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New 2007 Nissan Versa 1.8S Sedan Automatic + Power Package (power windows, locks, ABS).
Price: 14,500
Rebate: -500
Subtotal: 14,000
Now, we have the rest of the fees:
Tax: $700 (seems ok)
Documentation Fee: $444 <<----What the hell?? License and Fees(fees again?): $94 I know that doc fees vary from state to state (maybe dealer to dealer too??), some even have laws. I live in MA, so what should i be realisticly be paying for doc fee? Is $444 too much, if so, how far can i haggle to lower it or elimnate it even?
Thanks.
Also dealersa in Ma. are supposed to disclose their Doc Fees up front. We are supposed to be a full disclosure state.
I heard some ridiculous things like it was illegal to not charge them
That would have been enough for me right there. I don’t agree with doc fees and to be insulted as to their validity would have me out the door, now!!
Not that $300 or my time doesn’t mean anything to me, but trying to deal with someone you can’t believe well, I’ve already voiced my opinion about that.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
JM, in a perfect world.... I have learned to let some things slide when people are under pressure and have no logical way to validate their position. I do believe that they were trained to say this, but the delivery was bad. When I cornered him on this, I learned that the dealership would not waive the fee as a matter of policy as to not risk a discrimination suit (you can judge the risk yourself). It's a stretch to say it's illegal not the charge the fee, but, then again this is a consumer auto purchase. It's an easy way for them to try to get out of discounting the price the equivalent of the fee. I would have had more respect if they said, "I'm sorry we always factor in the fee in our pricing and we can't meet that price point". However this is not the first dealer I have come across that considers doc fees part of TTL and I suspect it won't be the last. But I have other stories on how they try to roll it into TTL as a mandatory fee levied by government or other regulatory bodies.
Yes, perhaps on principle I should have walked, but I wanted to buy a car and it was close enough. And no, I won't ding them on the survey, because of the way the survey system is set up. This was really not that bad, I have experienced much worse. I will say that what I have learned here has not only allowed me get a better deal, but increased my patience with the sales folks and made a smoother all around.
Ok I will judge this. It seems like we’re going from one lie to another here aren’t we? If it is discrimination to charge one person doc fees and not charge another, then I think the same court would find the dealer guilty for not charging everybody the same price for a car and I know you know this so you should have said this when you got this, even more, ridiculous answer to justify the first.
Did they offer any other untruths before you told them to stop insulting you?
I realize they are probably trained to say what ever it takes to make a sale but at some point the BS has to stop especially when they know the buyer didn’t just fall off the turnip truck out in front of their store.
Anyways, enjoy your new wheels until they fall off.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Did they offer any other untruths before you told them to stop insulting you?
I realize they are probably trained to say what ever it takes to make a sale but at some point the BS has to stop especially when they know the buyer didn’t just fall off the turnip truck out in front of their store.
To serve what end JM? So I can feel better knowing that I pointed out every error and untruth in a car purchase? I won't argue with your point because you are right in principle. You know the old saying, if I had a dollar for every time I was fed a line of BS in a car dealer ...
However it doesn't buy cars, so I decided to close the deal and move on. They are trying their best to make a deal, sometimes they reach and slip over to the dark side. If I conduct business they way I want and efficiently, then I'm OK with it. It's only a car after all.
Like I said, I could post other stories about internet managers and fees and the like and scream about it as moral offences, but as we have learned here, customers aren't always pure either. I've said this before, autos seem to bring out the worst in both buyers and sellers alike. I have talked to people that would not put any effort into saving hundreds on other purchases but will go to great lengths for fifty bucks on a car. It's irrational. Money is still money no matter where you save or spend it.
Only so you can get down to serious negotiations and buy what you came to get without having to listen to every line that they were taught !
When I hear stories like this it only confirms that I like the way I do it better; give them a price, let them take it to a higher authority for the yea or nay and I’ve either bought their car or I’m on my way to the next guy. All done in 30 minutes or less.
Yep, I like my way better but like I’ve said before, that’s why they make chocolate and vanilla.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Nothing like playing the sympathy card if you can get away with it, but you know that won’t work with me or a lot of the posters here. You should be happy about that otherwise you’d be selling ‘T’ shirts (not the 'tidester' kind), or you’d have to get a real 40 hour a week job like the rest of the working stiffs that hang out here.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age. The bottom line is still the final deal. Like I said, it wasn't that bad. Their mistake was to either by neglect or deliberate ommission assume that the documentation fees were part of TTL. They really should have negotiated this when we were talking price before TTL. I would have split it with them in the negotiations anyways so my bottom line was not affected. I just think most dealers try to treat it as automatic and sacred to deter negotiations on it.
At the end of the day, I got my car, they got their mini sale and hopefully it will be minimal effort and smooth for both of us.
What the heck.
In many states it is ilegal for a dealer NOT to charge the EXACT SAME Doc fee to ALL their customers.
Stupid as it sounds, it's considered discrimination if they waive it for one customer.
I have let people walk and killed deals over this.
That may be so, but that does not translate to: It is illegal to not charge the doc fee. Some guys take too much liberty with it.
Isell - if the fee were $50 I wouldn't think twice about it. Here it's close to $400! I've told them just give me the papers and I'll run them over myself and no dealer will do that either - even with check in hand.
Back to brentwood.... Get better, man! You will because you have the right attitude. Believing you can beat disease is more than half the battle. I've got a laundry list of things I've been through and one reason I keep bouncing back is that it never occurs to me that I won't. You'll beat it.
You will, too, Mack. I don't know you as well but your postings tell a lot. Keep up the battle but don't think of it as a battle. It's just something you need to get through. You will.
$300-400 is usual here. But try to buy a Toyota or Honda at a local "superstore" and bang - $599-799, please. For Corolla or Civic it's like 5% of the price. Big domestics followed suit. But yeah, they sell "at invoice" :sick:
2018 430i Gran Coupe
Man, there sure are a lot of our type around here. I’m talking about the years thing (I can’t bring myself to say “old” and me in the same breath).
Now, for that “soft” thing, I’m just as hard as I ever was except around the middle.
At the end of the day, I got my car, they got their mini sale and hopefully it will be minimal effort and smooth for both of us.
Now that’s the important part that “mini” thing.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
OK, if you say so. I’m not in the biz so I don’t follow other states laws. Here in PA the doc fee is $55 (or at least that’s what they charge in the Pittsburgh area) which to me sounds like an honest fee for doing that work. I sure wouldn’t want to run around for 55 bucks and fill out paperwork so that I could register my car.
But I must admit, until you pointed this out, I was sure it was written into the “Car Sales 101” manual that all you guys were trained by.
Stupid as it sounds, it's considered discrimination if they waive it for one customer.
Yeah, I agree. But none of us have ever heard the words politicians and intelligence mentioned in the same sentence.
I have let people walk and killed deals over this.
These must have been the law breakers. I wouldn’t want to deal with them either. :shades:
By far, the most important thing is for you to return to good health and if trying to educate us cars buyers makes you feel better, then go for it.
Good luck,
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
That may be so, but that does not translate to: It is illegal to not charge the doc fee. Some guys take too much liberty with it.
I agree and that’s why you can’t take the genie out of the bottle (in some states), cause he ain’t goin back in without the law being changed.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Why ask for not charging a fee? Let them charge the documentation fee as they will. Just back it out using a "Managers adhoc Discount" just above the bottom line.
That salesman was a real greenpea
or
he knew how to handle you very well. Too bad.
Someone earlier was right when they said that we do open ourselves up to liability if we charge it to one customer and not another.
There have been times that our dealership has discounted the selling price of the car and times we let the customer walk. Just depends on how much gross is built into the deal. If we have the room to move AND its a deal breaker we move, if not sayonara.
On an aside, if friends and family come in to buy a car they do not get an absolute rock bottom, give it away, price. I build in a bit of profit for the inevitable "extra service or freebies" that are always demanded by friends and family. I have never seen a family member or close friend, NOT work me for extras after the price is agreed upon.
In all seriousness, I have been told for 14 years that charge one, charge all is the regulation in this state. When I buy a car here, I have to charge myself. On the few (maybe 7 or 8 in my career) where I had to wave it to do a deal, I subtract $199 from the price of the car and leave the doc fee alone.
Nonsense! "No one will ever accuse politicians of having high intelligence."
See?
Actually all this stuff about dealers adding doc fees is a thing they have learned from the government. People complain about taxes? OK, reduce them. How do you make up the revenue? Charge fees for what otherwise would be free, increase fees that already exist. Increase tolls. Build more toll booths (Oh! Capital improvements! We love that... )..... So the dealer takes less for the car but makes up for it in the fee...
As long as you keep that final OTD number as your goal you'll make out fine no matter how many things they throw around in the details.
or
he knew how to handle you very well. Too bad.
Pretty bold statement when you know nothing about the details of the transaction.
Now I am hearing that if they won't pay that $300. doc fee then kill the deal and let em' walk.
I remember leasing a 1995 Camry some years back and successfully negotiating 15,000 miles per year with the salesman.
When it came time to sign the papers the number had magically changed to 12,000 miles per year. I asked the salesman about it (he was a good guy) and he said it was changed by the sales manager.
I headed for the door and actually made it to my car and was backing out when the SM came running out the door waving his arms and telling me it was all a mistake. I would have left him standing there all red faced but I felt sorry for the salesman.
I can also remember buying my son a car for college some years ago. I knew I would qualify for the lowest finance rate but the F&I guy quoted me a rate about 2 points higher than it should be. He explained that by charging me a higher rate that would allow them to finance some other poor guy who would not have otherwise qualified. I could not believe my ears. As I headed for the door he gave me the right rate.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Mackabee
I have meant to ask you this before but don't you worry that just maybe some of your customers read these fourms?
I know some of mine do.
Well, anyway, that brought the speech that there was no way they would waive that. So they made $30 and their attitude lost a customer. Of course they've since taken over the Honda dealership I bought my Accord at so I guess they win in the end.....
Which reminds me of a short story: - God I love these leads ins don't you?
Back in 1998 we had an odd bird on the lot. It was a 1998 V6 Camry LE with moonroof, alloys, leather, AND a 5spd tranny! The car was something like $27k MSRP. I sat on our lot for months and no one would look at it as soon as they saw it was a hand shaker. One Saturday morning our GM attends the sale meeting and puts a "spiff" on this puppy. $500.00 plus commission to whoever sells the car. I raise my hand and say "John, consider that baby gone!". He looks at me and says "Really? you got a customer on it?" "I'm calling them as soon as we break from here." I tell him.
We break from the meeting and the car is sitting on the pad nice and pretty and has a sale hanger on the mirror. Something like $25,990.00 plus ttl. I call my godson's mom and tell her I got a deal on a V6 Camry and she should come and look at it. "It's everything you wanted on your Camry. Leather, moonroof, keyless, alloys, the works! It's almost and XLE!." I tell her. "I'll let Charlie know and we will be there before noon." she tells me.
Around 11am they pull up in the 97 Camry I had sold them a year before. I grab the keys and tell them to take it for a test drive. When they come back they don't even blink at the price and we write it up. There credit is not the greatest but we get them done and they buy the extended warranties. I'm happy, they are happy and my GM is happy! I end up with with a $700.00 commish and Mrs. Mackabee is happy.
Mackabee
If they read the forums, they wouldn't let themselves be clubbed like baby seals :P
Mack :shades:
Did they offer any other untruths before you told them to stop insulting you?
I realize they are probably trained to say what ever it takes to make a sale but at some point the BS has to stop especially when they know the buyer didn’t just fall off the turnip truck out in front of their store.
Anyways, enjoy your new wheels until they fall off.
jmonroe
In Florida, if you waive a doc fee on a deal, and the DMV catches you, you are required to refund the doc fee on every deal that you ever charged one on.
Period. State law.
Eh, what the heck do I know... the guy from the Florida DMV must have been lying to us when I went to the dealer training class.
Think whatever you want, but some of us on here have indeed been licensed dealers and do know the law.
Wouldn't be the first time a government employee didn't know their job.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Like I said earlier, charge $1000 in docu fees. Who cares!
Just provide an adhoc discoint at the end for $1000 and you have effectively not paid the documentation fees :shades:
I see, just lends more credibility to your blanket judgments about the experience of the salesperson or the deal we struck.
Wow. If you sell two cars a day thats over $500 a day to "offset" (not eradicate)the "cost" of filing.......
I sure the person who does the filing is very happy with their paycheck. That rate is far more then an attorney gets for "filing paperwork". And thats if the dealership sells only two cars a day.
I can understand paying the fees to the state. But if I buy a loaf of bread at 7-11 or a shirt at Costco, they don't tell me the price is as marked PLUS a "paperwork fee" to get the bread in and account for it as it goes out.
It started out as the dealership paying DMV fees and turned into a profit. As others have said I have an OTD price I will be satisfied with. They can mess with the numbers anyway they like.
Heres my recent buying experience
I recently bought a 2006 HHR that had an original sticker of $24,125. The original buyer bought it 14 months ago. They had it marked at $18,995 Carfax said it was local and bought locally.
I had a 2003 Explorer with 48K on it. I offered $4k and my Ford OTD. They wanted $8500! Since I was in no hurry I siad no I made an offer. They invited me to look up both cars on KBB. I did. I saw ACV trade in in good condition on the Explorer at $9800 and $13.5 low book as equipt or so for the HHR in good condition.
I figured they have $12k in the HHR (What a beating those cars take). Thats how I came up with my offer. The Sales Manager was a good guy. No a GREAT guy. He took no offense but kidded with me " So lets see you want to trade wholesale for wholesale" I said "And?" HE laughed and dropped his proce $3000!!!! to $5500 OTD and my truck.
We both were silent for about 5 minutes. "I said I guess the next person who talks loses" He laughed and said "I knew you were thinking that"
I pull out a single check from my wallet and fill it out for $5000. I hand him the check and tell him it's my last check. I will have to go home to get another. HE again laughs and calls his used car manager to find out "how much they have in the HHR" The sales guy is standing there not saying a word.
The SM gets up and says we have a deal. Easy and a good experience. Not anything like I have had in the past.
Now the HHR has 11k miles on it and has EVERY option available. Even the On Star and XM Radio still apparently have time left. Its a nice alternative to the big Explorer.
But they are obviously worse then KIAs in resale LOL
Whether or not the dealer made $200 $2000 or $5000 on the deal makes no difference. I bought the car for $14k OTD and felt it was a good value.
I did not buy the car at a Chevy dealer which in my mind saved me money because it would have been "Certified" and I am sure that would have cost another $1500 or more. Because it was at a Dodge Dealer I believe they let it go as it may be competition to their PT Cruisers. I sure would not want the chance of someone coming in for a new PT to decide they rather have a new HHR instead...Perhaps.
So yes Sales managers can be fun to deal with IF you keep it light and you are standing while negotiating. Which I was because I was "negotiating" at the "tower". I cannot stand those cubicles....and never plant there. I do believe if one is standing the sales people know it's more likely they will leave rather then grind for hours.
"Processing Fee represents dealers recovery of administrative overhead expense plus dealer profit."
Nothing hidden no surprises. It is not disclosed in the F&I office, it is on the proposal the deal is started on.
I might get 5 people a year that bring it up. We think that it is never an issue because we don't hide it and we tell you in black and white that it includes additional profit.
We are about average for dealers in the area, they run any where from $0 to $699 in some of the import stores.
So.. the price comes down an equal amount, or the deal is off..
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Have your transaction costs increased by a factor of 8 in the past 8 years? Of course not.
Don't kid yourself, this is simply state politicians bowing to the pressure/power of automobile dealers - period.
What exactly should the dealer be charging me in the state of Pennsylvania for new title registration and plate transfer? If it look it up on the PA DMV web site it looks like $22.50 for title registration and $6 for plate transfer from my trade in. I can't see any other registration type fees they should be charging me. I know there is also the 6% sales tax and $5 tire tax. That should be it - correct?
I also lost the title on my trade in. From the DMV web site they should be charging me $22.50 to process the lost title form.
The reason I ask is because I have already purchased this car and the charges on my receipt do not add up to these numbers. I have contacted them FOUR TIMES and they don't return my emails or phone calls, leading me to believe they have overcharged for these fees. According to PA law, they are not allowed to do so - they must represent on their receipt to the customer the EXACT amount to be remitted to the state of PA.
Thanks,
Cathy
Or you can call 717-412-5300. That is the # for the PA Bureau of Motor Vehicles. They can answer your question for you.
What is a drive out tag? I just had them transfer the plate from my trade in to my new car.
There were 3 other separate fees for documentation (which was at the state max of $55), online service fee, and online dealer fee. They explained these as the fees they charge to do the paperwork and be "online" with the state to submit it.
Believe it or not, I did call the PA Bureau at that number before posting here. I got transfered FOUR TIMES to various agencies and no one could tell me exactly the amount dealers are supposed to charge customers for these fees. It was completely ridiculous and they ended up telling me to submit a complaint form if I thought I was overcharged.
I'm asking here was the exact amounts should be in case I'm wrong and missing some fee remitted to the state. According to what I read, they cannot lump in fees to outside agencies in that line item - it must be only fees remitted to the state for the registration and plate transfer.
Thanks.