George Kamel - 16 Minutes of Why Car Dealerships are INSANE

Episode Date: September 11, 2026

🚙 Check out the Ramsey Car Guide!   No one loves the car dealership experience of being hassled, haggled and bamboozled. So today, I’m reacting to these TikTok videos that show just how INSANE it is to try and buy a car at a dealership.   Next Steps: ● 🎥 Watch my video I Asked Country Music Fans How Much Their Truck Payment Is. • 💵 Start your free budget today. Download the EveryDollar app! • 📈 Are you on track with the Baby Steps? Get a free personalized plan.   Connect With Our Sponsors: • Go to Boost Mobile to switch today! • Get 20% off when you join DeleteMe. • Go to FAIRWINDS Credit Union for an exclusive account bundle! • Sign up with Privacy today and receive a $5 credit just for being a George Kamel fan.   Explore More From Ramsey Network: 🎙️ The Ramsey Show 🍸 Smart Money Happy Hour 💸 The Ramsey Show Highlights 🧠 The Dr. John Delony Show 📈 EntreLeadership   Ramsey Solutions Privacy Policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one loves the car dealership experience of being hassled, haggled, and bamboozled. Not even when they try and sweeten the deal for you with their refreshments. I'm sorry, peanut butter crackers and mid-grade curing coffee, I don't feel refreshed, to be honest. So today I'm reacting to videos that show just how insane it is to try and buy a car at a dealership in 2020. But first, let's give a friendly trucker salute to delete me for sponsoring this channel. That's the most pump these arms have seen in a while, if I'm going to be honest. I'm going to be sore in the morning and the next day. Let's get to it.

Real quick, what's four times four? What's going on, folks? Hey, man, say man. Y'all, is everybody's having a car salesman, Cam, the closer. Y'all today I have Ms. Nisha, y'all. She took an hour and five minute drive. Came all the way from Gavis. They said, Cam, I've got to have something with zero down.

Don't make the most of income. Don't got the best of credit. Credit was tore up all right from the floor up. Came in, y'all, got her put together, put together. Now she's going to be driving up in a brand new, 2000, 24. Nissan. This is that Nissan.

What? Nissan Role. How was your experience today here, Ms. Nisha? It was great. My credit was bad and everything. And then it got me. Oh, gosh, no. Did I ask you for any paste stubs, thanks, something like that? Y'all, straight like that, got everything weighed. Y'all, carmine's real simple. Just bring me your driver license ID. One piece of mail your name, shoot me a DM and I'll make something shake. Today, Twin, get you rolling on. I have a lot of concerns. Was there a baby crying in the back?

What was that weird sound? Cam, I mean, he's got, I'll give you this. The guy's got a lot of risk. He can really sell you the car. And I hope, I pray, to my lord, that this is satire. And that she didn't actually go zero down $1,167 a month for 72 months. Let's do the math together, shall we? Let me pull up my handy dandy. A calculator.

116, 7 times 7. $84,000 for a Nissan Rogue? No. I don't buy it. I don't buy it personally. I don't think. this actually happened. I'm assuming this is your favorite sat. I don't chase deals. I closed them. DM me when you're ready. I mean, I've seen crazier things, but 84 grand for a

Nissan Rogue, that's up there. That might be top three. Four times four equals eight. You knew what you was doing, L.O.L. How do look watching her sign the papers? Oh gosh, that's dark. How bro was sitting at his desk watching her sign? If salesman happy, you know you got deep pride. That's so true. I want my salesman disappointed, truthfully. Repo Man watching the with the biggest smile, another robbery. She just paid for a summer vacation. Okay. Now, here's where people fall for this.

They got bad credit, and they go, hey, no big deal. No credit, no problem. We'll make this work. Here's where they get host. There's probably an interest rate of 18% on that thing, if it is real. And they go, hey, you don't have enough to make the payments? No big deal. We can make the payment as low as you want.

We'll just stretch it out for the next eight years. This is predatory car selling at its worst, even if it's satire. I don't like it. I'm not going to co-sign on this, pun. intended. And all for a Nissan rogue. Do better America. Going to a car dealership when you just want to look and not shop. I'm just going to check the price. Oh, boy. I know everybody comes out of here. Oh, no. Everybody come out here. Leave me alone. Leave me alone. Just looking into the car. He's actually coming. I really like it. He's scared for good reason.

Those salesmen will pop out of nowhere. It's like walking dead. They'll just come out of the ground and just like, whoa. Can I sell it? What is it going to take to get into a Kia Sorrento today, sir? It's exhausting. That's why I go on Sundays when it's closed. That's a life hack. Go to a dealership on a Sunday to peruse. The car salesman, let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. He was coming. They talk to you when you just want to look, but completely ignore you when you actually want to buy. Why is that so true? When you actually need service. Nothing.

Start yelling not friendly like people do when you approach an unfriendly talk. Not friendly. I really like it. It was so cute. in the red shirt. I would have died laughing for a dealer to land out on the hood the second he got back in. This is good. This is clearly lighthearted comedy. I needed a win. So I went to go buy a car yesterday at this dealership. I don't care. I'm name dropping. So I walk in. The price online was 23, which is a great deal. For the car that it was, 23 was a great price. So I get there and I'm like, hey, the price is still 23. And they're like, absolutely. So I test drive it, great. I'm like, awesome. So we go to work numbers. And they're like, okay. So we've broken out.

on the costs and I'm like hey what's that right there that $2,500 and they're like oh that's the blazer cost. I'm like the blazer and they're like well yeah it's a package that we have to add on basically what it is is it comes with two years of free maintenance and some floor mats for the car and I was like oh no thank you I don't want that I don't have any use for that and they're like oh no it's not optional and I'm like what and they're like yeah it's not an optional package it's $2,500 and I was like so the car is 255 not 23 and they're like no the car still 24 And I'm like, okay, then I don't want the package, and I'll pay for it at 23. And they're like, well, no, you can still have to pay for the package.

And I'm like, okay, well, then I'm going to leave. And then they're like, well, what can we do to make this work? And I was like, you can charge me 23, which is what the price is. Oh, that's dealerships right there. Listen, I just yesterday was at the car dealership. And I went there because the other dealership tried this game with me. They went, well, yeah, out the door. I was just like, what is the out-the-door price?

send me the actual buyer's order for this car. And boom, it's got all this random crap on there, all these extra packages and paint protection and the warranty and the maintenance. I'm like, I didn't ask for this. And I go, oh, well, that's included. We have to do that. You can't get away from that.

I went, okay, well, I'm not buying a car from you. So I just walked away and found a dealer that was willing to play ball and not charge me all these extra fees. So here's some good advice. The only thing you should be paying for is the car, plus your taxes, tag, title, all that, and maybe a small dock fee.

Now, the dock fee is hard to negotiate. Usually, they're not going to budge on that. Could be anywhere from $500 to $1,000. That's the only thing I'm willing to pay for. Anything else, I'm out of there. Walk away. Have some buying power. Have some respect for yourself.

And here's the problem. When people finance cars, all they do is go, well, hey, look, it's only an extra $7 in your payment. So what's the big deal? And they go, okay, well, I guess when you put it that way, it's no big deal. It's a big deal. You've got to know what you're actually paying for.

and it's why I always recommend paying cash. You think through things differently when you see the full amount and not just what it does to the monthly payment. Don't let them fool you. I wish I could tell you that getting scammed only happens at the car lot. Unfortunately, it happens everywhere,

especially on the internet. And the worst part is most of us don't even realize we're being targeted. And that's why I love Delete Me, a sponsor of today's episode. They will scour the internet to find your personal info, like your name, phone number, address,

and remove it from hundreds of these data broker sites, which means more privacy for you and less spam interrupting your life. And it's not just a one-and-done cleanup. They keep monitoring and removing your info all year long behind the scenes, and according to my latest report, they've saved me over 150 hours

had I tried to do this myself. So go check it out and get 20% off an annual plan at join deleteme.com slash George or click the link in the description. Now, haggling at a car dealership, that's a given. Hagling over your phone bill, you won't have to with Boost Mobile another sponsor.

You see, the price you see is the price you get, and that price is just $25 a month, forever on their Unlimited plan. There's no catches, no hidden fees, no, whoops, we forgot to mention that on your contract. Because there is no contract. Just a great plan at a great price. And switching is super easy, takes just a few minutes. You bring your device, you can keep your number, and start saving today.

Go check it out at boostmobile.com slash Ramsey or click the link in the description. $25 forever requires customers to remain active on Boost Mobile Unlimited Plan. All right, back to it. I just talked an 18 year old kid out of buying this 2024 Tesla Model Y. So this was a young 18 year old kid that plays football in a large university fairly close to where we are. To give you any idea, you could double my salary and he still made more than that. And I just bought a $400,000 house. We were talking Buku money, silly money.

His call was, I will put down whatever I need to. I just want to build my credit and I want to start financing and I want to get a Tesla. He came down, he drove it, he loved it. He loved everything about the car. He just said, okay, what do I need down? And what is my payment going to be? So we go through all the numbers. And at the end of it, he goes, man, that just seems kind of high.

His interest rate was 26%. Now, that is an 18-year-old kid that's been 18 for a couple months. And word for word, this is what I told him. If you were my son, I would not buy that car right now. I told him, I said, hey, look, go get a credit card, go get a $1,000 credit card, pay on it for six to eight months. Come back. We'll cut your rate in half. You don't have to put that much money down.

The deal will be just so much better for you. It was funny because he called his financial advisor or his financial advisor was like, yeah, don't sign that. I've seen so many young athletes with a lot of money make stupid financial decisions. And I didn't want him to be one of them, to be honest with you. Especially because this is an innocent kid. He doesn't know any better. He barely knows anything. And it's not his fault.

He's just 18 years old. And here's the other thing. He could have went to any other different dealership, and they would have pressured him and pressured him and pressured him to buy that car. I will not do that. I refuse to do that. Good man, Cody. I appreciate that. Car guy, former ball player, dealer principal. Well, I like some of this advice. I'm glad that he talked him off the ledge of taking on this 26% interest rate, which is insane,

all because he's 18 and doesn't have credit. So the good advice here, don't buy the car now. The bad advice, well, go build your credit using a credit card so you can finance the car later at half the interest. As if that's much better, going from 26 to 13% interest on this? car? If he's really making Buku money, he can save up and pay for it in cash. If he really wants it, if he's making half a million dollars a year, saving up 40 grand to go buy that Tesla in cash should be no big deal. So here's my frame of reference for buying a car. Make sure that the value of all the things with wheels and motors in your house is less than half your annual income. So for example, if your household makes $100,000, the value of all your vehicles should be

no more than $50 grand. That helps make sure that your world does not overtake by depreciating assets. And the other thing, make sure you pay cash. If you can't afford it, just don't buy it now. Buy the one you can afford in cash. Drive that while saving up because you don't have a car payment and then upgrading cash later on. That's how I've done it my whole life, and it's how I've actually built wealth because I'm not giving it to dealers at 26% interest. But thank you, Cody, for at least doing some good things in this world. That's awesome. I mean, we'll say, should have just paid cash. Thank you. Should have just paid cash. What part of he wants to build credit? Did you not understand?

Vin, what do you think people are building credit for so they can get debt? If you can afford it in cash, why do you need the credit to get the debt? Mind blown, Vin. You're welcome. POV, I asked my client for proof of income. Okay, let's check this out. Oh my gosh. No. Not the printouts holding cash.

That is incredible. I want, I just, I hope it's real. I hope it's real. need them printed with color or not the Fibonacci sequence money spread. I mean. So did he get the car? Nah, that's what people want to know. That's what people want to know. Proof is proof. Well, generally, the proof of income is to make sure that you can afford the payment. But here's my take. If you can't afford it in full today, don't buy it. And this guy, I mean, if this is real money, he's going to walk up there with a briefcase and just pay cash and slide it over like they do

in the movies. That's as good as money, sir. Those are IOUs. I've always wanted to do that, but I know I would get robbed somehow on the way into the dealership. And they see me bring in my little briefcase. You just snatch it out of my hands. I'm like, wait, that's my money. I would sound like that for some reason.

I'm an extra. Extras laboratory. Now this guy may be a bit unconventional when it comes to showing proof of income, but the thing he's got right is paying cash for the car, if he is paying cash. And I've been there. I've done it multiple times, so I know a thing or two about when to buy the car, when to sell it, what kind of insurance to get the works. So I've got a car guide for you,

completely free, that will walk you through all of this and help you make a smart decision. So if you want to check out that car guide, I'll drop a link in the description. My daughter asked me, how come we don't have a cool car? And I said, I beg to differ. We have the coolest car available on the road today,

and that is a paid off car. That's right. I ain't got no car note. And she said, well, if you don't have a car payment, doesn't that mean you can afford a new car? And I said, not around here, partner. Not around here. This car might be 11 years.

years old and have 190,000 miles on it, but we are going to drive her until the wheels fall off and the engine explodes on the side of the highway. We will drive her until the cost of the repairs outweighs what we have saved for a new car. And we are not fixing non-essential items. The backup camera doesn't work. That's fine. I learned how to parallel park without one. The radio works when it wants to.

Also fine. I'm content sitting in the silence listening to the racing of my own thoughts. The temperature gauge says it's 100 degrees outside. It's not. I live in New York. It's snowing. We're going to drive her until she doesn't drive anymore because there is nothing cooler than a car that is paid off

and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. I got a slow clap that one out. Why can't more people think this way? Why are people so obsessed with these cars? And it's their whole identity to drive this new or nicer car. I think everyone should have kids because they'll realize that your life's a crapshoot. You just drive anything that gets you from A to be. All right, doesn't matter. They're going to destroy it. You're going to get, you know, curb rash from the

thing when you're trying to park. Just drive the car you can afford. And a paid off car, it just hits different, especially knowing the average new car payment is $770 bucks a month. So with no car payment, you now have margin to use that money for literally anything else. And if you set up a sinking fund, let's say you save up $500 a month for a whole year. Well, now you've got $6,000 sitting in savings. Do that for two years. You got $12,000. Do it for $1,000. three years you got 18 grand and that's at zero percent interest which if you're putting in a high-yield savings account you're going to make more so save up to pay cash upgrading cash drive the thing to the wheels fall off and stop caring about what other people think that's how you're going to build

wealth and make smart car purchases all right last but not least producer alex has hand-selected a video for us to enjoy together as a family let's check it out our car got delivered today gosh. Good reminder to have insurance. Someone's paying for that. Sitting there gasping instead of stopping it. How was she supposed to stop it, dude? Run in front of the car, get smashed in between the truck? Perfect. Oh, this is hilarious. What Miles wanted her to do? Spider-Man stopping the bus. This is pretty meta in the comments. This is wonderful. This is great. This is what the internet was made for. Love how the comments have devolved into just cooking miles. Oh, this is good.

I needed that. Thank you, Alex. Well, I hope this showed you how to buy car the right way and how to avoid some very expensive mistakes. And if you thought today's video was an adventure in car wheeling and dealing, check out this next one when I asked country music fans what their truck payment was and went toe-to-to-to-with a finance manager of a dealership. And let's just say I may have stepped on one of those toes.

Click here to watch it next or use the link in the description. That's it for today. Thanks for watching. See you next time.