Car dealerships are notorious for employing different tactics to entice customers into making purchases they hadn’t planned on, ranging from clever to outright illegal. One customer has recently taken to TikTok to warn others about a sneaky strategy she discovered during a routine repair visit.
In the video, Jane (@janadederlova) explains how she took her vehicle to a car dealership for repairs and was given a loaner car to use while her vehicle was being serviced. To her surprise, the loaner car was not just any old car, but a nearly brand-new Honda Passport SUV.
“And I don’t even like SUVs and now I want to buy one. Like, look at this thing. It has CarPlay. It has a wireless charger,” she said in the video, while filming the interior of the car, showcasing the dashboard and the driver’s cockpit area.
Despite not being a fan of SUVs, Jane admitted she found herself enamored with the vehicle, even considering purchasing it. “It’s really frustrating because I really don’t need a new car. Mine’s paid off, I love it, I don’t have any problems with it. But… now I’m debating it and I swear to you, they did it on purpose and they know what they’re doing.”
The video, posted on March 1, has garnered over 5,700 views. In the comments, many users shared similar stories.
@janadederlova Theory was proven when I walked in and he goes “soooo are we getting you into a new vehicle.” Like yes, please haha 🥲 #honda #newcar #hondapassport #hondacivic ♬ original sound – Jane
One user wrote, “That’s how they get you,” while another shared, “I have a 2016 MDX. They always give me a brand new one with like 1k miles. I have to remind myself every time that mine is PAID OFF!!”
Another shared a personal anecdote of receiving a high-end loaner vehicle from a dealership and feeling tempted to upgrade: “Yup, last time I brought my Macan in for something I got a Brand new Cayenne GTS loaner.”
“Mercedes did this to me. Jokes on them, I couldn’t afford it,” one more commenter wrote.
However, one commenter claimed they had a quite opposite experience. “I had to take my brand new Jeep in and got a PT Cruiser. Most embarrassing time for me lol,” wrote the user.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jane (@janadederlova) via email and to Honda via email for media ininquiries.