I have come to the conclusion that car shopping as a single woman is not fun. I've done a lot of "guy jobs" on my own (thanks to a patient Dad who let me watch him fix things and also showed me how), like change my car brakes, caulk a bathroom shower, fix a broken VCR back when people actually had "tapes"...I even have a tool box and can name all of the tools in it :-) I enjoy being independent, but not when I feel like I'm being taken advantage of. I'm not saying everyone I've dealt with is out to rip me off or is lying. I like to believe that most businesses and their representatives are for the most part honest. But here are some of the claims I've come across in the past couple of weeks:
Salesman: "The check engine light is on? Oh that's weird. They must have bumped the switch when they were detailing it."
Me (in my head): "Does he really think I believe there is a check engine light switch?"
Salesman: "This is your out the door price ($3500 over the asking price). It only includes tax, our doc fee, and title and registration."
Me: "Then what's this $400 fee?"
Salesman: "Oh, that's required by law. It registers the car with the police in case it gets stolen."
Me: "What law is that? I have insurance if my car gets stolen."
Salesman: "Oh, well I don't know. I'll ask my manager."
Me: "Ok. Well what's this $150 fee?"
Salesman: "Oh that's the maintenance fee. I guess I can scratch that."
Me: "And what's this random $300 fee?"
Salesman: "Oh, that's required by law too."
Me (in my head): "Tax, our doc fee, title and registration, and over $1000 in bs fees."
Salesman: "We're actually losing money on this car at the price we listed."
Me (in my head): "Really? So you're just giving cars away now?"
Salesman: "Utah tax is 7.5% for cars."
Me: "Really? The DMV said in this county it's 6.75%. How are you charging extra tax?"
Salesman: "Oh, that includes our doc fees."
Me: "So that's a separate doc fee from this other $300 doc fee?"
Salesman: "Let me ask my manager."
Sorry shady salesguys, I've done my research! It's funny to see how they respond when I actually sound like I know what I'm talking about. They always have to "ask their manager." Oh well. Until I find something at the right price, I guess I'll just have to show them that blonde and female does not always equal stupid :-)
