Name a business in the retail world with the same monopolies enjoyed by car dealers.

The problem is that when it comes to dealerships, there is a massive power imbalance. When you go into a Best Buy to buy a computer, chances are you know what you want, all the prices are clearly labeled in the store, it’s easy to compare prices with other retailers, you know how much computers should cost, etc. Best Buy has very little opportunity to swindle you. But that’s why they swindle old people, upsell them, and load them up with geek squad warranties. Computers are to old people as cars are to most people.

Most people going into a dealership for car trouble don’t know what’s wrong with their car, none of the prices are transparent, there’s no way to compare prices, people don’t know how much stuff should cost, the technical details are confusing to them, etc. This gives dealerships open opportunity to capitalize on their conflict of interest and prey on you.

It’s why I’d encourage everyone to at least learn a little bit about cars and basic parts & maintenance.

A lot of them don’t lie to get business though. It’s very common for a dealership to straight make shit up if the customer isn’t car savvy. Sometimes you actually have a good product or service that people want. That said not all dealers are like this. I have one 20 miles away that does immaculate service. Never tries to upsell and doesn’t just throw parts at the issue.