DON'T GET TAKEN EVERY TIME! (By Car Dealerships) Kevin Hunter The Homework Guy

Don't get taken every time. A shout out to Remar Sutton. Welcome back everyone. I'm Kevin Hunter, the homework guy. And today we're giving a big time shout out to one of the most important car buying books ever written, Don't Get Taken Every Time by Remar Sutton. It's a legendary car buying book. First published back in 1983, this book blew the lid off the car business and showed regular people what really happens behind the curtains at dealerships. If you've ever wondered why you leave a dealership feeling like the numbers didn't quite add up, this book explains exactly why. And speaking of numbers that don't add up, joining me as always is the amazing Elizabeth, our master negotiator who never lets a dealer get away with some fuzzy math. >> Thanks, Kevin. Hey, everyone. If you've never heard of Reamer Sutton before, this guy was a former car salesman who decided to come out clean about all the games that happened behind the scenes. Sound familiar? He saw too many good people getting ripped off. So he turned whistleblower. Writing a book that's part expose, part buyer survival guide. Even though it's over 40 years old, Don't Get Taken Every Time is still one of the best car buying books you can read today. And it's still spot-on. So we're not here to spoil the book for you. You should absolutely read it yourself. But we are going to highlight some of the biggest lessons that line up perfectly with what we teach here at the Homework Guy channel. >> First up is the price game. It's never just about the price, friends. Remar Sutton starts by warning you that dealerships are masters at distraction. You think you're talking about the price, but they're talking about the profit. They'll move numbers around faster than a Vegas card dealer, dropping a few hundred there, adding a few hundred there until you lose track of what you're really paying. That's why we tell you don't fall in love with a monthly payment. And don't focus on just one number. The real deal is in the fine print. >> Number two is the trade-in trap. Oh, the trade-in games. episodes are one of the oldest tricks in the book. Sutton explains how dealers use your tradein like a poker chip. They might give you what looks like a good deal on your new car, but quietly steal thousands from you on the tradein value. It's all part of one big profit equation for them. So, take our advice and sensate your transactions. Price your new car first, then negotiate your trade in separately and check the real market value of your car using multiple sources. >> Next up, financing the hidden gold mine. If there's one thing Sutton hammers on, it's that dealers don't just make money selling cars, they make even more selling loans. When you let dealer find you the best rate, they might be adding on one or two percentage points and keeping the difference. That's called a finance reserve, and it can add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the cost of your loan. He says it in plain English. The finance office is where the dealership really cashes in. So, like we always say, get your own preapproval before you ever step foot on a car lot. Number four is called the add-on avalanche. This is one of my favorites because I've seen dealers make more money in the last five minutes of a deal than they did on the entire car. Sutton talks about profit packing. That's where the dealer loads up your deal with expensive extras like rust proofing, paint protection, fabric guard, and extended warranties. These products are often wildly overpriced, sometimes useless actually, and always optional. You can practically hear Sutton yelling through the pages. Just say no. Just say no indeed. And the pressure cooker. Now, one thing Sutton really nails is the psychology of the car sale. Dealers know that emotions make people spend money. They'll say things like, "Someone else is looking at this car." Or, "This offer ends today." Sound familiar? That's the classic urgency trap. Sutton's advice is timeless. When you feel pressured, that's your signal that you ought to walk away because no legitimate deal ever dies in 10 minutes. >> That's right. Number six is the shell game, which is shifting the profit around. Here's a clever one Sutton explains beautifully in the book. Let's say you beat the dealer down on price. They'll just make it up somewhere else. Maybe on your tradein, maybe in the finance rate, maybe in the fees. The dealership's job is to protect their total profit, not to lose it. That's why Sutton and we both say you've got to isolate each part of the transaction and treat them separately. >> Next up at number seven, convenience fees and dealer fees. This one cracks me up. Sutton wrote about it in 1983, and here we are 40 years later, still seeing the same nonsense happening. Dealers love to charge processing fees, convenience fees, or documentation fees. You'll even see $400 to $800 charges for things that cost them 10 bucks to file. He tells a story about a dealer charging a service fee to register a car when the actual state fee was only seven bucks. The bottom line, most of these fees are just extra profit lines on the dealer's ledger. Number eight is about the monthly payment mirage. This is one of Sutton's biggest takeaways and one of ours, too. When a dealer says, "What monthly payment are you comfortable with?" Ah, that's a trap. They'll stretch the loan term, change the rate, or play with the numbers until that payment fits in your budget and that total price skyrockets. I've seen the guys in finance at their computer punching numbers and wiggling them around until they fit. So, always negotiate the total out the door price, not the monthly payment. At number nine, the trade-in flip-flop. Sutton also describes how some dealers will agree on a trade-in value early in the deal and then revisit it later. You're tired, the paperwork is long, and suddenly they find a reason to adjust your trade in down another few hundred bucks. They're counting on fatigue, and you've been there for hours, and you just want to go home in your new car. That's when the sneaky stuff starts happening. >> Number 10 is the we'll handle everything for you pitch. Remar Sutton talks about how dealers position themselves as your trusted friend who's going to take care of everything. They say things like, "Oh, don't worry. We'll take care of you." And that's exactly when you should start worrying. Because the more comfortable you feel, the less you question. Sutton calls this the lifetime relationship pitch. All smiles and coffee mugs on the counter. But it's designed to keep you from doing all your homework. >> At number 11, the one-stop shop illusion. Remarutton predicted the future on this one. He said that even with the rise of new buying platforms, you'd be dealing with the same dealer tricks just with new wrapping paper. He was referring to the one-stop shop concept. Interestingly enough, a YouTube creator who spent 40 years as a used car manager uses this phrase on his website that he and his son put up. See the irony of the one-stop shop? Sutton was exactly right. The one-stop shop is smoke and mirrors. Whether it's online, in person, or through a third party buying service, the numbers still come from the same dealer systems. So even in 2025, his warning holds true. The game hasn't changed even when a YouTuber uses it. The only change is the marketing. >> Number 12 is the friendly relationship trap. Sutton ends with a warning that feels personal. Don't let the smiles fool you. Dealers will laugh with you, offer you coffee, and act like your best friend. But every minute of that friendliness is a calculated part of the sale. He doesn't say all salespeople are bad, just that their job and your goals are very different. are completely different. They're made to make profit and you're there to save your own money. When you remember that, you'll stop getting taken. >> All right, let's recap. Sutton exposed 12 timeless dealership tactics, distractions on price, trade-in games, financing markups, add-on profits, urgency traps, and relationship manipulation. Four years later, those same old strategies are still alive and well in showrooms across America. So, if you want to understand the mindset of the car business, not just the tricks, but the psychology, you owe it to yourself to read Don't Get Taken Every Time. It's one of those books that gives you the aha moment where you realize, "Oh, that's why that happened to me last time. It's a must-read for every car buyer, whether it's your first time or your 15th time. We say this being authors ourselves of the book Buy Smart, Drive Confidently. You can find it on our website, the homeworkguy.com. It's an e download. You can read it on all your devices for $12.99. >> And this book is a great reminder that knowledge really is power. Remar Sutton might have written this book in 1983, but his message is timeless. Not much has changed over the years. And the system is designed to confuse you. That's why we do what we do here at the homework guy. We take all that confusion, all those dealer tactics, and we show you how to turn the tables so you can walk out with confidence instead of regret. And speaking of confidence, if you want to skip all the hassle, remember our hassle-free car buying service where Elizabeth and our team of coaches will handle the entire negotiation process for you. We'll make sure you get the best deal with no games, no gimmicks, and no dealer smiles hiding extra fees. >> If you found this video helpful, give us a thumbs up, share it with your friends, and drop a comment below. We love to hear your car buying success stories because they inspire and protect the entire Homework Guy community. To all of you long-term viewers and subscribers out there, you guys rock. God bless you all. I'm Kevin Hunter, the homework guy, signing off on behalf of Alex Stevens, our auto expert, the amazing Elizabeth, our master negotiator, and the entire hassle-free Homework Guy car buying team. Stick around a moment as we scroll through some of our recent five-star Google reviews. Thank you for watching. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]