15 Oct, 2024

Can dealerships force you to finance?

A Kitchener, Ont. woman discovered that some dealerships didn’t want her cash while shopping for a new car.

Sharon Tanti had her sights set on a vehicle at a Guelph dealership. But she was faced with a roadblock when she went to pay for it in cash.

“The guy was like ‘what’s this?’ And I’m like ‘payment for the car,’” said Tanti, recalling a conversation with the salesman.

She says she told her she had to finance the vehicle.

“He’s like ‘you can’t do that. We get money when we finance the cars.’ And I’m like ‘that’s not my problem,’” she said.

Tanti wanted to buy the car outright and not have another monthly payment, or interest on those payments.

“I said ‘well if it’s a problem, I can leave. You can keep the car,’” she said.

After a heated back-and-forth exchange, Tanti said the salesman told her he’d make a one-time exception, but wouldn’t be able to let her pay cash if she were to buy from them in the future.

“I’m like ‘fine, I won’t be back,’” she said.

Tanti ended up buying the car, but when it came to buying a new one more recently she went

1 min read