10 Car Salesman Lies I Learned when Buying a Car

Today’s topic is going to be different than usual. Natalia and I recently bought a new car, and the experience was quite stressful. However, we did get the purchase that we wanted, and we’re happy with it. The problem is with the ethics of the dealerships. I don’t think I’ve been lied to that many times (by that many car salesmen) in my entire life.

To help my readers out, I thought I would share my experience with you. Here’s 10 lies that I was told.. along with the truth.

Lie #1: We’re just trying to be your friend

Truth: They’re just trying to get my money. I had so many people treat me as if I was King Tut. But at the end of the day, it’s the bottom line that they’re worried about. A friend would sell you a used car when you say you want a used car. A car salesmen lists all the reasons why you’re wrong for wanting a used car, and tries to get you to buy the new, more expensive vehicle.

Lie #2: This used car will sell fast!! It’s a great deal!! An old lady is inside trying to buy “your car” right now, but her credit is sketchy. Better get it before it’s gone.

Truth: Yes.. the salesman actually told me that someone was trying to buy “my car” (referring to the one I was about to test drive) but had sketchy credit. Question: How does he know she has bad credit?? He doesn’t. It was a lie to try to get me to buy quickly without thinking. Do they make only one Honda Civic?? He might only have one on the lot, but his competitors will have one if he doesn’t.

Lie #3: This car has low miles & a low price because we got a good deal on it during the trade.

Truth: This car has something wrong with it. Do you think they would sell a car cheaper just because they got it cheaper? I doubt it. They’ll mark it at what it’s worth to get even more money out of it. Silly Rabbit… tricks are for kids!

Lie #4: But… But… the car has a clean Carfax.

Truth: That might not include small, unreported accidents or mechanical problems. Get away from me with that nonsense!!

Lie #5: We can’t go any lower in price. We have no more negotiating room.

Truth: I was told this at one of the places I did not buy from. The car was listed online for $14,991. When I got to the lot, it was listed on the sticker as $17,999. I didn’t tell the salesman that I had seen the online price. I wanted to see how low he could go. He said that the absolute furthest he could come down was $17,300. Get out of here with that nonsense!! After insisting that he wouldn’t go any lower, Natalia and I got up to walk out. That’s when the price magically did the impossible and dropped $2,000 dollars to $15,300!! No more wiggle room!! HA! We never did get him down to the internet price. We just walked out and took our business elsewhere.

Lie #6: I am just trying to get you in the perfect car. I wouldn’t deceive you. I wouldn’t deceive you.

Truth: The salesman from above that wouldn’t lower the price was the one who kept saying that. I knew he was lying!!! And yet, he kept telling me he wouldn’t lie to me. That just added insult to injury.

Lie #7: You can trust the finance guy more than the car salesman.

Truth: The finance guy is worse!! He’s the ultimate upseller. He tells you all the extras that are essential!!! Watch out for these guys. They’re salesmen on steroids.

Lie #8: You can get this car for 0% down.

Truth: Yeah, you can. Then they’ll hit you with gap insurance because you are a higher risk, and it will cost you more money. Don’t do it. Save up a down payment like we did to avoid this.

Lie #9: The extra extended warranty is essential if you don’t want a high repair bill. We see cars in here all the time that have air conditioning that goes out right after the warranty expires.

Truth: Thanks for just telling me that your cars are junk.  Smooth. It was just a scare tactic to try to get me to buy an expensive warranty. I’ll take my chances. I’ve never had A/C go out.

Lie #10: We can’t sell your car on the lot. Your trade-in offer is $300.

Truth: Not a typo. They offered me $300 for my trade-in on my 2001 Ford Escort. It wasn’t in the best of shape, but it runs. Are you telling me that an Xbox 360 is worth just as much as a car? I think not. They ended up giving me $1,000 for it. That’s all I wanted to part ways with it.

I learned an easy way to tell whether a car salesman is lying or telling the truth.

If he’s talkin’ .. he’s lyin..