I know this post could go in the "off section" as well but since there's not much traffic there I thought I will post it here and get the logic behind these obscene dealer charges.

Looking for a car for my office manager and after getting some run around by these dealers ( Toyota/Nissan) I finally nailed down the car and the price.

Few hours later, I decided to call the dealership once again to confirm the numbers before making arrangements to go get it and I found out the friggen dealership forgot to mention $580 for documentation and title fees which is on top of tax and registration fees

So they wanted me to make this 100 mile one way trip to their stupid *** Toyota dealership and then shove me with the documentation fee.
I guess this time around "I was too smart for these jack asses to be ripped off"
Car Dealer 1..... Quick 1 ( I was actually taken in by one of the dealers on one of my previous purchases)

BTW, what's up with these documentation fees that could vary from $100-$800 (Lexus dealer) while I never had to pay any of these fees when I bought my BMW/Mercedes and recently my 997 TT)

Please educate me

 

there is always a dealer doc fee I believe, cant recal what Ive paid previously but its like 20-30 bucks????

 

I've always had to pay a doc fee, usually around $200. A good dealer will be able to work it into your agreed-upon final price (I've only had that happen once).

 

It depends on both the dealer and area of the country. Most of the low margin dealers (Toyota/Subaru/etc.) will sell at low prices and then add in some sort of doc fee. The fees seem to vary by region and I think it is just another way to try to confuse the buyer. I always make them quote me the out-the-door price either with or without sales tax, depending on what I am trying to do.

 

The doc fee is just added profit for the dealer. They make it sound like they have a room full of people that they employ, just to fill out the necessary paperwork. In Illinois the amount is capped to somewhere around $160. It is one more rip-off tactic that the dealers employ, which earns them the deserved title of "stealerships"!

 

paid $175 recently in Texas

 

dont get suckered in. tell them you can get a better deal without the fee and they will lower or remove it. what's next? dealer inventory fee? they make money and should absorb their own expenses.

 

Here in Las Vegas it's usually $450. Car max has the lowest doc fees in town here. Just have them work on the price a little more for you.

 

Every dealership has either doc fees or dealer fees - it is to pad the bottom line of the price. If you ever look at the sticker on the window it's one of the line items. In my experience you can get the dealership to take the fees away but they have already padded this on the back end some how if you don't see it...then just have them keep reducing the price...

I develop software for a few dealerships and they do have room full of people doing the paperwork. Unless they are a huge nation wide dealership, most of the paperwork is done by hand. And this usually takes upwards for 10 days. The way dealerships operate is very archaic....

When buying or leasing, and you already drove and know what you want, walk in the last 2 days of any month you will get a great deal if you keep pushing them....

 

State of FL has the highest doc/processing fees.

 

re:vntperformance--west coast of Fl. seems to be curiously agreed on $600.00. Now, that could just be a big ol' co-inky-dink....Or not.

 

I rest my case.

 

No mention of this when I got my TTS. No doubt built into the price.

 

In California, the State DMV allows Dealers to charge up to $80 for the DOC fee and it must be charged equally to ALL customers without excreption.

It is my understanding the in Florida there is no cap on it. Therefore, some dealers will sell vehicles at a great loss to get the customer in the door and then make it up with a $2-3,000 DOC fee. When one dealer does this, it forces the others to do the same.

This fee should be for the State requirement to fill out the multiple and onerous forms which they do not trust the individual purchaser to do and they do require a "room full" of people. The key is reasonableness. You should not complain paying for a service you receive, but when it gets out of hand, it is just plain wrong.

Another Crazy law, is California's "One Document" rule. A Vehicle contract must be on one sheet of paper. Therefore, the contract is about two feet long and must be signed about 17 or 18 times. Someone should start a Blog about the crazy laws, State by State that not only does not protect the consumer, but costs them a lot of money.