When there's a 0% financing offer on an item at a store, and you pay cash

[poofyhairguy]

You say something stupid and utterly wrong and rather than learning something you invent an even more stupid and more wrong story to try to weasel out of it? Really?

I wasn't trying to weasel out of anything, just pointing out two specific cases (end of year clearance, unpopular used vehicles) when myself or close family members have gotten sticker discounts despite not using their financing. YMMV depending on how desperate the dealership or salesperson is, like anything else.

Car dealers and dealerships are a dime a dozen, and they have to compete with each other which means that rules aren't universal. Last time I bought a car I asked for a deal that the local dealer swore was "impossible." So to double check how impossible it was I emailed my offer to every dealership within 300 miles and sure enough there was a salesperson an hours drive away that made the "impossible" possible. Why? Because there is always someone more desperate to make that sale.

What I say might not apply to every dealership, but your implication that every dealership has the ability to refuse deals that aren't 100% beneficial to them isn't reality either. In the real world the customer is the side with more leverage, as it costs the dealership money ($608 is the cost per vehicle sold on average in 2014) to get that person on the lot but all the customer loses is their time if they walk away. Plus financing isn't the only way to get extra margin out of customers, you can still sell the person buying with cash an extended warranty or some sort of aftermarket service. Cash discounts are not universal, but being refused a sticker discount because you are paying in cash isn't universal either.