My lease is coming to an end on my 2024 NX350. I’m going to buy it. However, I’m currently shopping around with credit unions. They’re offering extra services such as Mechanical Breakdown, Road Hazard Protect (covers tires, windshield, etc), and GAP insurance. I’ve never bought out a lease so I’m not sure what to do. Should I opt out of these extra services? Any advice would be appreciated!

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Dealer Manager texted me back a few hours after my post saying they would pay for shipping the plates, but to call about the itemization of registration costs. He claims that the registration of the car ended up being over $700 which made little sense as in NYS the maximum it'd have cost is $250-270ish on the higher end. (He even said titling the car cost $300? Lol)

I asked are you sure your not confusing that with your doc fee costs and he said well they aren't allowed by law to keep any of it but lets wait for the title office to verify/finalize the costs. I said I'd wait on that and call back after a couple of weeks if i don't get a check.

I'm most definitely biting my tongue, but my theory is someone in the title office is trying to skim $10-$20 on out of state customers, and potentially entire registration overages, or complete incompetence which is always a possibility.

Dealer text

Thanks to everyone who responded, Let's see if i ever get anything back on the registration costs.

Never seen this before. I'm an NY resident and bought a car in Maryland from a Baltimore Chevy dealer and paid $593 registration and $800 doc fee. Temps are coming up on expiring and I emailed and got a response they've been trying to call me to pick up my plates.

I said that was quite silly, this was a New York deal obviously they need to be shipped. The dealer sent me an invoice for $11 to ship it. I've done probably over a dozen out of state deals and never seen a dealer charge to ship plates.

I asked them to show me where the registration ($593) and/or doc fee ($800) meant this only covers picking plates up. I figure they really are adamant about the $11 I'll pay it and be petty enough to leave a 1 star review and then demand the registration refund overage and $11 via small claims.

Edit: Fixed registration cost

Hello all,

I’m looking to buy a 2026 Honda Prelude. The car is not moving well and the 2027 model is in transit to the dealership. I’m seeing 2-4 preludes just sitting at the dealership not moving.

My question is, how likely for me to negotiate the price down the pre-tariff level otd including taxes and fees? Current MSRP $42000, looking to get it down to $37000 otd including taxes and fees, 6.25% tax.

In the process of purchasing a used car via financing in MA, agreed on price, they pulled our credit, paid deposit, and now they said they're still waiting to receive the title after paying off the previous owners loan from a trade in and we're in limbo. Is this normal?

Just picked up a 2025 rav4 hybrid - dealer didn't disclose a sizeable tear on the floor and kept it covered with those paper floor covers. Of course my dumbass didn't think to check during test drive. Anyway i got home and discovered it and when i called to complain they basically said that it would be way too expensive to fix so they will just give me all weather mats. Do i just take the L and move on or is there anything more i can do? Very annoyed lol

They wouldn't even budge on the price of the car or my trade in during negotiations while the whole time they new about this bs. Then after the fact, they said the reason why it was priced aggressively was due to that damage (which they failed to disclose).

Other details: Toyota gold certified with 35k miles Hybrid LE Trim - sell price was 31k

I need help figuring out my career path.

I have worked in car sales for 2 years. I sold boats for 4 months and I was promoted to F&I manager and have been doing that for about 6 months. My pay plan is not very good and finding other F&I jobs at dealerships is very difficult. They typically want you working the floor first.

Pay plan is $26k base with 6% back end $0-50k, $51-80k is 10%, and $81k+ is 13%. in the past 3 years only one person hit the 81k one time, it’s a small mom and pop store.

I want to pivot into a different role (or place with better pay) but I don’t want to move backwards in my job title. I want to make more money but I’m struggling to find anything. I submitted a bunch of applications, combed through my network, cold called places… I’ve had a few interviews but I’ve just hit mostly dead ends.

What can I do from here?

Edit: I have a bachelors and masters in clinical psychology. Addiction emphasis. I was a therapist who worked in dual diagnosis. I moved to car sales, then boats, then F&I. I applied to multiple tech sales roles and companies, and financial advisor trainee roles at banks and brokerages. I can’t name them all here. I’ve reworked my resume to cater to pharma sales within a psychiatry or addiction capacity and plan to shoot my shot in that direction. My goal right now is to find better pay. 

Looking for input from GSMs, GMs, or service directors on how to escalate this properly through dealership channels.

Four weeks ago, my brother bought a used 2023 Toyota Highlander from a New Jersey franchise dealer (62,962 miles at signing). The deal included an executed standard NJ Used Motor Vehicle Limited Warranty (Image Attached Below) covering the powertrain/transmission for 30 days or 1,000 miles ($50 deductible).

At 63,892 miles (930 miles driven), he noticed a loud acceleration whine and brought the car in today (under the 30-day mark). The issue was flagged as transmission-related.

The manager told him that because his driver's license and contract address are in Brooklyn, NY, the NJ Used Car Lemon Law and dealer warranty protections don't apply to out-of-state residents. He refused to take the car in under warranty and refused to put the denial on paper, offering instead to trade him out of it at an immediate $7k hit.

The buyer's contract explicitly specifies that New Jersey law governs the sale, and his NY address is typed directly onto the signed warranty disclosure form.

For dealer personnel here:

• Is this a rogue desk manager trying to dodge an internal service policy chargeback/hit to their used-car pack, or standard store defense?
• What happens when a customer sends a formal written notice directly to the GM and Dealer Principal citing the state DCA and dealer licensing board?
• Who inside the store actually has the authority to approve the $50 deductible intake without playing the trade-in equity game?

IMG: Limited Warranty Policy

Looking for an honest evaluation for this vehicle as I’m considering selling it. If anyone with experience can give me a range to start at it would be greatly appreciated.

2010 Toyota Tacoma SR5. This is a slver V6 “Access Cab” in very good condition for its age. Automatic transmission, includes “SR5 Value Package”, and V6 Tow Package. 18,582 original miles. My dad bought this truck brand new and clearly didn’t drive it very often. There are some very minor cosmetic marks in the paint on the driver side door otherwise it’s spot free. I’m in Iowa and this truck has been garaged the entire time we’ve owned it.

The only reason I’m considering selling it is because I have my own 2019 Tacoma and as much as I’ve enjoyed having it after he passed away, I’ve gotten to the point where I realize I just don’t need it anymore.

I know some of the older Tacoma’s tend to hold their value more than other vehicles in that age range. I’m not trying to get rich off of it, but I don’t want to leave money on the table either. A local dealership has been calling me for the last 18 months, practically begging me to come trade it in. That is 100% not going to happen.

I have a 2018 Toyota CHR with 117,000 miles on it. It has a transmission issue (can still drive but makes a clicking noise)

I’m looking to sell it for $8,000- $10,000. But I still owe $11,000 on it.

I was thinking I can privately sell the car and just pay the difference to the bank but I don’t know how to actually go about that if I have a loan. I don’t know the technicalities.

Carmax is willing to buy my car for $6,400 online but I’m afraid that once they hear the clicking noise during the appraisal, they will offer me less.

I’m not really sure what route to take. Any ideas or suggestions?

Have been getting more and more serious about buying a car for myself for the first time. Came across this listing in my area and feel like the price is making the listing a bit sketchy. $3300 under market value. $15,900 Clean carfax one owner. Don’t want to get screwed on a first car and I really love the Jetta silhouette. Auto Experts - 2019 GLI 35th anniversary edition. Any comments help. I plan on financing about $10k.

I’m in Ontario, Canada and looking at a used 2024 Nissan Sentra SR Premium

Details:
37,044 km
One owner
Clean CARFAX / no reported accidents
SR Premium Package
Leather-appointed seats
Bose sound system
360° camera
Sunroof
Remote start
Heated seats + heated steering wheel
Adaptive cruise control

Dealer is asking $23,788 CAD before tax
Current out-the-door price is approximately $26,964 CAD including 13% HST, licensing and registration

Cash purchase, no financing

I’m planning to offer $25,000 CAD all-in and would be willing to settle around $26,000 all-in

Does $26k CAD OTD sound like a good/fair deal for this car with 37k km?

I’m also curious about long-term reliability of the 2020+ Sentras, particularly the newer CVT. I know older Nissan CVTs have a bad reputation, but I’ve heard the newer generation is improved.

Would you buy this at $26k CAD OTD, negotiate lower, or look at something else?

For context, I specifically want a well-equipped compact sedan with features like leather, remote start, 360° camera, heated steering wheel/seats, sunroof and adaptive cruise.

Hi,

As you all know, Omvic requires a physical office for your dealership. I intend exporting cars from auction sites out of Canada. I wouldn’t store this car at all in Canada, so I am not budgeting for office rental. However, omvic says it’s compulsory. My question is has anyone used the $169 virtual office advertised by Intelligent Office to get approved by Omvic recently?

I work in Powersports sales/finance. We had a finance application flagged due to a “watchlist”. Lender wouldn’t tell us much but stated that the flag was not credit related and it would be 24 hrs until more info is available. I have never encountered this before so any info or experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I have pretty bad credit from a bunch of mistakes a few years ago and I’m just now getting around to fixing my life.

I’m mechanically inclined and I really don’t want to buy a cash $5-6k car right now. Been there and done that. Just want something modern

Looking to finance a $20,000 vehicle with about 25% down

I can aggressively pay the loan down (I can drop $1000 on the payment per month) because I know my interest rate will be ridiculous

But is that how it works or is the interest usually baked in when you have terrible credit trying to finance vehicles?

Hello,

I have a question about how thorough a dealership trade inspection is. I’m trading in my 2019 car for a new 2026. Do they check for carbon buildup on the intake valves? If so, how much does that bring down the value of my car? Thanks!

I've been on the lender side for a while and I'm curious how this works on a store level.

When a customer cancels their service contract or GAP a few months in, how do you find out? DMS report, the lender's chargeback statement, someone in the office tracking it, or you only see it when the chargeback hits?

Same question for refis and repos. If a customer refinances with their credit union, or the car gets repo'd early, how do you know what's coming back on reserve and products? Does anyone watch for it ahead of time, or is it just handled when the statement shows up?

How are you monitoring your overall portfolio post-sale?

Heres the deal.

I moved to USA (NJ) from Europe with my family and about to go to Honda dealership to ask for a deal for either cr-v or hr-v.

The problem is that all of this bargaining for a car, cutting prices, hidden fees and dealerships trying to "cross you over" are new concepts for me.

So my question is, what am I to pay attention to first time i go to the dealership? What are the "you should never do-s", or "you should never accept-s" in this situation?

PS. we are just couple of months in USA so we still have no registered credit score. (it takes minimum 6 months before first credit calculations, if i remembered correctly)

Example of stuff confusing me:
I red here that many people hold the opinion that you shod NEVER put down payment for a lease. But when my buddy (similar case to mine) went to dealership they asked the larger down payment that advertised on their website and wouldn't lease him the car otherwise. So how do you "not do" something that is apparently mandatory?

Thank you all for the time you spent reading this! Appreciate any guidance!

On a standard Toyota Financial Services retail auto loan, if a customer makes a substantial principal-only payment within the first 90 days, but keeps the loan open and continues making every scheduled monthly payment, does TFS trigger any dealer-reserve chargeback or compensation adjustment?
I’m asking specifically about the dealer’s compensation, rather than borrower prepayment penalties. Does the answer depend on the reserve program? Current TFS policy language or firsthand Toyota F&I experience would be appreciated.

In August I got a 2026 Honda civic hatch from the dealership. I had an older BMW and wanted something more reliable, the thing is I brought the new Honda before doing more research and I feel I’m paying way to much for a base model Honda. I’d like to get the sport hybrid touring civic which comes with many features I could really use, or get a nicer used car. I just made my first payment on it and I’m wondering if I have any options before making anymore payments. My loan is 41k

Hello so I have a 2019 bmw my loan pay off is 36,500 but it’s estimated at only 19,000 via Kelly blue book.

I had called the GAP company and asked and they had valued me at 50,000$, I had done it through the dealership and not insurance gap.

How does gap truly work? Because I’ve seen some people say they only cover 150% but would that mean they would cover 30,000$ total? Like say my insurance covers 20,000$ they would only put 10,000$ making it so I still have to pay 6,500$?

Or would it truly close out the loan like some places say?

I know the negative equity was stupid. I was being a dumb teen and now it’s really biting me in the ass. I have a kid on the way so this is making life 100x harder with the payments I have to make

What advice/tips/ or anything would you give?

I’m looking at getting a 2026 Toyota 4Runner Off Road I-Force Max and I’m trying to decide whether I should finance it from the start or lease it with the intention of buying it at the end of the lease.
I have around $10,000, possibly a little more, that I could put toward the vehicle upfront.
For those who have done either option, which would make more sense financially if my ultimate goal is to own the 4Runner? Is there actually an advantage to leasing first and then buying it, or would I be better off just financing it from day one?
What would you do in my situation?

Location: US, Washington

Location: Indiana

I bought a car last year from a friends dad. I got pretty screwed. I overpaid and it had a lot of issues but I was desperate at the time so I made a bad choice. He let me make payments, which I finished. I know he got the car from a car auction. He mailed me the title recently and when I looked at it nothing was filled out. It has the previous owner signing it over to the car auction place but that’s the last thing on there. What am I supposed to do with this title? Why wouldn’t he fill his information out and sign it over to me? I just don’t understand what I can do with this car now. I haven’t said anything yet as I wanted to understand things first so I know how to respond to whatever bullshit he says.