Over at one of our new favorite blogs, Mouseprint.org, they’ve exposed a shady little bit of advertising semantics now widely being employed by the automotive industry.

You see an ad pimping a hot deal on a new Jag: for a limited time only, it will only cost you a buck. That’s right: the car costs only one leaf of lettuce, a single dead Washington. Excitedly, you pull a moist dollar out of your sock and head to the dealership, who then inform you that yes, indeed, the car only costs a dollar. But you have to purchase the right to buy it for a dollar. How much does that cost? $49,999.00.

How are they getting away with that? “These dealers are deliberately treating a form of payment — a cash down payment or a trade in — as a discount from the price. What you put down is never considered a discount from the price.”

Reprehensible. But now you know! Blah blah blah. G.I. Joe!

Mazda Madness: $21,000 Cars for $9500* [Mouseprint]

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