Nearly a $1000 in Dealer JUNK FEES with a used car purchase!! OMG!! (vehicle, auto)

[Workaholic?]

I was already to sign on the dotted line for a preowned car and thought I had got a pretty good deal and the final price was established.

What they had not told me earlier was there was nearly $1000 in junk fees. THIS WAS ON a USED CAR! Here are the fees and how common are they?

$499 PDI (Pre Purchase Inspection). They said it had to be at their garage (at the dealership) and the price was not negotiable.

$449.00 Dealer Processing Fee.

Will I have to pay similar fees at any dealership I purchase a USED car at?

If you paid these fees how much was it last time you bought a car?

[Coldjensens]

Never. Sounds like a rip off scam. Go elsewhere.

[NJGOAT]

They are both BS fees. The processing fee is similar to a doc fee. They don't have to charge it, but they can charge it (most do) and it covers their processing of all the paperwork. Some states cap the amount that can be charged for this item. It is definitely a negotiable item even if a lot of places pre-print this finance contracts with it in there.

The PDI fee is total BS, they are basically charging you for the cost of prepping the vehicle. Outside of a case where they are selling the car to you for what they bought it for and are trying to itemize all the costs they have into it, it's a made up fee. Ultimately, this cost is baked into the price of any used car you purchase, but it should not be charged as a seperate fee on top of the purchase price, unless it is the situation I described above.

[TheViking85]

Most dealerships do have these sort of fees, though yours appear a little high, I've generally seen them be in the $4-700 range on used cars here in Dallas,TX, which is why I always haggle the out the door price, including the fees and tax, that's the price that matters to me, if they won't discuss out the door pricing, I'm not interested.

[rbohm]

when i buy a car from a used car dealership, i tell them i will pay the price of the car, and the sales tax to the dealer, but i will handle all the paper work fees with the DMV. if the dealer you are talking to wont agree to that, then walk away from the car.

[Ultrarunner]

I grew up around the auto business and we never charged a fee... My Grandfather said it was part of the cost of doing business.

The only fees were for things like License and Reg if they would soon be due.

The only thing that matters is the bottom line.

I guess I could care less how the total price is derived, I'm only going to pay what the vehicle is worth to me or walk...

[NotQuiteNative]

Just make sure they have your phone number and tell them you're going somewhere else.

[waitingtundra]

Yep, it's just a scam that some car salesman play, they just waisted your time and theres. Walk and do not by this car unless they agree to knock 500$'s off the original price just for waisting your time.

[gypsychic]

Yes, these fees are common, at least they are here in Florida. Just about every (reputable) dealership charges them, although yours seem very high. I paid $700 dealer fee on my used car I just bought - BUT the price was already ridiculously low, plus they gave me a generous trade-in on my used one so I didn't even haggle. I love my car and don't have ANY regrets over what I paid.

My husband also just bought a used Ford 150 from the Ford dealer, and he too paid at least $500 dealer fee. Like others said, what matters is if the WHOLE deal is satisfactory to you. It depends what you are buying, the price, trade-in and all that stuff. If you have plenty of choices and are dealing with cash, you can afford to shop around.

[jtur88]

Last time I bought a car from a dealer, he just swiped my credit card for the amount we agreed to, and handed me the key and the title. Maybe some computer printout, too, that we both signed and I got a copy. In most states, you go to the DMV and pay the title fees, registration and sales tax yourself.