Unfair Car Purchase Calculation Method

I'm so pleased... I just bought a car, a 2006 Malibu. It's been 1-1/2 years since I last drove. That's when my '97 Dodge Caravan died without warning and ended at the scrap yard. Very odd.

Anyway, at last I've purchased a new vehicle. But I'm not entirely pleased. The price quickly expanded, almost putting it out of reach for me.

The sticker price was $12,900. Of course, there is tax on top of that.

I put $1,000 down, thinking it would now be a $11,900 purchase. Not so. By the time they were done, I ended up paying close to $16,900. (oh, 17 is my unlucky number)

As I watched the salesperson doing the calculations, I kept wondering when he was going to include my down payment.

His calculations went like this:
Sticker price: 12,900
Admin fee: $240
Theft Protection: $169
Extended Warranty: 1,500 (24 months)

The total came to: $14,818

He still hasn't taken off my down payment. He went on to add:

Sales taxes: $1,969
License: $100
Fuel: $25

For a whopping new total of $16,912.

NOW he deducts my down payment of $1,000, leaving the balance at $15,912.

So I'm charged tax on the warranty coverage, the administration fee and the theft protection service as well as the actual car. Now, to my way of thinking, the taxes should be calculated BEFORE all those extras were added. The $1000 should have been deducted from the sticker price after taxes. This way, I'm paying about $100+ more.

The Industry keeps bitching about not having enough sales to justify their existence - and want handouts to survive. Meanwhile, they (and the government) are making it less desirable to purchase a vehicle when all these things are added.

Why in the world should the buyer pay for admin fees? And whatever happened to the free tank of gas with a car purchase - simply as a courtesy? I got one with my new Ford.

No wonder car companies are going down the tubes. So much for customer care.
Interestingly, Ford is the only company that is NOT asking for a bailout. What does that tell you?

And then, if that wasn't enough, I still needed insurance. And since the car is financed, it has to cover my car and whoever else might be involved in an accident. Last time I had full coverage, I paid around $800. This time, it is $1100... AND I'M A GOOD DRIVER! I have a good driving record, been driving for over 40 years.

Clearly, this boost is directly related to the number of claims and bad drivers out there.

We have a show here called, Canada's Worst Driver. The participants only leave you shaking your head. How in the world did they get a license in the first place?

Who is to blame for all the bad drivers on the road? The driving insepctors? Because if they allow these clowns to have licenses to drive, putting everyone at risk, they should lose their jobs.

Time to take some direct action, people, instead of just hoisting prices.

Sylvia
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