A mom and nurse practitioner has some advice for new car buyers—if the dealer is not budging on the price you want, make sure to walk away.
In a video with over 3,600 views, Kelsey Weed (@kelseyweed) stated that the car buying advice will even work for those “desperate” for a car or in a pickle.
Dealerships Are Like Your Desperate Ex
According to Weed, the dealership will call with their best price within “three to five minutes” after walking away.
“Always walk away!!!!!!! they’re like your desperate ex,” she captions the post.
She issued the PSA as general advice for other car buyers after trying to purchase her own vehicle, finding it to be helpful considering she saved money on her purchase.
“If the dealer is not budging and is like ‘I’m gonna lose too much money if I give you that.’ Just know if you walk out and leave the dealer. They are going to call you within three to five minutes,” she shares.
Weed elaborates that the dealership will be begging for you to come back.
“Please come back, my big boss heard about what happened. He’s not happy, please come back. We’ll give you exactly what you want,” she explains.
So, is there any logic to “walking away” from a car dealership and expecting a better deal on a vehicle?
Why Would Walking Away From The Dealership Work?
Car dealerships frequently sell vehicles for prices above their market value, as car sellers are trying to generate good commissions, even on used vehicles. Commissions directly impact a car salesman salary, with some car sales adding $250–$1,575 to their pay.
Typically, a dealership will set the individual prices of vehicles on the lot, meaning that even if a person went to five to six different dealerships, they might find incredible variation between the prices for one identical car. A car salesman has every reason to keep the price as close to the dealership’s set rate as possible. That rate is negotiable, but a customer needs to have strong haggling skills to get that price lower.
When Weed suggests “walking away,” she essentially recommends a car buyer push the car salesman to offer their best deal as soon as possible. A sold car is generally better than an unsold car, even if they’re offering a car at or below the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. (MSRP).
That, according to Weed’s logic, can push car buyers to make better purchasing decisions. As one commenter described, “callbacks are a great way to handle a deal. [it helps you] Stay emotionally detached. Even if you are “in a pickle.”
Weed even claimed in her video’s comment section that walking away from one dealership led to a significantly better price at another. “There was a dealer down the road with a better vehicle for $5,000 less so I’d say we were being realistic,” Weed said. She claimed that the deal at the other dealership was a good bargaining chip to try and get the price to lower with her original salesman.
Why Many People Think Her Advice is Dated
Many commenters disagreed with Weed’s logic, saying it wasn’t logical to expect one dealership to care what another dealership was doing down the street and make hasty decisions to “call” car buyers back if they truly showed disinterest.
“This 100% is not a real thing… You’re being unrealistic,” said one commenter.
Another added, “You absolutely won’t get a call from me. I don’t play games and it sounds like you want to.”
Weed also claimed that two dealerships had the “same vehicle” with a $5,000 difference. To viewers, that meant that there was likely something that changed the price between the cars. For instance, one of the vehicles may have had a different color or mileage, making it a more desirable vehicle aesthetically.
Can This Car Buying Advice Be Trusted?
While Weed’s advice may be helpful for car buyers who feel pressured to make immediate purchases, it by no means guarantees that the dealership will call with a better offer later. A dealership has no reason to believe that someone that walked out on haggling would still want lower offers pitched to them. Some car salesmen may take the initiative to do so, but others will trust the market and hope that a different buyer will come forward.
If anything, Weed’s advice should be a last ditch effort after other attempts to haggle have failed. If a price at a dealership is truly outrageous and a buyer has done extensive research to prove that case, walking out could be the best move.
It’s unclear whether or not a manager actually “called” Weed at the original dealership to offer a better price. She also didn’t confirm whether she ended up purchasing the better priced vehicle. It’s also not clear whether or not there were any tangible differences between the two vehicles that would account for the price.
We’ve reached out to Weed for more information via TikTok direct message. We’ll let you know if she responds.
@kelseyweed always walk away!!!!!!! theyre like your desperate ex #carbuyingtips #cardeershiptiktok ♬ original sound – Kelsey Weed
