Doc fees? What are they? Basically additional profit for the dealer. They will try to say it covers all the paperwork for the car, like writing a check to Ford to pay for the car, the "massive" amounts of government documents to prepare (taxes once a year). I don't know any other business where you pay them to give you a sales slip, do you? Pay them to pay their suppliers (one check a month)? The only fee that should be charged is a reasonable fee for your tag and title, it does save you the time and effort. Normally the dealer collects the sales tax and applies for your tag and title for you for a fee of anywhere from $50 to $1000. Yes, I said $1000 dollars, Autonation in the Atlanta area tries to tack on a $1000 dollar Doc fee!
Doing some research I found many states have legal limits on what the dealer can charge, obviously Georgia is not one.
What can you do about it? Do not over pay it! Just make sure you negotiate a bottom line price NOT a price on the car alone, do not agree to a car price THEN have "local market price adjustments", "Doc fees" "Shipping charges" (already in the MSRP), window engraving, various interior and exterior coatings or nitrogen in your tires. One dealer in TN added a very official sounding line item labeled "non taxable fees" and another lower down labeled "taxable fees" explained as "government fees we pay" (lie), plus protectants and such added on. I have seen people bragging about buying a car for thousands under cost........but paid thousands in additional markups and a took a major beatdown on their trade!
I deposited a check with a full refund on my doc fees yesterday. Why did I pay them? I didn't in the sense that I paid what was a good bottom line price to me and extremely low according to Truecar and other pricing guides for the car with the fee added. In my case the dealer collected the tax money and fees when I bought the car but a month later sent me a check for the taxes and fees and told me to get my own tag and title. I went nuts on the Ford Customer support people. Long story short since all they provide was only the paperwork that was required by law I threatened to sue for fraud. The overnighted me a full refund. However if they HAD done the tag and title I would have had no case. So after the almost $600 doc fee refund my car my car was now $600 cheaper! BTW, what a dealer has to provide in almost all states is a bill of sale, proof of ownership of the car, in the case of a new Ford it is called an "Origin Certificate" and an odometer statement.
So watch your bottom line, if a dealer adds an outrageous doc fee then you should demand a lower car price and shop...shop....shop that price around and make sure they know you are price shopping at multiple dealers. Use the web and phone and do not step foot in the dealers door until you have a check in hand for the negotiated price. This prevents "forgotten or overlooked" charges being added. DO NOT take your checkbook with you! Have the financing check and your portion already made out from the bank. Too many times a dealer will find another couple of hundred that they can add without fearing you walking away. Having pre filled out checks stops that silliness!
Always keep in mind that a car dealer has one goal in life. To separate each and every customer from as much of their money as possible. Your goal is to steal a Fiesta ST for as little as possible. Two opposing goals.....do not believe for one minute anyone at that dealer has any other goal than maximising the money changing hands. And in case you did not know most dealers will NOT be very honest with you.....some recent examples...
"The ST is a rare car we cannot sell them under sticker." Nashville TN Sales Manager
"The ST is so popular we have to add a $750 "local Market" price adjustment to the car." Knoxville TN Dealer.
" Everybody has to pay the $1000 doc fee, it is required". (by who?) Autonation Atlanta, GA
"We can't get them (ST's) except with the Recaros and Nav System." Another Nashville, TN dealer.
" We can't discount this car, they are so rare you will not find another for hundreds of miles." Had to point out their were 19 in Atlanta alone! Another Atlanta dealer.
I sold cars and my three brothers sold cars.......look on the reverse of your sales agreement and you will normally find in the fine print where the dealer disavows any and all promises and statements made to you by any employee unless they are written on the sales document!
Prior planning on the price you are willing to pay with the options you want is paramount. Do your homework and the money you save will let you do the mods you know you will do! And don't fall for the "doc fee" scam!
Doing some research I found many states have legal limits on what the dealer can charge, obviously Georgia is not one.
What can you do about it? Do not over pay it! Just make sure you negotiate a bottom line price NOT a price on the car alone, do not agree to a car price THEN have "local market price adjustments", "Doc fees" "Shipping charges" (already in the MSRP), window engraving, various interior and exterior coatings or nitrogen in your tires. One dealer in TN added a very official sounding line item labeled "non taxable fees" and another lower down labeled "taxable fees" explained as "government fees we pay" (lie), plus protectants and such added on. I have seen people bragging about buying a car for thousands under cost........but paid thousands in additional markups and a took a major beatdown on their trade!
I deposited a check with a full refund on my doc fees yesterday. Why did I pay them? I didn't in the sense that I paid what was a good bottom line price to me and extremely low according to Truecar and other pricing guides for the car with the fee added. In my case the dealer collected the tax money and fees when I bought the car but a month later sent me a check for the taxes and fees and told me to get my own tag and title. I went nuts on the Ford Customer support people. Long story short since all they provide was only the paperwork that was required by law I threatened to sue for fraud. The overnighted me a full refund. However if they HAD done the tag and title I would have had no case. So after the almost $600 doc fee refund my car my car was now $600 cheaper! BTW, what a dealer has to provide in almost all states is a bill of sale, proof of ownership of the car, in the case of a new Ford it is called an "Origin Certificate" and an odometer statement.
So watch your bottom line, if a dealer adds an outrageous doc fee then you should demand a lower car price and shop...shop....shop that price around and make sure they know you are price shopping at multiple dealers. Use the web and phone and do not step foot in the dealers door until you have a check in hand for the negotiated price. This prevents "forgotten or overlooked" charges being added. DO NOT take your checkbook with you! Have the financing check and your portion already made out from the bank. Too many times a dealer will find another couple of hundred that they can add without fearing you walking away. Having pre filled out checks stops that silliness!
Always keep in mind that a car dealer has one goal in life. To separate each and every customer from as much of their money as possible. Your goal is to steal a Fiesta ST for as little as possible. Two opposing goals.....do not believe for one minute anyone at that dealer has any other goal than maximising the money changing hands. And in case you did not know most dealers will NOT be very honest with you.....some recent examples...
"The ST is a rare car we cannot sell them under sticker." Nashville TN Sales Manager
"The ST is so popular we have to add a $750 "local Market" price adjustment to the car." Knoxville TN Dealer.
" Everybody has to pay the $1000 doc fee, it is required". (by who?) Autonation Atlanta, GA
"We can't get them (ST's) except with the Recaros and Nav System." Another Nashville, TN dealer.
" We can't discount this car, they are so rare you will not find another for hundreds of miles." Had to point out their were 19 in Atlanta alone! Another Atlanta dealer.
I sold cars and my three brothers sold cars.......look on the reverse of your sales agreement and you will normally find in the fine print where the dealer disavows any and all promises and statements made to you by any employee unless they are written on the sales document!
Prior planning on the price you are willing to pay with the options you want is paramount. Do your homework and the money you save will let you do the mods you know you will do! And don't fall for the "doc fee" scam!