Document fee $300-$500 when buying a new car!!

[rml]

How come no other type of business do the same thing?

In the old days, the fee was $0 or very minimal and dealship actually help you apply for tag/license plate.

Now, you pay $300-$500 and you have to go to Tag office yourself and get the tag.
You still have to pay those fee even if you pay by cash. (not much documentation)

I believe there are some business that did more "documentation" work when you buy their product and they don't charge that fee.

 

[StageLeft]

Buy an old used car Car dealers are scum.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Are you sure that isnt part of the registration fee? In Texas, its a MAXIMUM $25.00 doc fee, $75 tags / title fee and 6.00% sales tax.

 

[AU Tiger]

That's ridiculous for a document fee, but normal if the registration fees are included. Refuse to pay the doc fee if it bothers you or insist that they deduct it from the price of the vehicle.

 

[dman]

I think that's the dealer prep/doc/bendover fee. In FL that is negotiable. I simply said I refused to pay it and would leave... they tried to convince me they couldn't do it (of course) but I stood my ground.

If it's a state fee, ie registration cost, then I guess you are stuck.

 

[RossMAN]

Here in Oregon, TTL (tax title license) was only $113 for a new car as of last year.

 

[Bullhonkie]

I had a 'document preparation fee' of $50 when I bought my new car a month and a half ago. I think I remember reading somewhere that $50 is the maximum allowed in CA for that fee, don't quote me on that though. My registration/title fee came out to $252. Thankfully I bought before the tripling of the state's VLF goes into effect.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

Originally posted by: Bullhonkie
I had a 'document preparation fee' of $50 when I bought my new car a month and a half ago. I think I remember reading somewhere that $50 is the maximum allowed in CA for that fee, don't quote me on that though. My registration/title fee came out to $252. Thankfully I bought before the tripling of the state's VLF goes into effect.

Doc prep fees of $50 seem pretty standard. Like others said, you sure it wasn't some other fee(s)?

 

[conjur]

Varies from dealer to dealer. Where I sold cars it was about $145 and we used it sometimes when negotiations were getting tight and the customer would talk about dealer 'x'. "Well, sir, do you realize I'm saving you $250 off-the-bat because dealer 'x's doc fee is $395?"

 

[T2T III]

Doc prep fees of $50 seem pretty standard. Like others said, you sure it wasn't some other fee(s)?

Where I live in No. Virginia, there is one dealer that charges $289.00 for a documentation "prep" fee. Most of the other dealers charge $175.00 - $200.00. Maryland has their doc fees capped at $125 - I believe.

Like a true-Anandtecher, I have my Virginia dealers "price match" the $125.00 document fees over in Maryland - or, I threaten to drive over the river to buy the car in Maryland.

Or, regarding the statement of walking out of the dealership rather than paying the fees, - even if you get the dealership to waive the fees, they'll usually just drop the price of the car by $300 -- however, there will still be a line item indicating $300.00 doc prep fees on the contract you sign.

 

[zCypher]

The only thing I paid when I picked up my '03 Lancer was CAD$68. The $200 deposit I had left a week earlier covered my plates/registration stuff. They had already put the plate on my car for me, so I paid $68 and drove away, haven't heard from 'em since. Which reminds me, gotta go in for my free oil change.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: rml
How come no other type of business do the same thing?

In the old days, the fee was $0 or very minimal and dealship actually help you apply for tag/license plate.

Now, you pay $300-$500 and you have to go to Tag office yourself and get the tag.
You still have to pay those fee even if you pay by cash. (not much documentation)

I believe there are some business that did more "documentation" work when you buy their product and they don't charge that fee.

What state are you in? What kind of car are you buying? In California your TTL is a percentage based on the price of the vehicle so it varies. Obviously, a BMW X5 is going to cost much more than a Hyundai Sonata.

If this is a separate fee from the tag fee (dealer prep/fee for them to do the paperwork?-what a rip off) then it is negotiable. Walk away if you don't want to pay it. Worst that could happen is you don't buy the car from them. If they want your business they will reduce it or waive it completely.

I didn't have any of that BS when I bought my car. The internet sales manager quoted me a price online and that was the price I paid + TTL. Nothing more. No clean the car up fee, no paperwork fee, and no sit in the chair fee.

 

[rudder]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Are you sure that isnt part of the registration fee? In Texas, its a MAXIMUM $25.00 doc fee, $75 tags / title fee and 6.00% sales tax.

No, this is the "document preparation fee" which is the dealership charging you for getting everything in order. Tell them you want it taken off or go to another dealer that does not have the fee. I made sure I didn;t pay it when I got our van.

 

[Horsepower]

I am an auto broker/used car dealer. I charge a $45 doc fee which goes to my DMV service who charges me $45 to spend the time at the California DMV office processing paperwork. I believe that the maximum allowable in CA is $50.

 

[DnetMHZ]

I never pay the doc fee. They are B.S. You're pretty much paying for the dealership company Xmas party fund.

 

[bernse]

I refuse to pay "Doc Prep Fees" too. They're just padding the price. While common, I think it unethical. Next car I buy, if they try to pull that $hit again I'll just walk out the door.

 

[FelixDeCat]

Originally posted by: bernse
I refuse to pay "Doc Prep Fees" too. They're just padding the price. While common, I think it unethical. Next car I buy, if they try to pull that $hit again I'll just walk out the door.

Oh please. Youll have stars in your eyes. Your a pushover.:moon:

 

[bernse]

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat

Originally posted by: bernse
I refuse to pay "Doc Prep Fees" too. They're just padding the price. While common, I think it unethical. Next car I buy, if they try to pull that $hit again I'll just walk out the door.

Oh please. Youll have stars in your eyes. Your a pushover.:moon:

That's the sad part, so many people do. I wonder how many people fall for it? I'd guess the majority.

 

[peterskm]

Advertizing fees are what gets me. Many dealers here want you to pay a specific fee around $200-300 to pay for them advertising. That is BS. I always refuse to pay that. Imagine if you tried that while selling a car yourself. Well, let's see, we agreed to sell yoy that car for $15,000 and it cost me $200 to run the ad in the newspaper for a couple of weeks, so that'll be $15,200.

Crazy.

 

[NogginBoink]

Yeah, that fee is otherwise known as the "pure dealership profit fee."

Tell 'em no.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: rml
How come no other type of business do the same thing?

In the old days, the fee was $0 or very minimal and dealship actually help you apply for tag/license plate.

Now, you pay $300-$500 and you have to go to Tag office yourself and get the tag.
You still have to pay those fee even if you pay by cash. (not much documentation)

I believe there are some business that did more "documentation" work when you buy their product and they don't charge that fee.

Well if it is just the "document fee" and you paid it then well HAHAHAHA.

but i would make sure it aint a combination of other fees. always a good thing to ask before you sign anything and if you didnt. well hahahahhaha


if they have such a high document fee tell them you will not pay for that. make them show you step by step what fee and how much and where it is going.

complaining after the fact doesnt matter. if you cant take the time to question stuff before hand then i cant really feel sorry for you.

 

[Thump553]

Its a negotiable fee, supposedly to compensate the dealer for the time spent preparing and submitting the title and registration work to the DMV. Tell them you are abosolutely not going to pay that fee as part of your negotiation. In my view, its part of their backoffice expense that shouldn't be billed to you.

Likewise some real estate brokers here try to charge you a $150-200 "document retention fee" (or called something similar to that). This is a fee to supposedly pay for them having to store copies of your contract, listing, etc. for several years as required by this state's laws. Again, it is a B.S. fee-cross it off the LISTING agreement before you sign it, and get the change initialled.

Its amazing sometimes how simply printing these bogus charges on a preprinted form fools so many people into thinking they are legitimate or that they can't be negotiated.

 

[rml]

it is very common in GA dealer to charge somewhere around $300 document fee in additional the tag/tax/title


yes, you can talk that fee out. but when you already have an excellent deal on the car (something like $2000-$3000 below invoice), the dealship always not willing to take off that charge.

I have 5 friends buying cars/suv during the past 12 months and all paid $300-$400 document fee