Re: Racist car dealerships
Posted by:
Playing the Game
()
Date: June 25, 2020 12:26PM
First off, no car dealer in this country is going to refuse to sell a vehicle to a person because of that person's race. Whether the prospective purchaser is white, black, Asian, native American or a mix, what the car dealer sees is GREEN. So OP if you are telling us the dealer would not sell your cousin a car because he was black, then unless you are talking about a car highly in demand with multiple people looking at it, you are full of shit.
The more likely scenarios are 1) your cousin couldn't get a salesperson to take him seriously; or 2) your cousin couldn't get a deal with the financing that would let him purchase the vehicle. Racism can play a role in both of these situations, but women and older buyers frequently have the same complaint. The solution to this is before setting foot on the dealer's lot, the prospective buyer should BE PREPARED. Know the exact model or models you want, including the specific features you want. Check the internet to see the prices those vehicles are being sold for online. Visit a bank or credit union to make arrangements for financing the vehicle at amounts up to what the online dealers will charge you. Then when your cousin goes to the lot he should have no problem finding a salesperson who would want to sell him a car.
This same approach also helps avoid getting screwed over on price and financing. If you are in a position to pay cash or can finance a car over three years through a normal lender at monthly payments you can afford, then you have the leverage. If you need to finance the deal through the dealer and must spread payments out over five years then it is the dealer who has the leverage. Not saying don't look into the dealer financing option. Sometimes it can be better. Just saying that if the dealer has to finance it you are not in a position to take your business elsewhere, and he knows it.