To most car buyers, the toughest part of closing a deal centers around the basics: down payment, total delivery cost, and monthly payments based on financing rates. But insurance premiums, which are an afterthought for most drivers, can occasionally turn the math upside down and nearly nix a purchase. That’s the lesson in the clip from the Pennsylvania dealership Grace Auto Group (@graceautogroup), where general manager Dan Rabinovich and a salesman try to soften the $950 monthly insurance premium quoted for twin brothers who are new drivers looking to buy a Dodge Charger. "That's literally double the payment of the car. Insurance sometimes is a deal killer, and it sucks," Rabinovich says in the clip that’s been viewed more than 20,000 times. "It's either they bite the bullet, and in three months after they have an active policy, they can start shopping around." The situation already stood out before the numbers even came into play for a completely unexpected reason. In the clip, the salesman tells Rabinovich that he has "a couple of twins" applying for the Charger together. And in a highly unusual twist, both twins are apparently named Anthony. "They’re twins, and they both have the same name?" Rabinovich asks. "I’ve seen it all tonight." Aside from the curiosity of their names, the deal looks fairly straightforward at first. The brothers have put $10,000 down, which is a significant amount for buyers with no credit history. It's assumed or inferred that the brothers will find a way to share the car. The Deal Takes Shape From the dealer's perspective, the numbers seem workable, and the financing comes through fairly quickly. Despite both applicants having zero credit scores, Rabinovich secured approval at an APR of 13.95%. That lands the monthly payment at $502, which isn't cheap, but it's within the range that first-time buyers without credit history will typically get for a car like a Charger. Tell us what you think! View Comments "Someone will buy them," he said of the pair’s fate on the credit market, with the $10,000 down payment seen as a solid enough opening bow to overcome their lack of financial history. Up to that point, the deal follows an apparently familiar pattern: the buyers commit, the dealer finds a lender willing to take the risk, and the numbers align just enough for everyone to move forward. It's when the deal appears to be at the finish line that the salesman comes back with an update that shifts the tone of the whole conversation. He tells Rabinovich that the pair had cycled through a wide assortment of insurance providers, including The General and the dealership's own insurance contact, in search of an affordable policy. All that shopping didn't manage to move the number in any meaningful way, with the cheapest option requiring $1,500 down and $950 per month. At that point, Rabinovich and the salesman know that the math has changed dramatically. While a $500 car payment is in line with the brothers’ financial picture, adding almost another $1,000 per month in Insurance costs is an entirely different situation. And the unfortunate reality of the insurance game is that there's almost no room to negotiate between carriers for anyone who's had no prior auto coverage. "We fight so hard to get an approval and then close them on a payment, and then insurance is a whole other battle," Rabinovich says. He goes on to explain the realities of deal stacking in the auto sales world. The buyers live in Trenton, New Jersey, and are looking at a Dodge Charger, which is among the more frequently stolen and high-claim vehicles in many markets. Add in the fact that the brothers have no prior Insurance history, and you've got the recipe for a very unflattering account profile from a carrier's perspective. With full coverage required for almost any loan agreement, Rabinovich worries that the deal may have collapsed. Soon after, the salesman returned to tell him that the brothers had decided to proceed with the purchase anyway. Rabinovich is grateful for the little bit of luck, but admits he'd rather have been able to put together something more financially favorable: "I feel bad… I’m pitching them a $500 car payment, and then they have a $950 payment on top of that for insurance." Car Costs Keep Climbing Rabinovich and the salesman weren't the only ones who had sticker shock. In the video's comments, viewers zeroed in on the same wide gap between the car payment and the real cost of keeping it on the road. "I’d walk away from it for that cost. No way," one user wrote, echoing the kind of reaction you'd expect from just about anyone facing a nearly $1,500 combined monthly bill. Others pointed to how quickly insurance costs can spiral for first-time drivers, especially for those without any prior coverage. "Never had prior insurance—treated the same as a 16-year-old," another viewer noted. Some took aim at a broader cost escalation trend they noticed, suggesting the problem goes beyond this one deal. "Insurance is out of control, car ownership is getting too expensive," one viewer wrote, tying the situation to a growing sense that the traditional path to owning a car is getting harder to justify. Other comments took particular note of the specifics that Rabinovich said were influencing the insurance cost. "A Charger in Trenton? Guaranteed to get stolen," one observer wrote. Taken together, those reactions pretty much mirror what was playing out at the dealership: shock at the numbers, followed by some acceptance and recalculation by the new drivers of how much they value the car they just had to have. Motor1 reached out to Rabinovich via email and phone. We’ll update this if he responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team