is it normal to be charged a "doc fee" for buying an used car?
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Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,231
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From: Los Angeles/Vancouver
is it normal to be charged a "doc fee" for buying an used car?
a friend is buying an used car from a subaru dealership
their verbal agreement of the final price was the sticker price + 12% tax
contract he signed says final price includes tax and fees but never said anything on what the fees are and how much.
now dealership is charging him $500 CAD of "documentation fee" on a $14000 CAD car
seems high
is this normal or is he being ripped off?
thanks
their verbal agreement of the final price was the sticker price + 12% tax
contract he signed says final price includes tax and fees but never said anything on what the fees are and how much.
now dealership is charging him $500 CAD of "documentation fee" on a $14000 CAD car
seems high
is this normal or is he being ripped off?
thanks
Last edited by UberNoob; Nov 10, 2009 at 10:37 AM.
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Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Tennessee
I even had a finance guy once tell me that it was ILLEGAL for them NOT to charge the doc fee because if they got rid of it for one person they'd have to REFUND every other customer's doc fee that they'd charged since the beginning of time. I told him "well, I guess you'll be discounting the purchase price of my vehicle another $350 then... I know that's not illegal".
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Yeah that way they can say "look, we're not ripping you off, it's normal for us to make this extra bit of undisclosed profit at the last minute unless you threaten to walk out from a deal you've already worked so hard on"
I even had a finance guy once tell me that it was ILLEGAL for them NOT to charge the doc fee because if they got rid of it for one person they'd have to REFUND every other customer's doc fee that they'd charged since the beginning of time. I told him "well, I guess you'll be discounting the purchase price of my vehicle another $350 then... I know that's not illegal".
I even had a finance guy once tell me that it was ILLEGAL for them NOT to charge the doc fee because if they got rid of it for one person they'd have to REFUND every other customer's doc fee that they'd charged since the beginning of time. I told him "well, I guess you'll be discounting the purchase price of my vehicle another $350 then... I know that's not illegal".
On a form on a vehicle I bought once there was a breakdown of the Doc fees.
Say $40 Clerical,$25 runner etc.
I ask my salesman about the runner for the hell of it as I know what he's going to say.
He says the runner goes to Motor Vehicle to get your plates and registration.
I then say with only mine or with 10-20-30 other deals at one time.
The guys was at a loss for words.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2006
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From: Vancouver, BC
^ lol.
I wouldn't be paying any extra fees to buy a car off a used car lot.
Furthermore, since I know what's going on with this particular instance, I would threaten to walk if they insisted on charging me. I don't think anyone else is going to snap up that car in the next day or two.
I wouldn't be paying any extra fees to buy a car off a used car lot.
Furthermore, since I know what's going on with this particular instance, I would threaten to walk if they insisted on charging me. I don't think anyone else is going to snap up that car in the next day or two.