Legal insights and tips from the veteran Attorney of 40 years.

MOTOR VEHICLES: SALES FOR MORE THAN STICKER PRICE

Let’s talk about car dealers who want to and are selling vehicles at $5,000 to $15,000 over MSRP. This is outrageous and/or a violation of the law. They are profiteering on the pandemic and those who do this have no gratitude if you have purchased vehicles and repair services from them in the past. They have no respect for you as a customer.

 

If you are in the market, look for those dealers who are not acting unethically and who refuse to sell over MSRP because they value your business. Locally, the Legacy Group is not selling over MSRP and Fox Toyota at Clinton, Tennessee is not. They say they respect your business and want you to come back.

 

Another major complaint with car dealerships is the add on cost of obtaining the title and license plate for your vehicle purchase. They are routinely charging $695 for this service. This is an outrageous fee for very little work. One $695 fee probably comes close to paying the dealership’s title clerk’s salary for the week. This is a rip off. This is an antitrust violation and conspiracy and needs to be filed as a class action to refund the excessive costs being charged. Tell them you are not going to pay for that cost or you will pay a reduced amount. It does not cost the dealership $695 to obtain the title and license plate.

 

Also, the dealership will be glad to assist you in obtaining financing for your car as they receive money back on same as a percentage of the interest you are paying. In return, some or all of this should be used to reduce the price you pay for the vehicle, so negotiate for a lower price if the dealer is obtaining financing for you.