Why Do Car Dealers expect Blacks to Pay More Than Whites ?

Hi Bruce, actually my first and only car purchase experience was a good one, Praise God! I felt like I was treated right by the black salesman who advocated a good deal for me from his white manager when I really believed the negotiations were over. Now I did my homework so I knew what I could afford when I went into the showroom and it was a two-day process as I comparison-shopped (not necessarily bargain-shopped). The bottom line is that to my amazement (God does answer all prayers) I got a better car for the price I initially budgeted for and the car is still in excellent condition seven years later and two years old when I purchased it! Unfortunately, when I was married and my husband prucahsed cars, it was always a bad experience. He would walk away from many dealers cursing because he knew they were discriminating and stereotyping. The one thing I never understood, too, is why car dealers allowed deals that were just obviously unaffordable and then three months later (in two cases) my husband's car was repossessed which opened up more drama. When I would ask him why he agreed to the deal, he would always say because he was coerced into it. Well, long story short, my solo experience was good and I would buy another one from the same establishment when I am ready.

Part of the problem of why Blacks pay more than Whites at the dealership is because although we are a minority, often times we are a majority when it comes to bad credit; budgeting issues; and unrealistic expectations.
Many times it is our decisions about dealing with credit in the past as well as the desire for a lot more vehicle than we can afford that puts us in a bad position to negotiate.
I understand racisism is real. I agree that car buying consultation is much needed and appreciated in our community. Likewise, we need to address us taking charge of self - the one thing that we have full control over. In my experience in the business, to be completely honest, lack of control in these areas causes or is a least a contributor to a great deal of what we attribute to racism.

Life seems to consist of many games, and frankly many of these games, especially those in the finance world, are still new to us. There are many 'secret' still unknown or rather only partially revealed to African Americans. As a result when we go to the many financial bargaining tables in life, the hand dealt to us, especially in terms of knowledge about things such as credit reporting and the creation thereof, is tainted. I say we have come a long way, but are still 'babes in the wood' in terms of the many 'unspoken' understandings in this country. Just my rambling, just my two cents. Peace, James