“She’ll get you a car for $12 and lifetime oil changes.”
Buying a car is already stressful enough between pricing, financing and negotiating. But doing it as a woman only makes the experience more difficult because you know—or at least suspect—the salesperson might have it out to give you a worse deal.
One Denver, Colorado woman decided she wanted backup when she went to the car dealership. Here’s what happened.
In a video with 4.8 million views, content creator CJ (@trashcandler) explains what led her to seek a car shopping chaperone of sorts.
“Can I borrow someone’s dad or husband to go with me to buy a car in Denver?” the text overlay reads.
CJ, who identifies herself as a “single lesbian,” explains that her father has passed away and she doesn’t have a man in her life to go car shopping with her. The implication is that showing up with a man could help protect her from gender-based discrimination during the negotiation.
“It’s pretty well known car dealerships rip women off,” she adds.
The request clearly struck a nerve. The comment section quickly filled up with people willing to help. Some offered their husbands. Others volunteered themselves.
“You can have both my dad and husband. I also have two brothers. Please don’t bring any of them back,” a top comment read.
“My husband and I talked. We will go with you. He’s an industrial mechanic and automotive mechanic. I’m an A class top tier [expletive]. We got you,” a person said.
“I’m a 6’6” bearded giant. I hate talking to people so I’ll just stand behind you with my arms crossed looking pissed,” another wrote.
“My sister is in Denver and mean as a [expletive] snake. She’ll get you a car for $12 and lifetime oil changes. Our Dad is a mechanic too so she knows what to look at,” someone else said.
One commenter said they hoped CJ didn’t invent the situation for engagement.
“I really, really hope you were not lying and just making something up to get likes,” they wrote. “There were so many people who offered to help. That makes me believe there are a lot of great human beings out there.”
CJ responded with a second video explaining she wasn’t “being a shady person” and why she needed to replace her car.
CJ explains she’d gotten a 2026 Toyota 4Runner just three weeks before taking it on a wildland fire assignment. She chose to use her personal vehicle because her employer would pay her an additional $150 per day if she used it.
But during the assignment, she drove over a series of washboards, lost control, and rolled more than 300 feet down a steep, rocky embankment.
“I was a level-one trauma activation,” CJ says. “So, yeah, I do need a new car.”
Now CJ says she’s waiting for the insurance check to arrive to start shopping for a car.
“I’m not the best at negotiating,” CJ admits.
There is evidence behind the concern that car salespersons treat women differently, though experiences vary. SlashGear reports that women still describe being ignored, patronized, or treated as if an accompanying man must be the real decisionmaker.
An analysis found that women paid an average of $142 more per year in car payments than men. More than 50,000 quotes also showed women receiving slightly higher prices for insurance and service. Those figures do not prove that every individual dealer intentionally charges women more, but they suggest the concern isn’t just an old stereotype.
An older Edmunds experiment demonstrated how uneven the experience can be. In 2009, two editors—a woman and a man—visited the same three Los Angeles-area dealerships roughly an hour apart while shopping for the same Hyundai Elantra.
At the first dealership, the woman waited approximately 10 minutes without being acknowledged. A salesperson then directed her toward the wrong car, gave her misleading information about the difference between its sticker price and dealer invoice, and quickly lost interest in helping her. The same salesperson approached the man promptly, offered a test drive, and provided a brochure and contact information.
The second dealership treated both shoppers the same. At the third, the woman received the lowest initial quote but also endured comments about her shoes and resistance to her request for a manual transmission. The salesperson gave the man inaccurate mechanical information, too. Neither shopper trusted him. While this experiment doesn’t prove that every woman will be treated differently by every salesperson, it does illustrate an experience many women share.
Motor1 reached out to CJ for comment via TikTok direct message and comment. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.
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