At first blush, M’s story about persistantly getting a dealership to uphold a contract that it said it “messed up” on sounded like an uplifting tale of succesful consumer perserverence. Well, it still does but an email from Justin may reveal a new wrinkle. M may have dodged what CarBuyingTips.com lists as its number #1 on its Top 10 Car Dealer Scams

2006. It’s called, “The Financing Fell Through Scam.”

“This is the oldest trick in the scam book…You buy a new car, the “LieNance” manager says you got a low APR, hands you the keys, and you drive home… Two weeks and 500 miles later, the dealer calls you saying “Sorry, you didn’t qualify for that low interest”. This is where “subject to financing” clauses on contracts bite you in the butt. Everyone thinks that you sign papers it’s a done deal.”

While this isn’t exactly what happenned to M, it could be a variation. Perhaps the dealership financier really did make a mistake. Perhaps after seeing how dogged M was, they realized they couldn’t get away with the snookery.

Either way, CarBuyingTips.com had lots of info to arm yourself with before buying a new car. By using the web site and knowing what to do and what not to do, Justin says he got the $33k sticker price down to just a few bucks over $27k.

Previously: Buying a Car and Getting Away With It

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.