Contacted salesman online to purchase a new vehicle. Explained I’d be paying cash (mistake?). Deal sheet emailed, price out the door looked right. Went to the dealership to finalize everything, and I ended up walking out. With $35,000 cash to spend elsewhere. It all went weird when they insisted on running my credit. It’s not great, hence why I’m paying full price upfront. They then wanted me to sign “a backup contract”. I’m paying cash. I offer to pay however they want— cashier’s check, ach, wire transfer. Their words to me, exactly: “you need a 700+ credit score to use ach.” Ten seconds later I’m out the door, disgusted. What happened here?

I had excellent credit until my husband died. I found out afterward that he made some very bad financial decisions. We lived in a community property state, so I was liable for those. I have since moved and sold my old house. My credit rating is much worse now, as we were in foreclosure. My car is 16 years old, on its last legs and I'm shopping for a new one.

I can pay cash for a used car. Should I let the dealer know that up front? Or will I get a better deal if I try to finance at what I know will be a very high rate and then pay it off immediately (assuming there's no penalty for this)?

So I have a 2004 Dodge Dakota SLT+ 4x4. It has the Chrysler 4.7 v8 in it, is lifted and has just shy of 84100 original miles. It is mechanically sound, and I just recently changed the spark plugs as well as water pump preventatively.

It does have some issues, though. The previous owner damaged it some. Not reported accidents and the frame is fine but the passenger door got messed up somehow, and though it does shut and the interior doesn't get wet or anything like that, if you leave the interior handle open a little bit it won't shut.

It has a canopy and bed liner, but the rear stud on the bed for the tailgate to latch is a little off, so the tailgate doesn't close flush and one side doesn't securely latch. It'll close, but you can easily pull it open on that side.

Also, the rear passenger driver side door has a small dent in it and the interior driver side door panel is broken. The plate that covers the window cluster is split in half and glued back together and the door panel was never fully put back on. Like, it's on, but the people who put it on seem to be dumb and it never sat flush and a couple of the plastic parts for the screws appear to be broken from trying to screw it flush.

As a non mechanic or auto body person it's my professional assessment it needs to be replaced.

The window cluster works fine, though, and so do all 4 windows. Tires are good. Driver seat is a little blown out from previous owner but considering shes mechanically sound and starts all the time every time I think she's a good little truck.

But it just doesn't quite fit my needs right now, so I tried listing it on marketplace and I got a lot of offers for 6500 when I listed it but I really do not like going through marketplace and craigslist and dealing with that whole process and no dealership near me offered me close to that for it. So I put it through carmaxs evaluation and they offered me 5000.

Wondering what everyones opinion about the selling process of Carmax is and if yall think it's worth it just to avoid the hassle and tire kickers.

Thanks in advance.

I work at an auto dismantling business in Kazakhstan, and lately I've been curious about how the industry works in the US and Canada.
From the outside, it seems like the market there is much more developed, especially when it comes to used parts, vehicle inventory, online sales, and the software businesses use to keep everything organized.
Where I work, a lot of things are still fairly manual, and different businesses seem to have their own way of tracking vehicles, engines, parts, sales, locations, etc.
I'm trying to understand how different that is from what happens in North America.
For those of you who work at dealerships, salvage yards, used-parts businesses, or have experience with that side of the industry:
What does your day-to-day system actually look like?
What do you use to keep track of inventory and parts? Is it specialized software, a DMS, spreadsheets, something custom, or a combination?
And what parts of the process are still frustrating or unnecessarily manual?
I'm especially interested in things like:
keeping track of dismantled vehicles and their parts
knowing where a specific part physically is
inventory and labeling
pricing used parts
online listings and sales
orders and shipping
warranties / returns
keeping vehicle and parts information connected
I'm asking because I'm working on some ideas around this industry myself, but I realized I have a very limited view of how things are done outside Kazakhstan.
I'd rather hear from people actually working in the industry than make assumptions from what I find online.
Curious how different it is over there.

Looking at buying a car and 2 options I'm faced with finance:

1) 48 month repayment @ 6% (initially offered was 8.5%) with a balloon payment at the end of 4 years, or the option to refinance the Guaranteed Future Value

2) Do I pay out the entirety of the loan over the specified period?

I'm looking at buying a car (2026 Altima SV AWD) and I've been doing some research, I have value quotes from multiple websites like KBB, carfax, car guru, etc. and I wanted to know what all I should actually bring to get the best deal.

Are there any specific things I should bring or resources I should check before trying to negotiate. I'm not sure if this would change anything since im looking for general advise and resources but I am in OK.

First things first. I have power of attorney for my friend. He purchased a used vehicle in Georgia. Dealer did his due diligence and understood my friend’s desire to register the vehicle in Mexico. So he received a 45-day temp tag and became a “temporary registered owner” as far as the Georgia DMV is concerned. The current “full” RO – Andrea D. – is the prior owner.

Buddy ends up being arrested in Texas, the jail’s impound lot license plate search for the temp tag only hits for Andrea. They are not allowing anybody but Andrea to pick up the truck or access the documents inside (title, bill of sale, notarized title transfer paperwork). We have photos of everything just not the physical documents. Sheriffs deputy explicitly told my friend to leave everything in the truck – keys and all paperwork proving ownership. He has insurance under his name.

Are we SOL? Or is there an avenue to establish ownership of the vehicle with digital copies or through the dealership where the sale occurred? Currently the vehicle’s title is out of North Carolina.

I'd be flying into San Antonio from out of state so hoping to make this as smooth as possible. Since his arrest he has accumulated more than $1,035 in tow and storage fees.

Pertinent info regarding Texas’ tow laws.

Ever since last week, every customer has a bargaining chip that the hottest luxury vehicle should be significantly lower because the 2027 models are out which have no updates.

Ive used logic and ive honestly playfully laughed and mentioned “man if i had a dime everytime i heard that this week Id buy the vehicle for you” I worry i may sound like a dick but the people that have used it the most turned out to be tire kicking before i use it.

How can i explain it in a way where its obvious they arent the first ones to try that line and it isnt going to be what you expected without messing up the shine on their shoes?

I own a 2019 Honda Accord LX (the 1.5T notorious for blowing a headgasket) with ~126,700 miles. My headgasket, is in fact, blown. Luckily they released a warranty for free headgasket repair as long as your car is under 150k miles and has specific codes (which I do have). Also we did a boro scope check and confirmed coolant on spark plugs 2,3, and 4. We booked an appointment for Tuesday then got a call today saying due to a branded title, our appointment is canceled and ineligible for free repair. They sent over the CarFax and it says that the vehicle was marked with 124,868 miles on 12/20/25, 5 days before the sale to Owner #3 (who sold it to us private-party). On the documented title transfer to Owner #3 on 12/25/25, it says mileage is 124,789 miles. It looks to me like Owner #3 mis input the mileage by roughly 100 miles, and because of that the title was marked branded. And also because of that, I may have to spend hella time and money fixing it up. Is this reversible? We do our own maintenance so I don’t have documented mileage.

(EDIT FOR TLDR)
TLDR; Is a branded title due to a suspected misinput reversible without documentation of current mileage? If not, what should I do? It’s making me ineligible for an important warranty.

I’m 60 ( everyone mistakes me 40… young in heart and body… don’t plant to really retire - would like a career I’ll enjoy for life) and looking for a career change after fraud caused total financial loss.

I’ve run a business my whole life so I understand sales CRM’s pipelines, my partner she’s a content creator, so we also understand how to market and nurture relationships.

I’ve been reading the forum a lot and hearing that a bunch of people here talking about the money really comes from picking a good dealership that has a good payment plan commission rate, etc. package…

This is all foreign to me and I’ve been offered a job at Ford in my town, however, I still wanted to shop around and apply to other places before taking that job offer.

What are the things I should consider if I’m trying to make 100 K minimum goal. I’m ready to work my ass off to rebuild my life . I’ve read all the car sales and sales general books I could…passed my interviews in flying colours.

The payment structure is what’s confusing me and wanted help from another brother out there with experience . 🙏 🇨🇦

Hi everyone,

I’m in Georgia, and I recently sold my Camry to a Toyota dealer, and I’m left with a couple of questions. I’m wondering if anyone can give me some assurance I’m in the clear.

1. I was expecting the bill of sale, or some other document, specify that I’m selling the car as is, and the dealer recognizes this, and I will not be responsible for future repairs. However, all I saw were confirmations that the mileage is true, the car hasn’t been salvaged, been in a flood, to the best of my ability.

Is this normal? Can the dealership call me down the road and say I’m liable for X, Y, Z repairs?

1. I was asked to sign the Form T-8s Georgia Secure Power of Attorney Form. I asked AI the purpose of this, and they said since I had the title in hand, I didn’t need to do this. However, dealer was firm I had to do this. Can someone shed some light here?

Edit- car paid off, no lien.

Thanks in advance!

When will it be available? Any real insights beyond what can be searched on line?

So I’m in the market for my first car and at this point I know I’m going to finance a used car from Clutch. I have two questions about the best way to go about this from a money standpoint.

1. Whats the max I should spend on a down payment? The cars im looking at are all in the 17-19k CAD range, and I have 13k in my savings. I know the more i spend up front the less I have to pay monthly, and thus overall, but at the same time I don’t want to empty my wallet on a car.

2. Whats a good term length? A shorter term means paying more each month but less overall (especially if the interest rate is higher) and vice versa. If i can afford a short term is there any reason to go for a longer term, or should i always go as short as possible?

3. If I finance through clutch themselves the interest rate is 8%, thats high right? What’s considered a “good” interest rate?

Thanks! And feel free to add anything else you feel is important to keep in mind.

Firstly, what would even be considered a good deal currently for a new Corolla in Houston, Texas? I'm not sure what's reasonable and what's pushing it or what's totally unacceptable to offer.

In terms of conditions, would it be better for us to hold out towards the end of the month? Is the season getting even busier thus making it harder for me to get a deal if there's great demand?

I try not to play into the friction that makes tension between dealer and buyer, but what needs to happen for a dealer to meet me closer to a reasonable middle ground?

Hello! I’m wanting to trade in my current car, 2023 Nissan Kicks, to get a cheaper monthly payment. I am struggling to pay it off and refinancing is unfortunately not an option for me. My credit isn’t good because I don’t have the money to pay it off. (Trying to find a new job right now).

I current have paid off 46% of my loan, which is 15k. My original amount financed is 28k with an APR of 8.89%.

I am 22, struggling to make ends meet, and my parents kind of screwed me over with this car. My monthly payments are $502 and my insurance is $165.

I’m just trying to see what I can possibly do to lower any bills I have. Would there be a way to simply sell the car and buy a cash car? I don’t think so since I don’t technically own it.

I know private party is an option, but I’m not very knowledgeable with cars in general (hence why I’m on Reddit asking for help lol).

TDLR: Can I trade in my current car that has a negative equity with my 620 credit score at a lower monthly payment? Is private party the best option here?

I have been helping someone recently purchase a vehicle, and in doing so I have, at 4 seperate dealerships under 4 different networks, encountered this exact same thing.

I ask for OTD pricing on the vehicle, the salesman gets the paperwork and shows me. I push back in some way on the pricing (dealer fee, warranty, typical stuff), and the salesman gets the sales manager. sales manager proceeds to explain that he is completely unable to reduce the price because the “new AI pricing system” makes it so he literally can not do so. Then of course I tell him politely that we are gonna have to walk, when suddenly the “AI pricing system” allows him to take $500 off.

Not even joking, I’ve heard almost word for word this exact same line from 4 different dealers in a couple different states. I suppose the average middle aged-elderly person is not hip enough to understand that AI is not some unmovable force preventing cars from being sold, but even then I find it hard to believe that this is effective at all.

I last purchased a vehicle through the traditional dealer buying process maybe a year or so ago, and I never got this one, it was always the “we are losing so much on this car” angle or similar.

Is this tactic being widely coached in this profession as of late?

My annual income is $160k a year and I decided to go buy a new Palisade. I am very familiar with the finance process, I've bought multiple cars. The first thing that happened during this transaction is the finance manager. Tried to tell me the 2027 models were in short supply.... which was a little weird because they just started making them and I was pretty confident they would make more. I'm in no hurry to buy a car. They asked me four times what payment I would be comfortable with and I told them I wanted to focus on the price of the car. I initially asked them what national finance rates they had on the vehicle, and the sales person didn't seem to know which I thought was very strange. I actually had to ask if Hyundai no longer had their own finance company. Then they tried to tell me that I most likely would not qualify for their prime interest rates because they were for "well qualified" buyers. They had not asked anything about my income or anything else when we started. I told them I wasn't worried about it because I had never been turned down for a loan. And we came to an agreement on numbers and I told them I wanted to do a credit application. The finance guy came over and told me that I did not qualify for any of their national offers.... I really found that strange.... and he tried to taught me into a 7% or 8% interest loan and I told him there was no point in continuing the conversation because there's no way I would buy a car for that. I already had approvals at Lexus and Honda. Was this guy trying to pull one over on me?

Looking at a 2018 Tiguan AWD with 70k miles on it from a VW dealer (please, not interested in your opinions on the car itself). I have been working things up remotely and the finance manager called me to go over service contracts, which I expressed interest in. He’s quoting me $4977 for a 5yr/60k powertrain service contract, $250 deductible. Am I crazy for thinking that’s way too high, or am I being out of touch and maybe a little foolish? Just wanted to double check on what other salesmen thought. Thanks for any advice/input!

TLDR; Signed Buyer’s Order, Title stamped, Dealer has the loan and deposited and told Golden 1 that they would return it (no update for a week since), Dealer also has car and title in possession.

From what I understand, California is a physical delivery state.

I was interested in a car at an independent dealership. Friday, I signed a Buyer’s Order and got the title stamped in order to be approved for loan through Golden 1 end of day. The department told me specifically that I would be picking up the check. This happened all in the same day. The dealer picks up the check next day and I didn’t know until three days later. Monday I call Golden 1 to cancel the check but tells me to go pick up the check. I go to the dealership and said I’m here to pick up the check but this ended up pretty hostile. Dealer said he already deposited the check and title has been stamped. He seeks compensation for lost customers.

I tell Golden 1 that I never took possession or physical delivery of the vehicle, never operated it, and the vehicle never left the dealership. The dealer remains in possession of the vehicle and stated to Golden 1 that the $12,000 would be returned back to the bank. A week passed I have not received confirmation that Golden 1 has received those funds.

I have contacted Consumer Lending multiple times and was instructed to personally retrieve the refund/check from the dealer and bring it to Golden 1. I have not received a clear resolution regarding the loan.

So I just bought a new car. They got the price down to where I wanted it , after walking away and getting pulled back in. I got them to remove the maintenance and parts warranties which took thousands off. The finance manager tried to sell them again but I refused

They did add on a charge for clear coat ( whatever that is and gap insurance. I was pretty exahusted so I didnt fight those charges. But in rethinking things I wonder if I can cancel there over priced gap insurance ( 1,100.00 ) and find my own or just not fight it so there wont be hard feeling when I try to use there free 1 year service they threw in. By the way as far as the service none of that was in writing. They just said it would show up in the computer when I bring the car in.

Hi everyone,

I’m located in North Carolina, and I’m trying to determine the realistic cash value of my vehicle if I sell it in its current damaged condition.

Vehicle details:

• 2015 Mazda6 Touring
• 2.5L Skyactiv engine, automatic, FWD
• 133,000 miles
• Clean North Carolina title with no lien
• Mechanically in good condition before the accident, with no known engine or transmission problems
• Recently replaced battery, rear brake pads, two tires, and coolant

The vehicle recently sustained significant front-end collision damage. It has not been driven since the accident and would need to be towed. The airbags did not deploy.

I only have liability coverage, so my insurance will not pay for repairs or declare the vehicle a total loss. I’m considering selling it whole and as-is to a mechanic, body shop, rebuilder, or parts-car buyer rather than repairing it myself.

https://imgur.com/a/vJjUSJ4

Based on the photos and vehicle information, what would be a reasonable asking price?

I'm looking into getting my first car, and unfortunately while this has to be some of the worst possible timing for it with gas prices and the trade war BS, it is what it is.

Are the Canadian tariffs projected to increase new and/or used car prices, and if so by how much?

Hi guys,

I’ve never purchased a Ram product before but the RHO peaked my interest. There are two specific Dealers where I’ve seen RHOs on their website since February and March. I inquired to both. One sales person got back to me right away and I told him the rebel would probably make more sense because of the 15% off MSRP incentive. He said he would call me back and let me know if Stellantis unpublished dealer cash that would allow him to drop the price even more in the RHO. Both trucks have level 1 and an advertised price that’s 12.6% off MSRP. What is this unpublished cash he’s talking about? Is this just a sales ploy? I’ve usually purchased Silverado’s and never heard of this type of cash.