will a dealer let you pay your down payment using a debit card?

[Mark bridge]

Some banks limit the dollar amount you're allowed to debit from your card. When I used mine to put a $1,000 deposit on a new car, I found out the hard way that was my limit for the day and since it was a Friday that I used the card, I couldn't use the card again until Monday. When I called my bank to find out why I couldn't use the card over the weekend, they explained that the $1,000 limit is standard but could be raised if I wanted. You might want to ensure there's not a limit on yours.

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by longneckone

We have some local "Buy Here/Pay Here" dealers who will take only cash.

Yeah, we've got 'em here too. I had gone to one because there was a vehicle that I was interested in, but I wanted to pay the full price right then. I was informed that this would not be possible- they only wanted to do deals that were weekly payments...with significant interest charges, of course. Nope, not doing that.

The regular dealers were more reasonable, and it was easier to negotiate the deals having cash in hand. No diddly-bopping around, just "Here's what I'm willing to pay, I have the money right now. Do you want to sell me this vehicle for this amount of money, or not?" It works well for me.

[wit-nit]

Our dealer gave us a purchase order and we took it to our credit union and they cut a check to the dealer which we took back to the dealer. The CU said most new car dealers are doing that in our area.

[prospectheightsresident]

I was told when buying my vehicle last month that I would not be able to use a credit/debit card. At the end of the day, however, I talked the dealership into letting me charge ten grand on my Amex card.

[Stonepa]

I paid for my Lexus on my Visa card. They either wanted to sell the car to me or they didn't. It was the end of March and the LX I bought was the previous year's model that had been on their lot for over 6 months.

Most people can't afford to do that deal on a new car but the same rules apply at any level. You're the buyer. Make sure they remember that.