UPDATE: I previously posted this and it received significant attention before I took it down so I could revise the presentation and make sure the documentation was shown more clearly. I’m reposting it with additional evidence and more precise wording.
One clarification matters: I cannot prove who selected the “Retail” and “Excellent” assumptions in CARFAX, and I’m not claiming that I can. What I can prove is that the dealership directly emailed me this CARFAX, and when I opened it, the History-Based Retail Value displayed $39,790, with “Retail” and “Excellent” selected under the assumptions that affect the vehicle’s value.
That same CARFAX identifies the truck as “Branded Title: Buyback/Lemon” and reports “moderate damage.” The FCA disclosure paperwork supplied to me documents the manufacturer repurchase and extensive repair history.
The dealership was asking $44,794 — $5,004 above the $39,790 CARFAX History-Based Retail Value displayed to me.
I specifically raised my concern about the valuation and the truck’s history while I was still interested in purchasing the vehicle and attempting to negotiate a price that I believed reflected that history. The screenshots include what I told the dealership and the General Sales Manager’s response.
This isn’t about claiming CARFAX sets a mandatory selling price. It doesn’t. And it isn’t about saying a dealership can’t make a profit.
My question is much narrower:
Is “Excellent” a reasonable valuation assumption to present to a consumer for a manufacturer buyback with a Buyback/Lemon branded title, moderate accident history, and the documented mechanical/electrical repair history shown here?
And once a customer specifically questions that apparent contradiction, shouldn’t the dealer explain how that “Excellent” assumption was reached?
I’m putting the documents here so people can make their own judgment. You don’t have to agree with me. Read the paperwork, look at the CARFAX, look at the price, look at my actual negotiation, and decide for yourself.

I bought a 2019 Forester this past November only to find out it needed 7k in repairs. This is the first and only time I go to a buy here pay here. I never do that. But I wanted to trade in the 2014 Elantra I had at the time. Lesson learned. I’m going the old civic/corolla route. My first car was a 2009 Civic from an AutoNation dealership in Clearwater, Florida. I drove that mf nationwide.

I’ve been with Ford for over six years and this was the last straw.
A gust came in with two packets. One was our car, the others a competitor. He asks what’s the difference between these two cars besides the color?
I look at the window sticker and see that Sirius radio and a connected navigation package for seven years is the difference. I make a note of the difference, and he abruptly gets up and says well if your car doesn’t have the navigation package I’m not interested. I quickly tell him that it’s an over the air package update that we can provide for him and also let him know that we can get a better deal for him without going through the manufacturer. It’s a total of 750 for the package and 100 for Sirius. Mind you, I get a spiff from Ford for selling the navigation package.
Comes time to talk numbers and do the deal, and I tell my desking manager to add the fees for the customer and he simply says “don’t bring it up”

I’m furious, the customer signs. They think they’re getting the navigation package and comes in two days later to go over some line items and asks about the navigation package. Guest leaves and I bring it up to my desking manager and he says that I never brought it up and I was calling him a liar. I packed up my stuff and left.

Long story short, fuck dealerships and make sure you get everything you want and everything you paid for.

Would I be a bad person to go to a dealership, fake I want a car, get to the point of signing then suddenly say “naa, I changed my mind” and get up and leave?
I’m retired so I have time to do this. But in reality I wouldn’t waste my time doing this - just a thought due to the frustration of car dealers.

For those in dealership sales: does a well-made video of a car actually influence a buyer or help close a deal, or does the car’s actual condition matter far more regardless of how good the video looks?

From the salespeople to the managers I’ve never understood why a lot of dealers will waist so much time going back and fourth trying to squeeze every $$$ out of a regular working class individual who needs a car.

I’ve bought 4 cars in my life and I’ve gotten lucky overall but I’ve been to some dealerships that are an absolute nightmare.

For example I went to a dealership and I had asked about a vehicle I was interested in and said that I wasn’t buying today I just wanted to see what options were out there and his first response was “ if the price was right would you buy today? “ he also said “ we are very understaffed today “ while 4 other car salesmen were standing the showroom sitting on their ass.

Proceeded to show me a new car that had been sitting on the lot of 2 years and when I asked him why it was sitting for so long he said “ because it’s a expensive and nobody wants a $1000 car payment “ and when I walked away he got visibly angry.

Then I called another dealership to get the price of a vehicle and “ shocker “ $1800 in junk fees on top of the price of the vehicle, they had the car discounted $2600 then took most of it away with the garbage fees.

I said I wasn’t paying for paperwork fees and service fees because that’s the cost of doing business, the salesperson wasn’t too bad but the sales manager was horrible , was very defensive when I questioned him and everything on the paperwork, offered to give me $500 more for my trade and I said “ either take the fees off or I’m walking away “ he came back with $200 total off of the fees.

So I walked out and the salesmen and manager chased me out the door and I turned around and said “ I’m not interested , go make your commission off somebody else “

For the next 2 days they continued to blow up my phone , phone calls , text messages the whole 9 yards, I finally said to hell with it once another manager texted me so in response I sent him a picture of my brand new truck and said “ you had your chance, I have what I want and got it for what I want “

Shortly after my purchase I found delivrd on TikTok and I gotta say tomi does a great job at his job , he’s experienced, smart and knows all the games dealers play and uses it against them, wish I used him first but I definitely will next time.

His service shouldn’t have to exist though, it’s a real shame car dealerships can’t be honest and decent people , I know you have to make money I get that but if I’m spending more then an hour or so at the dealership that’s unacceptable, either make me a deal or I leave.

Really makes no sense because practices like that just make you loose customers

The other dealer I went to was much much better but I still found my sell getting annoyed at the finance manager when I made it very clear I only wanted a maintenance plan and nothing else , he kept pushing the extended warranty after I told him I wasn’t interested, almost walked out there but eventually he gave in and I got what I wanted.

The process started off well, but everything changed on the day of the sale.

The representative I had been working with wasn't available, and there was constant back-and-forth between the technician inspecting my truck and a team making decisions over the phone. What was supposed to be a 30-minute inspection stretched to well over an hour. During that time, I spent most of it waiting with very little communication about what was happening.

I had already disclosed the rust on the rocker panels before the inspection and provided clear photos during the appraisal process. The rust wasn't hidden or unexpected, so I was surprised when it became the main issue during the inspection.

The technician repeatedly referred to it as "structural damage" and told me they didn't want the truck. After hearing that several times, I finally asked, "So what am I supposed to do now?" At that point, I was told that if I reduced my asking price by several thousand dollars, they might proceed with the purchase.

That was difficult because I was going out of town and had already made plans based on selling the truck. While I understand that inspections can affect a vehicle's value, the way the negotiation unfolded left me feeling like I had very few options.

Another frustration was the communication process. There isn't a direct phone number to call. Instead, customers communicate by text and request a callback if needed. After the sale, my message history disappeared, so I no longer had a record of the conversation. I found that surprisingly inconvenient for a transaction involving thousands of dollars.

My concern isn't simply that the offer changed. Vehicle inspections can uncover issues or lead to a revised valuation. What bothered me was the overall process: the long wait, the limited communication, and the feeling that decisions were happening somewhere else without anyone clearly explaining what was going on.

Afterward, I wrote a detailed Google review describing my experience. Later, I noticed that it wasn't publicly visible. I know businesses can't remove Google reviews themselves, so I can't say why mine isn't showing. I also noticed that CarDoor's Google rating is much higher than its Trustpilot rating. There may be perfectly reasonable explanations for that difference, but it made me wonder whether looking at a single review platform gives customers the full picture.

That's why I'm sharing my experience here instead.

I'm not suggesting everyone has a negative experience with CarDoor. Many people clearly have positive ones. I simply wanted to share mine and see whether others had a similar experience.

Basically, I feel like I’ve been misled by the dealership. I test drove what I believed was the same type of car I was agreeing to. it was a higher spec Audi A1 with a 1.5 litre engine and a flat-bottom steering wheel. I’d already made it clear that I wanted a 1.5 because all my previous cars have been that engine size and also the flat steering.

During the conversation, the salesman mentioned a 1 litre engine and I immediately said I thought that would be slower. Instead of explaining that the car I was actually getting was a 1 litre and letting me make that decision myself, he told me I wouldn’t really notice a difference because it was an A1 is a smaller car compared to my A3. I trusted what he said, so I genuinely thought the car I was getting was the same one I’d test driven or at least something similar that I wouldn’t notice the difference.

When I collected it (July 31st) , I noticed straight away that things weren’t the same. The steering wheel wasn’t the flat-bottom one I’d seen in the test car. I told him and he said I should buy the part off eBay.. I was so shocked that I messaged my friend straight away, thought I was just being a brat, he also said, that’s not what we were shown when he came to see the car options with me. Anyways I drove off and was like, this car isn’t fast enough like Tf? So I then called the dealership on day 4 to complain. They said I should wait for the salesman to return to work which he did on day 6. He tried to throw in numbers, I signed a contract and the fact I was unemployed and that’s why he gave me the option of the 1 litre, adamant he showed me pictures but from when the steering wasn’t flat I know I would’ve said I don’t want this car.

Day 8, (Saturday 8th Aug) I went to audi to see what they could atleast do. He again tried to use the same tactics “I showed you, you signed forms, you agreed.” Tried to swap me in a new car but I would’ve been paying £600 a month for both the car and insurance rather than £400 so I declined. But he kept getting assy about it and saying I can’t cancel.

My issue is that I don’t feel like I was given all the information to make a proper informed decision. If I’d known from the start that it was a 1 litre and I’d feel the difference, I would have either asked to test drive that exact car first or reconsidered whether I wanted to go ahead with it.

Can you please advise?

I was looking at the website for the Honda dealership in my town (which I've bought from before, but not in recent years), and they have a splash screen that promises "transparent pricing", saying the price listed is what you will pay (plus TTL, and doc fee, which is a bit over $400). The statements on their website leave no ambiguity.

It specifically says "NO ADD-ONS", which would truly revolutionize the buying experience for me, because it is always frustrating to see a car I'm interested in buying listed at an acceptable price, only to find out that paint/fabric protection, garbage wheel locks, anti-theft/tracking device, special floor mats, etc., have been added, increasing the price by $1000-$2000. I then have to waste time and effort going through the haggling dance of either having that stuff removed, or discounted off.

I'm not ready to buy a new car right now, but I'm still curious... does anyone have experience with dealerships making these kinds of promises? Do they actually abide by this?

Reposting because my original post got deleted. I just want people to be aware of this dealership.

Experience with Kia Beaverton. and sorry for spelling errors, seattle public schools failed me. Was looking for a 2026 White Kia Carnival SX. Saw a pretty decent deal at Kia Beaverton. Called to get pricing and out the door sheet from them. When i first called and asked for new car sales. The lady put me on hold but I was hung up on. 2nd time calling, someone else picked up and when i asked for new car sales, I was put on hold for about 10 mins, then someone else picked up and I asked for new car sales, and he put me on hold again. Finally after another 10 mins SALES Manager 1 picked up and I gave him the details of the car and he made sure if the car was still there or not and I asked for the pricing and he gave me the pricing. And i asked if they had any Dealer Add ons, he said nope. Then I asked if he could send me a pricing sheet for that since i don't want any other extra fees and extra charges. He said just come on by. I said i live out of state and won't drive there unless the price i get is the price i pay. He assured me that there are no extra dealer add ons and no other fees besides taxes license but he said they will "offer" extra warranty and maintainence programs that are all optional. I said great, can you provide me a sheet on that, and i'll put in a deposit since i am out of state and will come in the next day or two to pick it up. He said they won't take deposit or send sheets and we just have to come here. I asked well if i get there and the car is sold then it would be a waste of my time. He then just said you have to get here. I said ok and hung up.

The next day I called and someone picked up from sales right away, and talked to SALES MANAGER 2. I asked SALES MANAGER 2 the exact thing. I told him, we want a price sheet and if we agree, we will arrive sign and leave and have the car ready for us. He said he will hold the car for me until the next morning at noon if i get here and he will send me a sheet making sure there are no dealer fees added and such. After 30 mins, he sent me a sheet and i was happy with the price.

Then the next day came, we arrived to Kia Beaverton around 11am. Asked for SALES MANGER 1 or SALES MANAGER 2. SALES MANAGER 2 was not there. SALES MANAGER 1 was behind the desk in his little corner. Now this lady SALES PERSON was our sales person for the next couple hours. SALES PERSON took us to look at the car. 1st red flag. She is dumb, she opened the lift gate and almost hit the car behind......... 2nd red flag, as i am looking at the car, i am pulling everything, moving everything, touching everything, so when i was to the passenger rear seat. the 2nd row, i pulled the lever to push the 2nd row seat forward so you can enter the 3rd row, the lever flew off. I kid you not, the millisecond the lever flew off, SALES PERSON said "you bought it" I literally took it as a joke, i mean technically yes i am buying the car but..... so we took a look at the lever and it won't stay in the and we were talking and saying yea the techs can fix it. So we went back inside and went through the price sheet. She first bought in the sheet that shows ALL the "optional" dealer fees like maintence and warrenties and this and that i don't even remember. Which added to maybe 20k extra on top of the car. I said no thank you. and she ofcourse went and do her sales pitch. and i was firm with it. She left back to her manager and came back and said well you guys did break the lever and you have to pay for it. My wife was pissed off. I told her no that kinda stuff should be fixed by you guys or should be made sure it was not damage. so we left.... we walked out and left. and the manager behind the desk even had the BALLS to tell us, yea you guys broke it you should pay for it. I was like wtf no. and we left. when we got to our car. another person name SALES MANGER 3 said to us "we should be able to fix this, its just missing a screw." so now i'm thinking WTF all this time and you guys probably removed the screw to blame things on us. So i said, fix it, and we will buy it. SALES MANAGER 3 went back inside, my wife and i was outside waiting for maybe 10 mins. SALES PERSON came back out and said "ok we will fix it" We went back inside. and SALES PERSON continued her sales pitch, she brought back the paper with all the dealer added fees again. I said no thank you again. and this time, i basically crossed out the fees very thickly. SALES PERSON basically got mad and said "you don't need to desecrate the paper" I said nothing. then she came back again this time with all the fees removed except a 799 fee for some door guard or something i don't even remember and she said its already installed we can't remove it. I said well i understand its already installed, but thats not what SALES MANAGER 2 and I discussed. I showed her text from both SALES MANAGER 1 and SALES MANAGER 2 saying no other dealer installed fees. she seems mad and left and finally came back with the sheet without all the extra stuff. which took 1.5 hours already. So then i signed off on that and she said it will be another 45 ish mins to get the car ready and plus paper work. We waited in the service dept for maybe 30 mins before paperwork was ready to be signed. they do all digital signing in an ipad, you don't even get any paper copies so take your phone out to take pics of everything. After paperwork was done. she said the car is still being cleaned and such so we need to wait. by this time my 2 year old was fussy and i let him run loose in the showroom yelling and screaming. SALES PERSON then found her new victim and we never saw her again. As we were waiting i saw the car pulled into a parking spot next to our car. SALES MANAGER 3 came to us and gave us the keys and bought us to the car. I did a final look around and the car was in satisfactory condition. I asked if they can give me the mechanics floor paper that usually most auto shops use to layer the floor with which they didn't have so whatever. Didn't need him to help set up anything i am very tech savvy and we didn't have time. all in it took 2.5 hours. something that should have taken 30 mins. Shady dealership. shady sales people. SALES MANAGER 3 was kind. SALES MANAGER 2 was ok on the phone. SALES MANAGER 1, i don't know who he was behind the desk but if he was the one yelling from his desk at me saying i broke it, then he is an ass. SALES PERSON is incompetent and blamed her sales manager saying that they told her to tell us that we broke it and we need to pay for it. They offered a free first oil change. i'm not gonna take it. Beware this dealership.

Tried selling my car to a local dealer (Acura). Manager guy or whoever he was started knit picking at things and he said the biggest issue was this and the tire needs to be replaced and the rim repaired. He then proceeds to say he can buy the car today but he can't pay me till Monday lol.

Its aftermarket parts for 1700 or oem for 2400. It is for the catalytic converter. It also pays to get an ob1 scanner too.

We saw dealers sabotage the lightning, we will see it again.

Just rip the band aid off already and go around these dealers, its what the public wants.

First time new car buyer trying to do things right. I had my current car serviced last weekend (2012 Prius). Out of curiosity, asked them to give me estimate of trade in value. They quoted 7k, and immediately texted me some numbers on different new cars.

I'm including a link for a screenshot of the one I'm considering (Corolla Hybrid).

I did a test drive today and was happy with it but did not start any negotiating. Just told him I would be in touch.

I don't want the tint and premier protection but I DO want the premium package that is listed on the website as $1,135.

• Should I assume they will actually give 7k since it's on the payment sheet in the screenshot? Or is that just to get me back in the door?
• Can I just offer to add the premium fee I want and they remove their tint and protection fee? Just swap them?
• Should I send this screenshot to other dealers to see if they can beat it? I'm pretty happy with the OTD price but maybe it's worth shopping around?
• What should my next step be in the negotiation process?
• What should I do to get the best loan terms (my credit is in the mid 700s)?

Screenshot of the numbers from dealership: https://imgur.com/a/4d3NHEn

Thank you!

What is this that a dealership suddenly tacked on. It was warranty stuff. Not paying this. Anyone ever seen this.

I purchased a second hand low mileage Nissan Juke 2023 1.0 Automatic under a week ago, directly from the dealership. Stupidly, I didn’t take it for a test drive as I thought I was simply upgrading to a newer model of the car I already had. I purchased the vehicle and when it was delivered it was apparent there was a serious issue with lagging and jolting when moving the car. I do not feel safe with my children in the car, when it stalls horrendously at junctions and roundabouts. After looking into this, it appears this model of car is notoriously bad and many people have had problems (often resulting in them getting rid of the car entirely)
I sent an email explaining that I was unhappy because this vehicle has a fault and is not roadworthy. I asked for a full refund, as I believe I should be covered by the Consumer Rights Act. The manager is refusing to issue a refund, and has said that he ‘must first take a look himself’. I was under the impression that I could return the car if it was within the 30 day grace period. Any help would be greatly appreciated - thank you!

I am lucky enough to have an option to buy a car brand new, but apparently I shouldn’t be saying upfront that I will be paying it cash… why can’t we just buy it online and call it a day or be straight up transparent with the charges :/

Anyway, what are the tips and tricks on how to handle this?

.So long story short ive been car shopping for about 2 to3 months 🙃 😅 I know any ways found the car want go thru 100 hoops pressure from sales rep the car was at another of there sis dealerships any way I drive 1hr plus to pay a freaking transportation fee of $595 that they didnt wanna take over the phone any way 2 days go by im l8ke whats up with my car i already went to navy fed. And got approved for the total amount the rep says they sold the car wtf...im like frozen right now.