After helping her mother at the Honda dealership, a woman says she believes buying a car as a woman is a terrible experience.
TikTok user Lauren (@laurendotmedias) told the story in a video posted last week.
“Buying a vehicle as a woman is the worst experience ever,” Lauren says to start the video. “I hate it. My mother totaled her vehicle. She needs a new vehicle. I said, ‘Momma, let me do it, because they’re going to take you for everything.’”
Buying a Car As a Woman
Lauren’s mother found a 2025 Honda CR-V at their local Honda dealership listed at $41,200. So Lauren contacted the dealership and let it be known she wanted a breakdown of the fees and their best “out-the-door” price. “They send it to me,” she says. “Of course, there is all kind of add-ons. I say, ‘We’re not paying for these add-ons, so you can just go ahead and take that off.’”
She says she made it clear that she wanted to do the entire negotiation process over the phone or via email, and she wanted to pay no more than $37,000.
According to Lauren, the dealership employees replied that the add-ons are mandated by the corporate office and therefore can’t be removed. “Yes, you can,” Lauren says she argued. “It comes off of the factory with a three-year paint warranty. You’re putting some BS $1,300 crap on there that we didn’t ask for. You’re going to take it off.’”
What Happened At the Dealership?
“They said, ‘We cannot agree to that unless you’re here,’” Lauren says. “And I specifically say, ‘We will come up there, that’s fine, but it should only be to sign the paperwork. I’m not coming to haggle. We’re not coming to do any of that.’”
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Lauren shares the conclusions she drew from the experience in a follow-up video posted over the weekend. She reveals that she and her mother did go to the dealership and had to sit through a conversation with the salesman about how fair and honest his business practices are—something Lauren wholeheartedly disagreed with.
“I don’t think buying a vehicle as a woman—it just makes you feel terrible,” she says. “I’m not stupid. I get that you need to make money, but y’all are charging thousands upon thousands for unnecessary things and thinking that just because we’re women we’re going to sign. They did not like me and that’s fine. It shouldn’t feel like this to go buy a vehicle.”
Viewers React to the Woman’s Dealership Experience
In the comments, viewers weighed in on the realities of purchasing a vehicle as a woman.
“I bought a car a few weeks ago, walked in, and said, ‘I don’t want any add-ons and need to know my trade-in value and out the door price,’” wrote one woman. “I walked out of two dealerships and the third one listened. It was amazing.”
A second person wrote, “I bought a new CR-V like four days ago. I think I got a good deal. You just have to be aggressive and play their game. And research!”
“I’m dealing with it now,” wrote a third user. “I can’t stand car dealers.”
The internet is full of stories about women meeting resistance and sexism at car dealerships. However, it does appear that Lauren followed best practices when it comes to women advocating for themselves during the car buying process. She was patient, prepared, ready to negotiate, and willing to push back on upsells.
Motor1 contacted Lauren via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We’ll update this if she responds.
