Buying a used car means looking at all of the options carefully. You need to make an informed decision, risk overpaying or even worse — committing to a vehicle that doesn’t meet your family’s needs. Unfortunately, many used vehicle salespeople will happily push you into any transaction that they can close.
They may employ different manipulation tactics with the hope of affecting your decision. What are common strategies to watch for at the dealership?
Time wasting
People know that buying a car can be a lengthy process, and salespeople sometimes make it last longer on purpose. They might leave you waiting in their office for a half an hour so that you just sign the papers without looking them over because you want to leave. They might drag out the process of showing you vehicles as long as they can so that you jump at the first vehicle that actually seems to meet your needs. Keeping control of the timing is important while buying a vehicle.
Creating artificial pressure
You walk right up to a car that you know is perfect because you saw it online. However, the salesperson lets you know that they can’t sell you that vehicle because someone else has already claimed it and is coming back later that night or the next day to sign papers.
The salesperson tells you that they shouldn’t do this, but they could let you make a down payment now and get the vehicle. In a high-pressure situation like this, they might have been honest with you, but they are just as likely lying. Walking away from the transaction may delay the car-buying process, but it also prevents you from making a snap judgment due to artificial external pressure.
Pushy sales tactics often go hand-in-hand with other kinds of misconduct, like the fraudulent misrepresentation of vehicles. Fighting back when dealership fraud leads to a bad vehicle purchase can hope you repair or replace that defective vehicle.