A car salesman thought he had a straightforward deal on his hands. The customer seemed friendly, the test drive went well, and everything appeared to be moving in the right direction. But when the numbers came out, and the customer wanted to leave, things got heated. Some viewers think it's the salesman’s fault. Here’s why. Salesman Shares Weird Interaction During Chevrolet Silverado Sale In a viral video with more than 11,000 views, car salesman Adrian (@adriansellscars0) recounted that what started as a normal sales transaction turned into chaos. In the video, Adrian explains that the customer pulled into the Chevrolet dealership, driving a 2006 Ram Regular Cab, looking to trade it in for a Silverado. Adrian took him through the standard process: They looked at trucks, went for a test drive, and everything seemed to be going smoothly. "We're vibing good. We have a good rapport," Adrian says in the TikTok. When they returned to the dealership, Adrian headed inside to sit down and work through the financial details, like whether the customer wanted to finance, trade-in details, and how much money he planned to put down. "He's like, ‘I normally don't tell all the salespeople this, but I'm planning to put $15,000 down,’" Adrian recalls. Adrian thanked him for the transparency, ran the numbers, and came back to present them. The customer looked at the numbers, looked at Adrian, and his demeanor completely changed. "He says, ‘Give me my keys,’" Adrian explains. Confused, Adrian tried to understand what went wrong. "I said, ‘Is there anything I can do? What's wrong, sir?’" he says. But the customer wasn't interested in discussing; he just got louder. "He stands up, goes down to the showroom, and he goes, ‘Give me my keys!’ Like, all out, and the whole showroom was, like, silent. It was crazy," Adrian recalled. Adrian got the guy's keys—which the dealership had because they'd appraised his trade-in—and the man left. What to Know Before Negotiating at a Dealership Car buying doesn't have to feel like a high-pressure sales game, but knowing what to expect can help level the playing field. Here are a few key strategies for successful negotiating, according to Consumer Reports and NerdWallet: Do your homework first: Research the vehicle's fair market value, get preapproved for financing from your bank or credit union, and know exactly which trim level and options you want. Avoid the monthly payment trap: Negotiate purchase price first, not payments. Focusing on monthly payments gives dealerships too much room to manipulate numbers across trade-ins, interest rates, and loan terms. Separate the discussions: Handle purchase price, financing, and trade-ins as distinct transactions. Once you've locked in a fair price, that's when you bring up your down payment amount or trade-in. Come prepared: Bring competing quotes from other dealerships to strengthen your negotiating position.Some dealerships still use old-school tactics to keep customers in the showroom. Car and Driver warns that certain dealers will ask for your car keys or driver's license "as security" before a test drive. Then, when you return and want to leave without buying, suddenly those items go missing. Commenters React "That was his escape act," a top comment read. "Your answer should have been ‘sure thing have a good day sir’ and that’s it. I know it’s not your fault. But if he don’t want to buy, You don’t want to sell," a person said. "Right...holding keys is an old trick and not appreciated," another wrote. "He shouldn’t have to ask more than once for his keys. His keys should have been handed back in a second. It’s a common scammy tactic to hold the trade in hostage. If things don’t align let it be," a commenter added. Motor1 reached out to Adrian via TikTok direct message and comment. This story will be updated 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