1. BEWARE of SCAMS with CASH for Junkers

    July 13, 2009 by My Carlady

    BEWARE of CASH for Junkers SCAMS!

    1996 CHEVY Corsica

    1996 CHEVY Corsica

     

    It never ceases to amaze me how someone can ruin a good thing. Here our government has created yet another form of automaker stimulus in the form of CASH for CLUNKERS. CARS, as it is properly called, is designed to get old, gas guzzling cars off the road in favor of more fuel efficient vehicles. It doesn’t hurt the economy that you have to buy a NEW car or truck, suv or van, to get the $3500-$4500 rebate.

     

    HOWEVER, in less time than it takes to say, “START YOUR ENGINES!” along comes a dealership using the CARS: CASH for JUNKERS program to RIP-OFF the public.

    Read below the inquiry I received just days ago, and my response…

     

    John asks, “Question on auto sales tax in NJ. We just signed a sales contract based on cash for clunkers in NJ and found that the dealer wrote the contract and estimated (charged us) taxes based upon the MSRP and not the sales price agreed upon or using the cash for clunkers trade in of $4500. The red sales sticker price on the 2009 car was $15,300 not 18300 etc but 7% was charged on $18300. Should not the tax have been charged on the actual sales price of $10,555 rather than the msrp that was never even discussed? 

    Will buyers be required to pay taxes on the $4500 cash for clunkers trade in to state taxing authorities?  Looks like NJ auto dealer we purchased from taxed us as the tax was figured on MSRP?”

     

     

    MYCARLADY answers:- “You ARE NOT subject to federal income tax on the CARS rebate.  Having a trade-in of $4500.00 should give you some sales tax credit in most states. The dealership “estimating” sales tax on the rebate is pulling a SCAMto get more profit by adding the “estimated tax” to the selling price. Futhermore, MSRP has NOTHING TO DO with it. Selling Price is the NEGOTIATED Price. 

    I think dealerships advertising the CARS program and telling consumers they are getting the $4500.00 from the government program NOW, are setting themselves up to be banned from authorization, as consumers need to COMPLAIN to the www.cars.gov, their local DMV or Attorney General dealer licensing division, about the specific dealerships and their tactics. This should NEVER have happened.–slm

    If you or someone you know has experienced this type of B.S. email me the name of the dealership and the consumer and I will forward it to the appropriate authorities!

     

    READ MORE HERE ABOUT CASH for CLUNKERS.

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    NEED AUTO FINANCE HELP or CREDIT report repair go to tell them MY CARLADY: Sarah Lee sent you. It’s a free consult and they do the right thing by you, fast, easy, cheap.

    Top learn more about getting your best car deal click here: CAR DEALS

    Sarah Lee is an automotive executive with 20+ years of experience. She writes about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. Her company: MY CARLADY is a car buyer’s service committed to getting you the best deal on your next new or pre-owned vehicle. You can reach her at www.mycarlady.com

     

     

     

     

     

     



  2. CAR PAYMENT GUARANTEE from AutoNation

    March 21, 2009 by My Carlady

    Las Vegas, NV— AutoNation, the largest automobile retailer in the US announces “AutoNation Payment Protection.”  YOUR $500.00 car payment guarantee, however, it is only available as a TEST MARKET program at this time. Only the AutoNation car dealerships in Florida, most known as Maroone, are participating, including the Lexus of Palm Beach and Mercedes stores.

    Here is what we know about the program AutoNation is offering; “The AutoNation Payment Protection program is being offered at no charge with purchases of new and used vehicles and is also available on leased vehicles. To qualify, a person must have made at least three monthly payments, lost their job involuntarily, and applied for state unemployment. If a person still cannot make the payments after the six month grace period, the dealer will buy the car back at its market value. The customer would be responsible for any negative equity.”   Note: If your payment is over $500.00, you make-up the difference to keep driving the car. What if you regain your job or find new employment before the end of the six month guarantee period? You go back to making the payments as usual, and AutoNation doesn’t charge you back or stick the payments they made on the back-end of the contract. Now that’s sweet.

    I asked a sales manager at an AutoNation dealership in the test market if this program was based on MSRP, list price, no-negotiation deals, and he said absolutely NOT. “We do business as usual, negotiate in good faith, sell the car and give the client peace of mind.” And they put the deal on the AutoNation full disclosure payment proposal, which shows all the fancy number play in stereo; six payment/ lease options with or without the extended service contract, GAP and aftermarket stuff listed along side the post- reconditioning value of your trade-in.  The only thing AutoNation hasn’t thought of on their Purchase Proposal is how to show the 2009 auto sales tax deduction as a plus on the trade side. (poke)

    Consumer Mary B. asked me a question yet to be answered, “What if you lose your second job, which was crucial for qualification at the point of loan origination, and will they pay in this scenario? Or do you have to lose both jobs to qualify? (Maybe someone from AN will respond or comment on this post if they are following me ;-) ?)

    The AutoNation Payment Protection program is set to last 12 months, but I am sure as soon as the Mr. Maroone, the CEO of AutoNation, can figure out the cost factor to rolling it out nationally, other AutoNation dealers around the country will be all over it.  Mom and Pop dealerships responded with “read the fine print” and “another gimmick” retorts to the latest salvo from AutoNation, but most industry watchers applauded the effort which follows the success of Hyundai’s Assurance program. Launched late last year, Hyundai sales buoyed 25% in February over January and showed a 1.5% loss from same sales figures from the year before.  It will be interesting to see if AutoNation stock reflects this aggressive marketing approach which will be difficult for other dealership networks to afford. Will General Motors, Chrysler or Ford jump on the payment program? I’m sure many independent dealers will be calling their regional brand managers on Monday to pressure their manufacturers to fight back as prime selling season quickly approaches.

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    NEED AUTO FINANCE HELP or CREDIT report repair go to www.ecreditautoadvisor.com tell them MY CARLADY: Sarah Lee sent you. It’s a free consult and they do the right thing by you, fast, easy, cheap.

    Top learn more about getting your best car deal click here: CAR DEALS

    Sarah Lee is an automotive executive with 20+ years of experience. She writers about Cars, and is a staunch consumer advocate on car related subjects. Her company: MY CARLADY is a car buyer’s service committed to getting you the best deal on your next new or pre-owned vehicle. You can reach her at www.mycarlady.com

     

     


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