“You’re trying to take my money…”
A man’s condemnation of the dealership buying process sparked a visceral reaction from car sellers everywhere. However controversial his method may be, it does seem likely to secure the lowest possible price, or at least close to it.
Tanner Moore (@the3rdbay) says he’s had it with sales reps giving final, “bottom line” prices that aren’t based in reality. He quickly learned just how flimsy those numbers can be.
“My wife and I are in the process of trying to buy a new car right now. And my God, what an excruciating and obnoxious process this is,” he says. “We went and test drove and figured out the car we want to buy. And then we got a pricing sheet from the dealership.”
Moore says he emailed a slew of dealerships in his region. He gave them the rundown of the specs and accessories they wanted and asked for their out the door price.
“Then I can compare it with other dealerships I’m talking to and then we’re just gonna pick the best deal,” he continues.
While his request seemed straightforward, anyone who’s shopped for a new car knows that direct appeals can at times be handled in very circuitous ways.
That’s what happened here. Moore says he was met with a barrage of correspondence that soon became overwhelming. Subsequently, he took the quotes he got from dealerships and began cross-referencing them against other offers.
Puzzlingly, when Moore contacted the other dealerships, he discovered that the supposedly lowest price he was told wasn’t really the lowest price. After telling one seller he got a better offer, they quickly changed their tune and told him they could match that price. This is despite them just telling him their previous offer was the absolute lowest they could go on the car.
“What is true? Can you match it? Or was that previous price that you told me was your bottom line price, actually your bottom line? Because either way you’re [expletive] lying to me,” he says, clearly frustrated.
Moore said another car seller subtly accused him of lying after informing them that he found the same car for $1,000 cheaper than their offer. The salesperson purportedly said there was no way the vehicle would be sold for that amount.
Moore said that some car sellers asked him to forward the better quotes he got from rival companies. He declined but says he understands both he and the salespeople are playing a game of fiscal chicken in which neither wants to give the other any information that might tip the scales.
“I just know you’re [expletive] hiding money in fees,” he says. “It’s the most obnoxious process of all time. I hate playing this game.”
More than a few people said that Moore, not the salespeople, was the bad faith actor. “The consumer is the one who plays the games,” one wrote in all caps.
Another told Moore that negotiating prices comes with the territory, but that he should’ve definitely forked over the lower quotes.
“I sell cars at the end of the day. You’re trying to take my money and I’m trying to take yours. If you’re not gonna show me the pricing/car from the other store, I’m not gonna even attempt to work with you,” they said.
Additionally, they explained why some buyers seemingly get better deals on vehicles.
“More times than not, customer is comparing my vehicle to one with less options,” they alleged. “It’s literally always that or the other store’s double dipping on rebates/APR programs and they’re doing something shady with the numbers.”
Moore now says that all he did was research car negotiating tips online. In the end he was discouraged by “how slimy,” as he puts it, the sales reps were in his quest to buy a new car.
There’s no shortage of research indicating that one of the primary points of friction between car buyers and dealerships is the buying process itself.
Historically, car buying has largely been viewed as a painful, needlessly drawn-out experience. For a brief period of time between 2020-2022, however, overall consumer satisfaction rates with vehicle sales improved. But this was a short-lived phenomenon.
Cox Automotive wrote in 2023 that shoppers went back to becoming increasingly frustrated with shopping for new rides at dealerships. Kelley Blue Book and Dealer.com corroborate these findings.
A KPA survey found that 76% of buyers indicated that they do not trust car sellers to be honest about pricing, and 86% of those queried worry about being slapped with hidden fees.
Comparing prices from multiple sellers is one way to avoid feeling like you got ripped off.
Moore now says that all he did was research car negotiating tips online. In the end he was discouraged by “how slimy,” as he puts it, the sales reps were in his quest to buy a new car.
Motor1 has reached out to Moore, who appears to have since deleted his post, via TikTok direct message for further comment.
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