In a viral TikTok video, a former car dealership employee shared how she gets a good deal on a car at the dealership. It involves some transparent negotiating.
Buying a car at a fair price is a notoriously difficult process, especially for women heading into the process alone. Car salespeople are known to sneak in extra fees and upcharges they market as “necessary” that the average consumer may not have enough knowledge about to rebuttal.
Since the average person isn’t well-versed in the car buying process, given that they go through it maybe a handful of times (versus the salesperson who works in the industry day in and day out) they can end up paying an unnecessarily steep price.
That’s where Roxy Stylez (@roxystylezz26) comes in to help.
The TikToker made a response video replaying to a commenter who wanted to know how to avoid the 15-minute waiting game that happens every time a customer negotiates during the car buying process.
“Honestly, make them sit longer,” Roxy says in the clip.
@roxystylezz26 Replying to @user8479429849108 ♬ original sound – Roxy Stylez
She explains that the salesperson typically comes out with the first price, and buyers should never take the first number given. After coming back with your offer, the person will go to the back office and likely “just sit there,” with the manager doing nothing (possibly making bets on how fast they can get you to sign) and making you sit there since the wait can make people uncomfortable.
They’ll often come back emphasizing how they “went to war for you” and “fought really hard” for the offer they’re about to present and are “on your team.”
“No, he’s not. No, he’s not at all. The more money he gets out of you, the more money he makes,” Roxy says.
She says customers shouldn’t feel bad for salespeople because they can get a flat rate payment that may be more than the average person makes in a full day, even if they don’t make money on the car. A Bumper article explained that car salespeople have several earning structures including a salary, commission only, and incentive-based.
While car salespeople can go a few days without a sale, that’s not something buyers need to be worrying about.
Continuing with her advice, Roxy instructs viewers to make them “squeam” and call another dealership right in front of them, letting them know your current offer.
“If you beat it, I’ll come to you,” she tells buyers to say in earshot of the salesperson they’re working with.
When the salesperson on the phone agrees to something cheaper, Roxy says to tell the original salesperson since they’re not likely to let you walk over a possibly $1,000 difference after spending time on you.
Roxy adds a few other tips advising people not to give any context about how much they want or need the car.
“You don’t want to give them more leverage to be able to sue against you,” she suggests.
She adds that buyers should avoid paying a docking fee (since the vehicle is already docked and wasn’t special ordered) and any other extras like special coatings, which you can get done cheaper at an auto repair shop.
The video has more than 345,000 views and over 700 comments as of Tuesday morning.
Many commenters appreciated Roxy’s video and said the car-buying process shouldn’t be so difficult.
“The dealership model needs to get scrapped,” the top comment read.
“Why does it have to be so exhausting to buy a damn vehicle,” a person said.
“Honestly this could be a job. I’d hire someone to go to dealership with me to save thousands of dollars,” another wrote.
Others gave their own negotiation methods.
“I give them the price I’ll pay, in total. they have 10 minutes to decide and I walk out. it’s simple,” a commenter shared.
“One my dad picked the make and model he wanted and just cc’d every dealership in a 100 mile radius so they’d try to beat each other and not him,” another said.
The Daily Dot reached out to Roxy for comment via Instagram direct message.
