internet price that caught your eye might actually include trade-in value or "subprime" requirements--so does that mean that if you have great credit you have to pay MORE?! That's completely backward. The vagueness of the details means that these items could be added back to the price once you begin to negotiate the deal, all so they can make more money. Bait and switch!
Don't go through the dealer runaround! Come to D'Ambrosio CDJR, where we'll give you straightforward information and a fair deal no matter who you are. We'll be upfront about the price, give you the best deal we can, and earn your repeat business and your positive reviews. That's our commitment to you--don't settle for less!