A car buyer claims a low trade-in offer for her vehicle prevented her from getting a new ride. TikTok user Luke Cameron (@lakeviewliving) uploaded a series of posts about their experience with a dealership. Cameron says she received a call from the dealership after browsing its inventory. A rep from the company asked about her experience and why she didn't purchase a vehicle. Cameron told the employee that she had no issues explaining in detail why she declined to buy. Her biggest gripe was the amount she was offered for her trade-in. Cameron told the seller that she went home and did her own research. And what she discovered only confirmed her suspicions that she was being given a bad deal. "I found that when I told them they were ripping me off by offering me $5,500 for my vehicle…turns out they were ripping me off," she said. Then she holds up a sheet of paper with three separate offers for her trade-in. All were higher than the amount quoted by the dealership. "I came home and found three of the exact same vehicle, with the exact same mileage. One with $16,900, $16,990, and $20,998," she says. Why Was the Offer So Low? Cameron says the dealer's workers weren't entertaining negotiations on the sale of the new car she was trying to buy. "So you were gonna make over $10,000 on my trade. You tried to sell me an $11,000 warranty and you wouldn't even budge on the price of the vehicle I was buying," she says. On top of all this, Cameron also took issue with the freebie the dealership offered as a carrot to try to get her to sign on the dotted line. "And you acted like throwing in weather tech mats was doing me a favor. Laughable," she says. After explaining all of her problems with the dealership, she says the worker who rang her up still attempted to get her business. "He was like is there anything I could do to sell you this car?" she says. Cameron said she had no problem buying the car if they satisfied her expectations. "I said yeah. You could sell it to me right now for $46,000 tax, tags, title. With a warranty all weather tech mats, and the Suburban mats in it. Right now. Oh and by the way you're gonna have to bring it to me because I can't go back down there." The worker declined. "He was like, ‘There's no way I can do that,'" she recounts. "I said okay. You asked, I'm telling you." The worker continued trying to get the sale. "Well yesterday you offered us 48," the man purportedly said. "And I said, ‘Yeah that was yesterday. And then you let me leave, stew on it, drive an hour home. Tomorrow it's gonna be $45,'" she told the sales rep before continuing, "Just letting you know. You wanna sell the car?" Cameron says the salesman tried another line about how long they've had the car. Cameron interrupted to tell him she knew they'd had the car for 52 days. "Yeah buddy. Your people have big mouths," she recalls. "Small brains, big mouths, not a good combination for sales people. Sorry. So I don't think they'll be calling me back again." Bad Sales Experiences Unite the Comment Section Several people who replied to Cameron's video concurred that they, too, had unpleasant experiences with car sales reps. "If a salesman's lips are moving, they are lying," one wrote. Another remarked, "Dealerships need to realize the car market is crashing." "Okay but seriously why don't dealerships negotiate anymore on prices? I hate car shopping in today's society," someone else commented. Another person shared their own rule of thumb when buying a car. "If they don't hate you by the end you did it wrong. When my husband got his truck they HATED me. At the end the guy was like yeah… you got us." Others noted that her trade-in offer was so low because of the condition of her vehicle. In a separate TikTok, Cameron says the car had water damage. They believe this is the real reason why the dealership only offered her $5,500. "Did we forget that the trade-in was full of water?" one wrote. Car Buying Satisfaction Trends Upward Cameron's experience was clearly negative. She may be an outlier, however. Auto research group Cox Automotive wrote that throughout 2025, more customers left dealerships happy than before. "Shopper satisfaction with car buying rose … from 60% in 2016 to 68% in 2024," Cox reported in August. Additionally, the firm's analytics showed that buyers who peruse inventory, start deals online, and finish them in a physical sales location ultimately have a better experience buying cars. Moreover, Cox wrote that its studies indicate in-person sales still remain a vital component of the car buying process. Earlier in 2025, Cox also reported that customer satisfaction with new car purchases hit a record 75%. However, Cox writes that there's indeed room for improvement. Previous reports from other outlets indicate that more people are happier with their car-buying experiences. PR Newswire reported in 2016 that 87% of car buyers dislike at least one aspect of buying a car at a dealership. Motor1 has reached out to Cameron via TikTok direct message for further comment. We'll update this article if she responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team