Car Dealership Insider Lingo!

Car dealerships have their own language when referring to various aspects of a car deal. Here is a rundown on some insider car lingo:

• An "Up" is someone who walks on the car lot . . . or a customer!
  
  


• A "Be-back" is a customer who leaves without buying, and comes back at a later date.
  
  


• A "Lay-down" is a customer who buys at whatever price the sales person quotes without any resistance.
  
  


• A "Roach" is how car sales people refer to people with bad credit!
  
  


• A "Get-Me-Done" is somebody who has borderline credit at best, and will take almost any vehicle at any terms just to get financed.
  
  


• The "Bump" is where the Sales Manager sends the sales person back out to get a higher price, or to "Bump" the customer for more money!
  
  


• A "Lowball" is an unrealistically low price that the salesperson gives the customer before the customer leaves to shop price at another dealer.
  
  


• "Upside Down" is when a person owes more money on their trade-in then the vehicle is worth.
  
  


• "Negative Equity" is related to "Upside Down." It is the amount that you still owe on your car loan after subtracting how much you are actually getting for your vehicle.
  
  


• "Positive Equity!" This is when your trade-in is actually worth more than the amount you owe on it. Needless to say, this doesn't happen very often!
  
  


• "Croak and Choke" pertains to the Finance Manager selling Credit Life Insurance and Disability Insurance on the car loan!
  
  


• To "Brick" somebody, or to "Spot Deliver!" Car salespeople are so worried that you'll change your mind once you buy a vehicle, that they want you to take it NOW! Very often, the dealer will have the customer sign bank papers before the loan is officially approved, just to get the customer down the road.
  
  


• "Buyers are Liars!" Every car salesperson is instilled with this belief!
  
  


• The "T.O." If one salesperson can't close you he or she will "T.O." you, or turn you over to a Manager or a Closer, who in turn might "T.O." you to someone else, and someone else again until you buy.
  
  


• "A Packed or Loaded Payment!" Packing or loading payments is a slang term used to describe a practice that gets customers to agree to purchase additional products, such as credit insurance, service contracts, chemical protectants, and security devices, without revealing their true impact on the monthly payments.
  
  "Packing!" is played out when a customer finances their vehicle through the dealer. A customer agrees to purchase the car at a monthly payment that is much higher than what is needed to cover the price of the vehicle. That creates a "pack" or room in the payment to add in the optional products . . . of course without the customer knowing he's actually paying more for the extra stuff!
  
  


• "Buyers Remorse!" This is when a car buyer starts having second thoughts about the car purchase. Once the euphoria of getting a new vehicle wears off, a person begins wondering if they got ripped-off, did they do the right thing, can they really afford the payments and on and on it goes. There are countless reasons a person second-guesses themselves.
  
  Car sales people call this "Buyers Remorse" or "Coming Out of the Ether!" This is the sales person's worst nightmare, because this is when the buyer starts looking for ways to back out of the car deal.
  
  


• "A Today Buyer!" This is a customer who is prepared to purchase a vehicle the same day they enter the dealership. The large majority of buyers are not in this category. Most people want to think it over and look around before making a decision.
  
  However, it is the car sales person's job to turn you into a "Today Buyer!" They are trained in techniques that do just that. They have a "Selling System" in place that is designed to take control of you, culminating in you taking delivery of your new or used vehicle before you leave the dealership. They will go to great lengths to put you in that vehicle "today" including doing a "Spot Delivery!" BEWARE!
  
  


• "ACV!" This stands for "Actual Cash Value." This is what dealers use when referring to the amount of money they are actually putting in a trade-in. They have to differentiate this number from what they tell the customer. Very often the customer is led to believe that he is getting more for his trade than what the "ACV" is!
  
  


• "Quarterback!" Car salespeople hate it when you bring someone with you to the car dealership to help you negotiate a deal. For example, a young woman may bring her father to help her, or she may bring another relative or even worse, a boyfriend. They call these people "quarterbacks!"