Used to sign anything the dealer put in front of me, now I read every line

Back in 2019 I bought a used truck from a lot in Tulsa and just scribbled my name wherever they pointed. Ended up paying $2,400 extra for something called a "service contract" that covered nothing I actually needed. The alternator died 4 months later and they told me it was a wear item. This year I bought a sedan and spent 2 hours in the finance office reading every page with a flashlight on my phone. Found a $900 gap insurance charge I didn't ask for and made them take it off. The finance guy kept saying "everyone gets this" but I held my ground. Now I take a picture of every contract page before I sign. Has anyone else caught a sneaky add-on hiding in the fine print?

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margaretshah22d agoTop Commenter

Did they try the whole "it's standard practice" line on you too? Honestly that's the biggest red flag right there, when they act like you're the weird one for asking questions. Tbh I've started asking them to initial next to every line that has a dollar amount or a checkbox, and you should see the looks I get. Ngl the flashlight trick is genius though, I used to just trust the brightness of the room and missed a $500 dealer fee that way. Now I also keep a copy of the odometer statement and the VIN etched into a photo on my phone, just so the final contract matches what I actually drove off with.