Buying a car is one of the most annoying things in the world. Even if you’re walking in and paying cash for a car, you’re bound to have to do hours of paperwork, price negotiation, etc…And if you’re financing a vehicle, it just takes forever. Some of my worst memories are of being at car dealerships just having to hang around and wait for financing approval, paperwork, and just having to be constantly on guard against sneaky car salesmen. The advertised price is rarely the actual price, and since my husband and I buy reliable used cars, we’ve encountered another sneaky tactic. When car dealerships advertise cars with prices, we go in to finance it and get a different price. When we ask, they say, “Oh the advertised price was the cash price.” Yeah, OK. If you’ve had your share of car-buying experiences, you’ll love the joke below.
A sharp old farmer went to buy a pickup truck that he saw advertised for a certain price. After telling the salesman which truck he wanted, they sat down to do the paperwork. The salesman handed the farmer the bill, and the farmer declared, “This isn’t the price I saw!”
The salesman went on to tell the wise old farmer how he was getting extras such as power brakes, power windows, special tires etc. and that was what took the price up. The farmer knew he was being ripped off, but he needed the truck badly, so he just paid the price and went home.
A few months later, the salesman called up the farmer and said, “My son is in Class 4-H, same as your kid, and he needs a cow for a project. Do you have any for sale?”
The farmer said, “Yes, I have a few cows, and I would sell for $500.00 apiece. Come look at them and take your pick.”
The salesman said he and his son would be right out. After spending a few hours in the field checking out all the farmer’s cows, the two decided on one and the salesman proceeded to write out a check for $500.00.
The farmer said “Now, wait a minute, that’s not the final price of the cow. You’re getting extras with it and you have to pay for that too.”
“What extras?” asked the salesman.
The farmer handed the salesman a bill with the following charges:
Basic Cow – $500.00
Two-tone exterior – $45.00
Extra stomach – $75.00
Product storing equipment – $60.00
Dual horn technology – $45.00
Straw compartment – $120.00
4 Spigots @ $10 ea – $40.00
Leather upholstery .- $125.00
Built-in Automatic fly swatter – $38.00
Fertilizer dispensing attachment – $185.00
Grand Total – $1,233.00
Salesmen aren’t the only ones who can be tricky!
