When shopping for a new car, it can be just as difficult to find the right dealership as it is to find the right car.
Recently, a viral video from Dalton T. Miller (@rohrmantoyota), a salesperson at Indiana-based Bob Rohrman Toyota, posted a video giving viewers a list of dealership red flags. The video, viewed over 357,000, is just one of many from the dealership that’s attracted widespread attention for its straightforward tips.
What are some dealership red flags?
Miller approaches a series of employees and asks them to give a red flag, such as towing the vehicle out front for the test drive, a salesperson asking for a tip, and refusing to show the CARFAX.
Additional car dealer behavior they advise against includes pushing add-ons on the customer, lying about the condition of a used vehicle, standing at the front door waiting for the customer, holding onto the customer’s trade-in keys, and saying the paint protection was already applied.
RateGenius also lists yo-yo scams, the bait and switch method, backdated contracts, and verbal warranties as signs of a sketchy dealership.
Though these are all solid up-front signs that can help you navigate the choppy waters of car dealerships, Miller and several other workers advised people to beware of the four-square method above all else.
What is the four-square method?
According to Consumer Reports, four-square is a seemingly innocuous practice “designed to make you pay more and not realize what’s going on.”
Four-square is a method where the car price, trade-in value, down payment, and monthly payment are all placed into four separate squares. This method uses misdirection to draw a customer’s attention to the monthly payments instead of the total price of the vehicle. The article explains that “by talking about monthly payments,” the dealer is hiding “variables that are profit centers of the dealership.”
Capital One breaks down a key aspect of the four square deal—making the customer focus on one number while others go up or remain too high. “For example, they might bring your monthly payment down but never change the overall sticker price, making your loan a longer-term one.”
The bank suggests getting outside financing and keeping the final out-the-door price—what the vehicle costs in total—in mind while negotiating as ways to combat this style of negotiation.
“At the end of the day, I’ve bought a ton of cars and I’ve seen way too many salespeople still using four squares. It doesn’t give me the information as a consumer to make an educated buying decision,” Miller said.
@rohrmantoyota Car dealership, red flags #carsalesman #carsales #carbuyingadvice ♬ original sound – RohrmanToyota
What do the viewers think?
Multiple viewers added some of their own red flags.
“Red flags are the dealer mark up, doc fees, the transport/ delivery fee, and dealer-installed accessories,” one said.
“When you ask what’s the out the door price and they say their internet is down,” another added.
“Number one reason to leave a dealership, is walking into to one,” a third joked.
Others disagreed on whether or not using the four-square is a sketchy method.
“The hell is wrong with a four square. That’s how you sell a car. Price, trade, down payment and payment are the componentsnts of the deal,” a viewer said.
We do 4 squares at my dealership and I HATE it. I came from one with the full breakdown. I always ask for the full breakdown,” a second replied.
Another viewer said the method is still used even if they don’t pull out the trademark page with four squares.
“They still do the four square, just without the picture these days,” they said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Rohrman Toyota via TikTok Comments.
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