The Hidden Cost of a “Great Deal”: How Dealers Use Numbers Against You
There’s a moment in almost every car deal where the salesperson stops talking about the price of the car and starts talking about the price of the payment. It’s subtle, but it’s the whole game. “We can get you into this for $389 a month” sounds like an answer. It’s actually a question in disguise, one most buyers never think to ask back. That question is: over what term, at what rate, and what am I giving up to get there? The Payment Is the Bait Dealers know that most people shop by monthly payment, not total cost. So when a deal looks tight on paper, the easiest lever to pull isn’t the price, it’s the term. Stretch a loan
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