Ever wondered what to do if a car dealership or salesman scams you? What are the used car dealer tricks? How do you avoid a car dealer lying to you about financing?
To avoid being a victim, you need to learn how to beat the salesman or dealership.
Below are a series of articles or links to various resources. If you read them all, you will see a pattern of lying, scheming and outright fraud. Know their games before they catch you in their web of deceit.
Now don’t get me wrong—I really believe there are honest car dealers, but they are so few that they are painted with the same brush as all the bad ones. Do your homework to avoid losing money, time and your senses.
Common Auto Dealer Scams—below are links to several articles:
Car Buying Scams Exposed
- The Old “Financing Fell Through Scam (aka Spot Delivery Scam)”
- The Classic “Lie To The Customer About Their Credit Score” Scam
- The Oops, “Forget To Pay Off Your Trade In” Scam
- The Immoral “Straw Purchase Scam”
- The Made Up “Your Online Lender Bounces Checks” Scam
- The High Pressure “Forced Warranty” Scam
- The Ridiculous “Dealer Prep” Scam (Excessive Fee)
- Watch out for “We’ll Payoff Your Car No Matter How Much You Owe!” Ads
- The Dangerous Previously Wrecked Used Car, Sold “As Is” Scam
- The Sneaky “We lowered your payments! Come back and re-sign!”
-
21 Scams Used By Devious Car Dealers—And How To Avoid Them
-
10 Car Dealer Scams That Should Be on Every Consumer’s Radar
-
Car Dealership Scams
-
Used Car Buying Scams
-
How to Sue a Car Dealer for Misrepresentation—FindLaw
-
Auto Dealer Fraud—Enforcing Your Rights
Link to part 1 of this series

Diane is a well respected Arizona bankruptcy and foreclosure attorney. As a retired law professor, she believes in offering everyone, not just her clients, advice about bankruptcy and Arizona foreclosure laws. Diane is also a mentor to hundreds of Arizona attorneys.
*Important Note from Diane: Everything on this web site is offered for educational purposes only and not intended to provide legal advice, nor create an attorney client relationship between you, me, or the author of any article. Information in this web site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from an attorney familiar with your personal circumstances and licensed to practice law in your state. Make sure to check out their reviews.*
In Case You Missed It
Published On: May 25, 2026
Debt Decisions Have Consequences: Slow Down Before You Act When money is tight, fear can take over. You feel as if a debt storm has caught you. People may feel pressured to make fast decisions: [...]
Published On: May 25, 2026
When the Economy Feels Unstable: How to Protect Yourself From Debt in an Unstable Economy Many families feel squeezed right now. Prices remain high, borrowing money is expensive, and many people are using credit cards [...]
Published On: May 2, 2026
Perils of Filing Bankruptcy by an Undocumented Person or Non-Citizen This post is based on an earlier post on by Richard J. Parker, (reprinted with permission - December 2017). Updated by Diane Drain: May 2026 [...]
Published On: April 11, 2026
Reaffirming Arizona Home Loan During Bankruptcy If you file bankruptcy in Arizona, you may be asked whether you want to reaffirm your home loan. That is an important decision because reaffirming means the debt will [...]








