Consumers are tired of “stealerships”. Nobody wants to spend several hours trying to buy a car just to be pressured to buy and also confused by market adjustments, add ons etc. we need dealers to treat us with respect, transparency and in good faith. Great video 👍
It’s really not that difficult. I was flipping c8’s and Bronco’s. Just filter from lowest price, call the dealership… get the out the door number and look outside your area too. It’s only $500 to ship a car across the country.
People will complain about spending hours at a dealership and then proceeded to haggle with the salesman with ridiculous low balls wanting $5000 off MSRP and not pay any taxes and then wonder why they spent all day trying to get a deal. If you want to be in and out thenpay what the dealer is asking. Do you go to Best Buy and haggle with the cashier over the cost of a flatscreen TV?
Do you think just sitting at one dealer and arguing on price is going to get you a good deal? What if another dealer would have given you another 3k off msrp…
You’re a breath of fresh air to a tired and opportunistic auto buying experience. Change the customer experience and I’ll gladly step into a dealership again.
AMEN...no forced aftermarket adds ... the word "hate" comes to mind when i've gone car shopping and that was even before COVID too... thank you for calling this out
Although I’m not in the market for a new car for myself or my wife for many years, you’ve earned my follow. I appreciate your videos, the good and bad on deals. Thinks you’ve mentioned here, solid things. Especially the first thing, ADM’s. Wish you and your dealership a great 2025c and thank you for the content!
Love what you are saying, I just bought my mother a new Accord at a Findlay Honda and it was a horrid experience. As a consumer, the dealer did all of those BS tactics (add-ons, online vs instore, etc) on top of just treating us like shit. They even wanted to charge me the "add-ons" on a certified used car, like WTF. The entire dealership had obvious, open distain for ALL the people in the showroom.... it was insane and I hated it. If she didn't NEED a car we would have walked out, but they knew they had us by the balls and could treat us like shit. In fact, if I wasn't there, their first OTD price was 8 grand over what we finally got because of all their BS, and she would have paid that, because they saw an old woman to take advantage of. Just sick.
That’s absolutely terrible. Nobody should have to endure a process or experience like that at all. We have to stop giving dealers business who operate this way.
@@BenzsandBowTies Thanks. Ive bought over 30 cars in my life (so far) so Im not new to this, and some dealers are just better than others. This one just had us in a position. If I ever find myself in the market for a MB I know right were to go. Fly and drive!!!
As someone who bought two new cars in the last year this man is 100% correct. Both dealerships that won my business gave a fair market price, no add ons, price was up front over the phone and most important not a confrontational experience. Dealerships sell a commodity, it’s on you to make the experience as good as possible for your customers to be able to set yourself apart.
Doug I truly appreciate your honesty, it’s very obvious you have integrity and your owners should be very proud of you. I’m located in Jersey and own a Benz, for sure will be reaching out when it’s time. I also believe to just have a price and no haggling like Tesla’s model. Continued success, I enjoy your channel.
Great points! Wish dealers would implement what you said. I can't stand the games that are played at dealerships. Thank God I don't need a new car anytime soon.
I'm watching your channel because I want to buy a new car in the next few years. If dealerships would implement the changes you recommended in this video, I would have a more positive attitude towards the process. Your first recommendation, regarding added items, strikes particularly close to home for me. When I bought my first car the Toyota distributor in this area required dealers to force buyers to purchase fabric and paint protection if they wanted certain popular cars. Because I was young and naive, I went along with it and paid for the items I didn't want. Eventually an attorney filed a class action lawsuit against the distributor involved. The distributor (if I recall correctly, it was firm called Mid-Atlantic Toyota) settled and I received some of the money back. The attorney was probably the main beneficiary of the settlement.
The online price and showroom price thing really ticked me off. Also a dealer once won't sell me a car only if I did a loan thru them and they won't take my cash. I also don't like the dealers that get upset about me paying cash vs financing.
You should try and buy a new Toyota in Texas. They apply add-ons from Gulf States Toyota Distributor, and from the dealer all at the same time on every new vehicle. Basically $2,000 to $4,000.00 of crap on every new car on top of MSRP.
All of this is so obvious and I really appreciate you saying this. My mom bought a Honda CRV recently and was able to do a deal entirely by email. Got it delivered from 100 miles away (for free) and never even spoke to the salesman. Best car buying experience ever. The salesman probably spent a total of 15 minutes putting the deal together, a deal he never would’ve gotten if he was stuck roaming the lot waiting for ups. And a sale the dealer would’ve never gotten if they had played games about giving prices via email. Enjoy your videos a lot.
The problem with that approach is most people shopping online are just pretending to shop. It’s like going on Amazon and loading up your cart with a bunch of things you wish you could buy just to close the browser tab once you see the final price. They aren’t serious buyers.And if they are they’re just trying to collect a bunch of quotes and then go to whichever dealership is five bucks less than the last. It’s a waste of all the other sales guys time and they know it hence the reason they won’t entertain it.
My GM when I worked for Lexus said I’m not gonna waste money on advertising and give you guys good bonuses. We got a percentage of the gross profit. We were all so motivated because we were getting part of what we were working for meaning holding price resulted in a higher commission, which resulted in a happy dealership owner
Find a new name for “dealer” or “dealership” it sounds like a Vegas losing proposition. As much marketing the vehicle industry does it’s still stuck in decades past. Buying a car in 15 minutes was the best experience I’ve ever had. Start on the app, go to the store to sign your paperwork, get digital key and keycard and drive off. Literally 15 minutes at the store. Even had my trade in appraised over the app. The best experience ever!
I love this message, it's 110% correct. I have a deep deep hatred for car dealers and salesman for these exact reasons. I bought a new Mercedes in Bedford, OH once and after flying in, they totally changed the price and APR. I was forced to sign. Very bad experience. You are 2,000% right except nothin will ever change, keep dreaming. The fraud is too deep. Love the channel though.
I feel like this all fairly obvious but unfortunately 90% of people in this industry are all about making the money and less about making the customer happy.
This guy is a total stud finally a young good looking man is able to tell as a general manager of a store how to really do things in 2025 they make it so hard for deal consumers to buy cars. Thank you for this great video. I’m gonna have my husband call you. We’re gonna buy a car from you.
We will happily custom build you a G550 for MSRP. Once you become a client of the store and have a G wagon to trade us back, we’ll happily sell you a G63 at MSRP.
@@BenzsandBowTies Good morning I currently have 2022 AMG 63 16K Miles and a 2021 4k miles I am happy with my 2021 But my wife's 2022 she loves but would like one with keyless entry and all the new technically
I'll add one-- documentation fees. Yes, I know it costs to process a registration. But here in NJ, the typical MB dealer charges $699+ for documentation fee. Across the state line in NY, fees are capped at $175 (up from $75 a few years ago). So I never buy or lease a car in NJ. My NY dealer is laid back and upfront. The reps have more authority than I've seen in other dealerships so little running to the sales manager. But after a number of vehicles, have relationship with my rep, the finance manager (from whom I bought a BMW in 2010 and who is connected through a mutual friend), sales manager. general manager and dealership owner. It is the way the auto business should be conducted, particularly for high end vehicles, and you commendably do business the same way. I only wish my 2023 EQB300 were not so trouble prone and that my attorney could have won a lemon law case with MB, but can't blame the dealer who has gone above and beyond to keep this junker on the road.
That is how it should be! Side note, I’m sorry about your EQB. Trust me when I tell you that a dealership should be very motivated to help you make that case to MBUSA because it ends up being another “deal” for the store and you end up with a happy client. Put another way, there’s no incentive or reason for the store to keep you in your problematic car.
Ordered a new Bronco in ‘22 when they we’re still getting big ADMs on them. My local dealers insisted on mark-up, plus Doc and Admin fees and insisted I needed Nitrogen, Paint Sealant, etc. my 52k MSRP Bronco ballooned to nearly 70k when done. I simply got up and walked away. Much yelling ensued. Found a big dealer a state away who happily took my order over the phone and email and agreed to sell me the car at sticker plus tax and a $200 fee for temp tag and registration work for my state. Fair enough. 5 months later the truck arrived, was exactly what I ordered, no games and was on the road in 45 minutes. Don’t put up with the bullshit. Get up and walk away. You own the check book.
lol even before Covid my Mercedes dealer charged me $300 for anti theft stickers although they not put on yet. The manager just said it’s a way the dealership subsidies its work force.
The last time I bought a new car (2019) some teenager got in as I was leaving and started trying to teach me how to use all the tech… like young man I bought this trim for the wheels 😂
Nice seeing this Truth Bomb dropped Doug. I had to walk out of a Ford deal due to a surprise $2695 Protection Package, AND an additional Non Tax Fee of $762. All last minute. Ridiculous......
just had the worst experience buying a prius! had to start walking out twice! and all i wanted was the price on the website. they did do the deal in the end, but damn
I was ready to buy a $65,000 brand new car in December but they had $3000 of add-ons for that reason they lost my business and I went to the dealer down the street
Relationships are worth more than a single car deal--a point Doug drives home constantly--especially when explaining how he determines what customers get priority on high-demand low availability vehicles. Better to havea chicken that lays eggs or a cow that gives milk than a single broiler chicken or a single head of beef cattle. Doug, I would pay more to purchase a vehicle from you b/c you're transparent.
Thank you, Hudson! I won’t pretend that I understood the concept of long term relationships and loyalty early in my career, but I understand it will now and want as many other dealers to understand it as humanly possible. It means something!
#6 be transparent. It's 2025, for a simple fee i can see all incentives i qualify for, the buy rate and MF for my leases. If a consumer has structured a deal based on known information, don't insult their intelligence.
#6. Admin/Doc fee. This is another dealer add-on that is complete nonsense. No other retailer charges an admin fee for the goods they sell, imagine going into Brooks Brothers and paying an admin fee on a new suit. Thee Number 1 reason I have never bought a car from a dealership is this fee. Honda is the only retailer (in Canada) that does not charge an admin fee on new cars. (Sure they hide it in the price, but at least I don't see it). But I don't want a Honda.
So in the interest of "transparency" perhaps you can share your sales staff pay plan as well as yours? In the last 100+ years of selling cars we have trained the public to "horse trade". The only way dealers sold at list price or a fixed price was if they had 100% of the market (ex: Saturn) and when for example Land Rover and Mini when first introduced. Being the only guy in town or the state made it pretty easy and yes, customers were happy until they started to ask for things and discounts. In a perfect world everyone would pay a fair price but consumers also demand and expect service, and unfortunately that comes with a price. Good salespeople are hard to find and great salespeople even harder. Great ones give the best and they expect the best pay too. And if you think I am just spouting off let me share with you that I have been in the business since 1974 and in sales since 1985. Been sales person, used car manager, general sales manager and GM. So yes I have a bit of experience. Lastly, to the person who commented about pricing and add ons and then goes on to say that they "flip" those same cars.......unbelievable. You sir, are the problem!
We’ve owned Mercedes for over 35 years…G, AMG, SL’s, SUVS, SEDANS !!! My number one rule to anyone buying a mercedes is never return for maintenance!!!! Of all my friends that have Benz I’m by far the lowest maintenance and best maintained Benz’s of anybody!
This is true with all dealerships. It’s just because all dealership mechanics don’t care about your car and they don’t have a reputation to up keep, so they treat your car like crap and just work on volume.
Additional Dealer Mark Up on some POS Charger is the best. I don’t care if it has 2000 horsepower… if you pay over sticker for any Stellantis product, you’ve just been buried alive for the next 7 years
6. No salespersons. Customers should work directly with a manager who has the power to adjust prices, interest rates, remove doc fees and other extras etc. When I walk in a dealership there are WAY too many salespeople and most are just standing around. 2-3 managers would suffice especially given your point #4. The silly game of the salesperson going to “ask the manager” is just so lame and outdated.
70% of people don’t like the car buying experience. I sold cars at a Toyota dealership and I can attest to that fact. The “red square” needs to stop. Dealers always try to get as much out of each car especially used cars. The pressure to squeeze every penny out of the customer with lies is not the way to establish a lifelong relationship. You might make the sale but the buyers remorse sets in and people start researching more after the purchase and when they realize they paid too much they never purchase from you again and only trash talk your dealership
I respect your views and improvements you’d like to see but as a consumer I am sick to death of the traditional dealership model. I feel it’s too late for reform and would much rather see the Tesla model rolled out. Whilst it may not always be to the consumer advantage, it’s transparent and stupidly easily - no messing with salespeople. I know what I want, I don’t need a salesperson. Controversial I know :)
There are many that think the same way and I don’t see anything wrong with it. I don’t think it would work the same way it does for Tesla now if the entire industry operated that way, however.
@ I appreciate it’s not for everyone. However, it would be nice for those that know what they want and have a general understanding of how the industry works to have an easier option to transact that isn’t the “traditional” method. I don’t envy your challenges but wish you luck with reform. You present very well and I would buy from you on the basis of straight talking - it’s a rare thing these days. I’m from Scotland and have noted some US style changes kicked in during the pandemic eg dealer admin fees - we never used to have any of that nonsense. Thankfully some are now retracting. JLR are still the worst locally for me - car in showroom with sticker price but when you try to purchase it, they add another 6k of “non optional” items (not yet fitted). Needless to say they didn’t get the sale. I somewhat respect the US take on difficult cars to obtain eg Porsche GT models - they will sell to anyone at market price so you don’t need to play the UK dealer games. It’s still wrong but at least you know where you stand and it’s transparent! However, I feel that market is crashing, I got 2 calls recently on GT4RS asking if I was still interested (had several GTS / GT4 Cayman before and expressed interest at launch when I was pretty much laughed at). There is no such thing as loyalty - just profit. I’ll hang fire a little longer and buy a used one as they are plummeting here :) Enough waffling - I love your content. It’s very interesting to see it from the other side of the table!
No kidding... price listed, any and all fees shown. Take it or leave it situation. Use your credit card for a deposit and sign documents, and pick up your car. Hopefully "dealerships" will change
Yup. Take a page out of Tesla's book. They can't stop selling poorly made cars, because they made it extremely simple to buy/lease a car. Instead of wasting half a day at a dealership, you can get it done sitting on your couch.
And then Tesla screws its customers by lowering the price on the car you just bought by several thousand dollars. That is REAL customer service. Oh, and if you need service good luck on that, month or more out for work. Complain to someone. Yeah, that's right, you bought it on your couch ay home so no one.
1. Nobody likes a sleazy salesperson 2. Nobody likes to be hard sold 3. People are buying service after the sale Poor people tend to buy on cheapest price. Wealthy people buy on quality and service because it saves them TIME and HEADACHE.
As a car buff. Not many decent auto person, like You. This is why the FTC is trying to enact CARS to combat greedy dealerships. Start with Mercedes to make changes. I dare Them. The greed at dealerships makes your industry the worst. Only people like you can change
Everything you said is extremely rare. I’ve purchased 20+ cars and was flipping bronco’s and c8’s. Don’t think I have ever seen a dealer ship not give me an out the door quote online. In fact I was living in Boston and every car I bought was out of state. You’re just trying to make people feel like you’re a “good guy” so they should buy from you.
Not true, there are lots of dealerships everyday doing exactly what he is talking about Hell there are people that tape and livestream interactions with dealerships all around the county and it is just one huge game to most dealerships, if I ever want to buy a Mercedes I know who I will be calling and I am out of state as well
His manipulation worked on you. You will pay more at his dealership. Yeah, some dealers do what he said, but it’s rare and you have to be stupid to even entertain it.
@ I don’t ever entertain anything that’s an add on, and it shouldn’t take me 20 minutes of being on the phone to get that dealerships out the door price I should have it in 5 minutes. I don’t want to haggle just give me your best price and I am shopping it around end of story
Have you ever purchased a car? Again, I purchased over 20 maybe 30… never at the same dealer. I’ve never experienced anything that you’re talking about. In fact, I was looking at C8 z06’s Just a few days ago and I can get out of the door price from every single dealership I called in like five minutes.
Cut out the MIDDLE-MAN!!! Every time there are 2-3 middle🧍♂️ = more $. Can’t wait for Tesla style buy online just like buying on Amazon or target or any store online.
Ordered a new Bronco in ‘22 when they we’re still getting big ADMs on them. My local dealers insisted on mark-up, plus Doc and Admin fees and insisted I needed Nitrogen, Paint Sealant, etc. my 52k MSRP Bronco ballooned to nearly 70k when done. I simply got up and walked away. Much yelling ensued. Found a big dealer a state away who happily took my order over the phone and email and agreed to sell me the car at sticker plus tax and a $200 fee for temp tag and registration work for my state. Fair enough. 5 months later the truck arrived, was exactly what I ordered, no games and was on the road in 45 minutes. Don’t put up with the bullshit. Get up and walk away. You own the check book.
Why yell at a dealership? Just say no and walk away. It is not personal, just business. The dealer will respect you more if you do not yell and, rather, maintain control by calmly walking away.
@@jerrylundegaard2592 I didn’t yell. They did. I laughed and told them they just lost a multi-Ford owner for life. They responded they didn’t need my business. Good. I’m in a small city and the next Ford dealers are at least 45 minutes away and one of them is even worse. Now that the market is tightening up sales wise, I see their kit is overflowing with Bronco’s and pick-ups, they may not need my money yet but they’re closer to needing it than they were a year ago.
I spent 3 years as an Internet Sales Manager and would still be doing it if I worked for this guy.
Consumers are tired of “stealerships”. Nobody wants to spend several hours trying to buy a car just to be pressured to buy and also confused by market adjustments, add ons etc. we need dealers to treat us with respect, transparency and in good faith. Great video 👍
It’s really not that difficult. I was flipping c8’s and Bronco’s. Just filter from lowest price, call the dealership… get the out the door number and look outside your area too. It’s only $500 to ship a car across the country.
@@owencastle7826 yeah that ain’t true at all
People will complain about spending hours at a dealership and then proceeded to haggle with the salesman with ridiculous low balls wanting $5000 off MSRP and not pay any taxes and then wonder why they spent all day trying to get a deal. If you want to be in and out thenpay what the dealer is asking. Do you go to Best Buy and haggle with the cashier over the cost of a flatscreen TV?
Literally get a quote, send it to another dealer and ask them to beat it, do that again 20 times. The phone call takes 10 minutes max.
Do you think just sitting at one dealer and arguing on price is going to get you a good deal? What if another dealer would have given you another 3k off msrp…
Finally someone from a dealership that’s not afraid to say what needed to be said. Well done!
Thank you! 🙏
100% agree on no dealer add ons for junk I don't want, when I'd rather have a car as it is from the factory, not with aftermarket accessories.
You’re a breath of fresh air to a tired and opportunistic auto buying experience. Change the customer experience and I’ll gladly step into a dealership again.
I’m working on it!!
@ Thank you!!!
AMEN...no forced aftermarket adds ... the word "hate" comes to mind when i've gone car shopping and that was even before COVID too... thank you for calling this out
Dealers should have to pay to see this content. Fantastic!
Thank you for the kind words, James!
Although I’m not in the market for a new car for myself or my wife for many years, you’ve earned my follow. I appreciate your videos, the good and bad on deals. Thinks you’ve mentioned here, solid things. Especially the first thing, ADM’s. Wish you and your dealership a great 2025c and thank you for the content!
Love what you are saying, I just bought my mother a new Accord at a Findlay Honda and it was a horrid experience. As a consumer, the dealer did all of those BS tactics (add-ons, online vs instore, etc) on top of just treating us like shit. They even wanted to charge me the "add-ons" on a certified used car, like WTF. The entire dealership had obvious, open distain for ALL the people in the showroom.... it was insane and I hated it. If she didn't NEED a car we would have walked out, but they knew they had us by the balls and could treat us like shit. In fact, if I wasn't there, their first OTD price was 8 grand over what we finally got because of all their BS, and she would have paid that, because they saw an old woman to take advantage of. Just sick.
That’s absolutely terrible. Nobody should have to endure a process or experience like that at all. We have to stop giving dealers business who operate this way.
@@BenzsandBowTies Thanks. Ive bought over 30 cars in my life (so far) so Im not new to this, and some dealers are just better than others. This one just had us in a position. If I ever find myself in the market for a MB I know right were to go. Fly and drive!!!
Agreed. I work in the RV business and the same can be said for us. We need to improve on all of this big time!
This is truly transformative thought that I hope is adopted . If I need a Benz from NJ I’m reaching out to this place
Thank you for the kind words my friend!
As someone who bought two new cars in the last year this man is 100% correct. Both dealerships that won my business gave a fair market price, no add ons, price was up front over the phone and most important not a confrontational experience.
Dealerships sell a commodity, it’s on you to make the experience as good as possible for your customers to be able to set yourself apart.
Spot on, stop the nonsense. I do have a nice Porsche that I DECIDED to add PPF and ceramic coating but it was my decision. Keep up the great work !
Thank you, Robert!! There are many worthwhile products but like you said, your decision, not the dealers!
Doug I truly appreciate your honesty, it’s very obvious you have integrity and your owners should be very proud of you. I’m located in Jersey and own a Benz, for sure will be reaching out when it’s time. I also believe to just have a price and no haggling like Tesla’s model. Continued success, I enjoy your channel.
Now is the time to fix the broken industry. Great Job!
Thank you 🙏
Great points! Wish dealers would implement what you said. I can't stand the games that are played at dealerships. Thank God I don't need a new car anytime soon.
Great take on how commissions work and the impact sales can have on a deal.
Traditional sales omissions absolutely have got to go. In this industry they make zero sense
I can’t afford my dream G63 yet, but when I do, I don’t care where you’re located, I’m buying from you.
I'm watching your channel because I want to buy a new car in the next few years. If dealerships would implement the changes you recommended in this video, I would have a more positive attitude towards the process. Your first recommendation, regarding added items, strikes particularly close to home for me. When I bought my first car the Toyota distributor in this area required dealers to force buyers to purchase fabric and paint protection if they wanted certain popular cars. Because I was young and naive, I went along with it and paid for the items I didn't want. Eventually an attorney filed a class action lawsuit against the distributor involved. The distributor (if I recall correctly, it was firm called Mid-Atlantic Toyota) settled and I received some of the money back. The attorney was probably the main beneficiary of the settlement.
Great video - The guys from Dodge / Ram are laughing at you all the way to the poor farm . . . Thank God you are in Cleveland!!
The online price and showroom price thing really ticked me off. Also a dealer once won't sell me a car only if I did a loan thru them and they won't take my cash.
I also don't like the dealers that get upset about me paying cash vs financing.
Always tell them upfront how you are paying, it's not their fault if the manufacturer has incentives to the customers that involve cash/financing?
Outstanding manager
Wacky Market adjustments are also a nasty trend.. does your store add these to new or low volume benzes?
You should try and buy a new Toyota in Texas. They apply add-ons from Gulf States Toyota Distributor, and from the dealer all at the same time on every new vehicle. Basically $2,000 to $4,000.00 of crap on every new car on top of MSRP.
Appreciate the take here B&B…so many dealerships are still doing some or all of the things on this list.
All of this is so obvious and I really appreciate you saying this. My mom bought a Honda CRV recently and was able to do a deal entirely by email. Got it delivered from 100 miles away (for free) and never even spoke to the salesman. Best car buying experience ever. The salesman probably spent a total of 15 minutes putting the deal together, a deal he never would’ve gotten if he was stuck roaming the lot waiting for ups. And a sale the dealer would’ve never gotten if they had played games about giving prices via email. Enjoy your videos a lot.
The problem with that approach is most people shopping online are just pretending to shop. It’s like going on Amazon and loading up your cart with a bunch of things you wish you could buy just to close the browser tab once you see the final price. They aren’t serious buyers.And if they are they’re just trying to collect a bunch of quotes and then go to whichever dealership is five bucks less than the last. It’s a waste of all the other sales guys time and they know it hence the reason they won’t entertain it.
Great stuff!
Thank you my friend!
You’ve got my sale! If I was in the market for Mercedes, I’d buy from you.
My GM when I worked for Lexus said I’m not gonna waste money on advertising and give you guys good bonuses. We got a percentage of the gross profit. We were all so motivated because we were getting part of what we were working for meaning holding price resulted in a higher commission, which resulted in a happy dealership owner
Mercedes Benz of Austin puts a $995 “enviroguard protection package” on every car and claims it’s already installed. Told them to pound sand.
Ugh, this is what I’m talking about. Absolutely can’t have that.
Find a new name for “dealer” or “dealership” it sounds like a Vegas losing proposition. As much marketing the vehicle industry does it’s still stuck in decades past.
Buying a car in 15 minutes was the best experience I’ve ever had. Start on the app, go to the store to sign your paperwork, get digital key and keycard and drive off. Literally 15 minutes at the store. Even had my trade in appraised over the app. The best experience ever!
A good dealership can get you in and out that quickly
This video had made me subscribed. Great insight!
Thank you!
We should be able to order direct from factory and dealerships can simply exist for used inventory.
I agree with all of what you said. You should be in charge
Very well said.I would buy a car from you.keep up the great work 👍
I love this message, it's 110% correct. I have a deep deep hatred for car dealers and salesman for these exact reasons. I bought a new Mercedes in Bedford, OH once and after flying in, they totally changed the price and APR. I was forced to sign. Very bad experience. You are 2,000% right except nothin will ever change, keep dreaming. The fraud is too deep. Love the channel though.
It may not change everywhere but if we can help convince more and more to change, we can get better overall
BRAVO-BRAVO-BRAVO … thank you. You are spot- on. Thanks!
Thanks for saying it out loud!!
Had to be said!
I feel like this all fairly obvious but unfortunately 90% of people in this industry are all about making the money and less about making the customer happy.
Domestic brands here in MI all list employee pricing for everything. Its beyond annoying.
That would be incredibly frustrating for sure
Great stuff hope the Hendrick and Capitol in Wilmington, NC are listening.
This guy is a total stud finally a young good looking man is able to tell as a general manager of a store how to really do things in 2025 they make it so hard for deal consumers to buy cars. Thank you for this great video. I’m gonna have my husband call you. We’re gonna buy a car from you.
If I want to order a Gwagon from you can i do a build
And do you try to charge over the MSRP on that vehicle
We will happily custom build you a G550 for MSRP. Once you become a client of the store and have a G wagon to trade us back, we’ll happily sell you a G63 at MSRP.
@@BenzsandBowTies Good morning I currently have 2022 AMG 63 16K Miles and a 2021 4k miles I am happy with my 2021 But my wife's 2022 she loves but would like one with keyless entry and all the new technically
I'll add one-- documentation fees. Yes, I know it costs to process a registration. But here in NJ, the typical MB dealer charges $699+ for documentation fee. Across the state line in NY, fees are capped at $175 (up from $75 a few years ago). So I never buy or lease a car in NJ. My NY dealer is laid back and upfront. The reps have more authority than I've seen in other dealerships so little running to the sales manager. But after a number of vehicles, have relationship with my rep, the finance manager (from whom I bought a BMW in 2010 and who is connected through a mutual friend), sales manager. general manager and dealership owner. It is the way the auto business should be conducted, particularly for high end vehicles, and you commendably do business the same way. I only wish my 2023 EQB300 were not so trouble prone and that my attorney could have won a lemon law case with MB, but can't blame the dealer who has gone above and beyond to keep this junker on the road.
That is how it should be! Side note, I’m sorry about your EQB. Trust me when I tell you that a dealership should be very motivated to help you make that case to MBUSA because it ends up being another “deal” for the store and you end up with a happy client. Put another way, there’s no incentive or reason for the store to keep you in your problematic car.
“I dont want the trucoat” Jeeez. Im sure this guys boss saw this video, and Said “you are Fired!’’ Haha.
Ordered a new Bronco in ‘22 when they we’re still getting big ADMs on them. My local dealers insisted on mark-up, plus Doc and Admin fees and insisted I needed Nitrogen, Paint Sealant, etc. my 52k MSRP Bronco ballooned to nearly 70k when done. I simply got up and walked away. Much yelling ensued. Found a big dealer a state away who happily took my order over the phone and email and agreed to sell me the car at sticker plus tax and a $200 fee for temp tag and registration work for my state. Fair enough. 5 months later the truck arrived, was exactly what I ordered, no games and was on the road in 45 minutes. Don’t put up with the bullshit. Get up and walk away. You own the check book.
lol even before Covid my Mercedes dealer charged me $300 for anti theft stickers although they not put on yet. The manager just said it’s a way the dealership subsidies its work force.
The last time I bought a new car (2019) some teenager got in as I was leaving and started trying to teach me how to use all the tech… like young man I bought this trim for the wheels 😂
Great video
Thanks! 🙏
Nice seeing this Truth Bomb dropped Doug. I had to walk out of a Ford deal due to a surprise $2695 Protection Package, AND an additional Non Tax Fee of $762. All last minute. Ridiculous......
I had a similar experience in the Atlanta area... what the heck is this dealer protection plan, that i cannot refuse. Ended up walking away
Do all of the dealers in your auto group operate this way? We have a few up here in London Ontario.
I honestly can’t say because I don’t know, I focus on my store and am unfamiliar with the Canadian stores.
just had the worst experience buying a prius! had to start walking out twice! and all i wanted was the price on the website. they did do the deal in the end, but damn
Talking about G63s, what's your upcharge on those? No more dealer add-ons, huh?
I have several videos addressing G63’s, we sell them to our repeat clients for MSRP.
@@BenzsandBowTies and for your non-repeat customers? I don't mean to embarrass you but you asked for it.
You should be the director for the cars act
Amen brother!
🙏
I was ready to buy a $65,000 brand new car in December but they had $3000 of add-ons for that reason they lost my business and I went to the dealer down the street
Right on!
Jerry Maguire moment here? Great points all. To bad salespeople didnt get any extra commission for all the crazy ADM charges at most dealers.
I draw the line at headlamp fluid! Oxygen in tires should be standard.
I agree.
No more markups
Relationships are worth more than a single car deal--a point Doug drives home constantly--especially when explaining how he determines what customers get priority on high-demand low availability vehicles.
Better to havea chicken that lays eggs or a cow that gives milk than a single broiler chicken or a single head of beef cattle.
Doug, I would pay more to purchase a vehicle from you b/c you're transparent.
Thank you, Hudson! I won’t pretend that I understood the concept of long term relationships and loyalty early in my career, but I understand it will now and want as many other dealers to understand it as humanly possible. It means something!
#6 be transparent. It's 2025, for a simple fee i can see all incentives i qualify for, the buy rate and MF for my leases. If a consumer has structured a deal based on known information, don't insult their intelligence.
#6. Admin/Doc fee. This is another dealer add-on that is complete nonsense. No other retailer charges an admin fee for the goods they sell, imagine going into Brooks Brothers and paying an admin fee on a new suit. Thee Number 1 reason I have never bought a car from a dealership is this fee. Honda is the only retailer (in Canada) that does not charge an admin fee on new cars. (Sure they hide it in the price, but at least I don't see it). But I don't want a Honda.
thank you!
our Acura dealer makes you get mud flaps - dumbest thing ever I said take them off even though we had to pay for them.
So in the interest of "transparency" perhaps you can share your sales staff pay plan as well as yours? In the last 100+ years of selling cars we have trained the public to "horse trade". The only way dealers sold at list price or a fixed price was if they had 100% of the market (ex: Saturn) and when for example Land Rover and Mini when first introduced. Being the only guy in town or the state made it pretty easy and yes, customers were happy until they started to ask for things and discounts. In a perfect world everyone would pay a fair price but consumers also demand and expect service, and unfortunately that comes with a price. Good salespeople are hard to find and great salespeople even harder. Great ones give the best and they expect the best pay too. And if you think I am just spouting off let me share with you that I have been in the business since 1974 and in sales since 1985. Been sales person, used car manager, general sales manager and GM. So yes I have a bit of experience.
Lastly, to the person who commented about pricing and add ons and then goes on to say that they "flip" those same cars.......unbelievable. You sir, are the problem!
We’ve owned Mercedes for over 35 years…G, AMG, SL’s, SUVS, SEDANS !!! My number one rule to anyone buying a mercedes is never return for maintenance!!!! Of all my friends that have Benz I’m by far the lowest maintenance and best maintained Benz’s of anybody!
This is true with all dealerships. It’s just because all dealership mechanics don’t care about your car and they don’t have a reputation to up keep, so they treat your car like crap and just work on volume.
Additional Dealer Mark Up on some POS Charger is the best. I don’t care if it has 2000 horsepower… if you pay over sticker for any Stellantis product, you’ve just been buried alive for the next 7 years
Sales people, they’re cutting you out.
Bins furniture , next stop.
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
6. No salespersons. Customers should work directly with a manager who has the power to adjust prices, interest rates, remove doc fees and other extras etc. When I walk in a dealership there are WAY too many salespeople and most are just standing around. 2-3 managers would suffice especially given your point #4. The silly game of the salesperson going to “ask the manager” is just so lame and outdated.
70% of people don’t like the car buying experience. I sold cars at a Toyota dealership and I can attest to that fact. The “red square” needs to stop. Dealers always try to get as much out of each car especially used cars. The pressure to squeeze every penny out of the customer with lies is not the way to establish a lifelong relationship. You might make the sale but the buyers remorse sets in and people start researching more after the purchase and when they realize they paid too much they never purchase from you again and only trash talk your dealership
You never understood the add on strategy because your not selling Kia’s and Hyundais lol
I respect your views and improvements you’d like to see but as a consumer I am sick to death of the traditional dealership model. I feel it’s too late for reform and would much rather see the Tesla model rolled out.
Whilst it may not always be to the consumer advantage, it’s transparent and stupidly easily - no messing with salespeople.
I know what I want, I don’t need a salesperson. Controversial I know :)
There are many that think the same way and I don’t see anything wrong with it. I don’t think it would work the same way it does for Tesla now if the entire industry operated that way, however.
@ I appreciate it’s not for everyone. However, it would be nice for those that know what they want and have a general understanding of how the industry works to have an easier option to transact that isn’t the “traditional” method.
I don’t envy your challenges but wish you luck with reform. You present very well and I would buy from you on the basis of straight talking - it’s a rare thing these days.
I’m from Scotland and have noted some US style changes kicked in during the pandemic eg dealer admin fees - we never used to have any of that nonsense. Thankfully some are now retracting.
JLR are still the worst locally for me - car in showroom with sticker price but when you try to purchase it, they add another 6k of “non optional” items (not yet fitted). Needless to say they didn’t get the sale.
I somewhat respect the US take on difficult cars to obtain eg Porsche GT models - they will sell to anyone at market price so you don’t need to play the UK dealer games. It’s still wrong but at least you know where you stand and it’s transparent!
However, I feel that market is crashing, I got 2 calls recently on GT4RS asking if I was still interested (had several GTS / GT4 Cayman before and expressed interest at launch when I was pretty much laughed at). There is no such thing as loyalty - just profit. I’ll hang fire a little longer and buy a used one as they are plummeting here :)
Enough waffling - I love your content. It’s very interesting to see it from the other side of the table!
There is nothing I HATE more than buying a car!!!! It’s a dirty experience !!!
So basically, the Tesla selling model. Ok, I’m good with that.
No kidding... price listed, any and all fees shown. Take it or leave it situation. Use your credit card for a deposit and sign documents, and pick up your car. Hopefully "dealerships" will change
You can easily replicate that wonderful Tesla selling model at any dealer. Just pay the asking price, exactly as you do with Tesla. Got it?
Another great video my C63 IS YOURS T0 SELL ME….
Yup. Take a page out of Tesla's book. They can't stop selling poorly made cars, because they made it extremely simple to buy/lease a car. Instead of wasting half a day at a dealership, you can get it done sitting on your couch.
And then Tesla screws its customers by lowering the price on the car you just bought by several thousand dollars. That is REAL customer service. Oh, and if you need service good luck on that, month or more out for work. Complain to someone. Yeah, that's right, you bought it on your couch ay home so no one.
Too bad you're not a Toyota or Lexus dealer. I'd hop on a plane and fly across the country to buy my next Toyota or Lexus from you.
Stop the abuse of overcharging doc and admin fees. Total customer abuse.
That all needs to be regulated by the states. Florida, for example, has no regulation on doc fees and this is especially out of control there.
If you don't understand "Add Ons" you're just simple, it's called greed
1. Nobody likes a sleazy salesperson 2. Nobody likes to be hard sold 3. People are buying service after the sale Poor people tend to buy on cheapest price. Wealthy people buy on quality and service because it saves them TIME and HEADACHE.
As a car buff. Not many decent auto person, like You. This is why the FTC is trying to enact CARS to combat greedy dealerships. Start with Mercedes to make changes. I dare Them. The greed at dealerships makes your industry the worst. Only people like you can change
Everything you said is extremely rare. I’ve purchased 20+ cars and was flipping bronco’s and c8’s. Don’t think I have ever seen a dealer ship not give me an out the door quote online. In fact I was living in Boston and every car I bought was out of state. You’re just trying to make people feel like you’re a “good guy” so they should buy from you.
Not true, there are lots of dealerships everyday doing exactly what he is talking about Hell there are people that tape and livestream interactions with dealerships all around the county and it is just one huge game to most dealerships, if I ever want to buy a Mercedes I know who I will be calling and I am out of state as well
His manipulation worked on you. You will pay more at his dealership. Yeah, some dealers do what he said, but it’s rare and you have to be stupid to even entertain it.
@ I don’t ever entertain anything that’s an add on, and it shouldn’t take me 20 minutes of being on the phone to get that dealerships out the door price I should have it in 5 minutes. I don’t want to haggle just give me your best price and I am shopping it around end of story
Have you ever purchased a car? Again, I purchased over 20 maybe 30… never at the same dealer. I’ve never experienced anything that you’re talking about. In fact, I was looking at C8 z06’s Just a few days ago and I can get out of the door price from every single dealership I called in like five minutes.
Master of the obvious 😂
They could quit trying to scam everyone.
“Scam” is a broad word but a lot of what I’m discussing here covers that
For the algorithm
Appreciate that!!
This bozo also said most dealers sell cars at a loss hahah. They wouldn’t be in business!
Selling cars at loses is a very normal thing, there are many profit centers in a dealership to prevent them from “going out of business”
Cut out the MIDDLE-MAN!!! Every time there are 2-3 middle🧍♂️ = more $. Can’t wait for Tesla style buy online just like buying on Amazon or target or any store online.
Amazon is a middle man… I understand your point, but dealers CAN be fun and easy to work with and get you great pricing!
@ direct to consumer is always the cheapest price on earth.
Ordered a new Bronco in ‘22 when they we’re still getting big ADMs on them. My local dealers insisted on mark-up, plus Doc and Admin fees and insisted I needed Nitrogen, Paint Sealant, etc. my 52k MSRP Bronco ballooned to nearly 70k when done. I simply got up and walked away. Much yelling ensued. Found a big dealer a state away who happily took my order over the phone and email and agreed to sell me the car at sticker plus tax and a $200 fee for temp tag and registration work for my state. Fair enough. 5 months later the truck arrived, was exactly what I ordered, no games and was on the road in 45 minutes. Don’t put up with the bullshit. Get up and walk away. You own the check book.
Why yell at a dealership? Just say no and walk away. It is not personal, just business. The dealer will respect you more if you do not yell and, rather, maintain control by calmly walking away.
@@jerrylundegaard2592 I didn’t yell. They did. I laughed and told them they just lost a multi-Ford owner for life. They responded they didn’t need my business. Good. I’m in a small city and the next Ford dealers are at least 45 minutes away and one of them is even worse. Now that the market is tightening up sales wise, I see their kit is overflowing with Bronco’s and pick-ups, they may not need my money yet but they’re closer to needing it than they were a year ago.