The car-buying process nowadays can feel complicated and confusing, especially with the lack of trust many consumers have for dealerships. Unless you do hours of research, it’s hard to spot dealership red flags as they’re happening in the moment, or even to react as you notice them. TikTok creator Samantha (@odaxel_agnia) shared a suspicious experience she had at a dealership while buying her Jaguar F-Pace. What Happened When She Found the Jaguar Listing? Samantha says she had been looking for a change. "I had paid my Mazda off. Nothing was wrong with it… just wanted a bit of an upgrade," she says. After researching different options, she landed on a Jaguar F-Pace and found one online at CarGurus, located at a dealership about two hours away. For over a week, she tracked the price, which had dipped down to $31,000. However, it quickly jumped up again. "That price was only there for… not even a day, and then it jumped back up to almost $33,000," she recalls, calling this her "first bell going off." Still, she decided to move forward and scheduled an appointment, bringing her father along for support. "Big car guy… owned an auto body shop his whole life," she says of her dad. "He can direct me … because I have no idea what’s going on." Samantha says they arrived at the dealership early, but workers didn’t bring the car out until half an hour past their appointment time. "Mind you, this place isn't ginormous," she says. "I don't think they'd have to go on like a scavenger hunt to find the car." After seeing the car, she says it matched the description, and she didn’t find any apparent damage. But the process at the dealership felt disorganized from the start. "She starts doing paperwork as if I’m buying the car," Samantha says, before the salesperson reportedly asked, "Wait a minute, did you want to test drive it first?" After test-driving it, she says she brought up the pricing she had tracked online. Then Came The Price ‘Glitch’ Samantha says she asked if the dealership could honor the $31,000 price she had briefly seen online. Initially, they agreed, but then the salesperson wanted to see a screenshot. "That price was on CarGurus," Samantha recalls her saying. "They must have had a glitch on their website." Still, the dealership agreed to honor the lower price. Samantha also planned to trade in her previous car, but says that process also took longer than expected. "The appraisal process… took far too long in my opinion," she explains, noting they were left waiting without updates. When the offer did come in, it was lower than expected, but she agreed to move forward anyway. From there, the process became even more unusual. Instead of reviewing financing options, she says the dealership pushed her to insure the car first. "I don’t know the numbers on this car," she says. "I don’t know the warranty." She was still missing key payment information, but she decided to go ahead and insure the vehicle. Were There Any Other Red Flags At The Dealership? After six long hours and a confusing process, Samantha says she was finally handed the keys—without having even paid yet. "I still have four grand in my purse… she never took my down payment," she says. According to her, she had to remind the dealership to collect the payment. "[My dad] had to go remind her that I hadn’t even paid," she says. "She was literally about to let me drive off into the sunset." While the purchase was eventually completed, she says the experience left her questioning the entire process. "Is that normal?" she now wonders. What Do Viewers Think About The Buying Process? In the comments section, viewers said the experience raises multiple red flags. "I feel you, car buying is a horrible experience," one person wrote. "None of this was done right but hoping you’re enjoying the Jag!" "No, you don't put insurance on the vehicle until you sign for it," wrote another. "OTD pricing should be discussed, this sounds super shady. It also should not have taken 6hrs." "Yea a lot of red flags here. Being a Jag is one of them lolol but fr, some states do require insurance before you leave, so they must check to see if you have it but you don’t have to put it on till you actually purchase it," stated a third. "That dealer sounds like a mess and that salesman had no idea what they were doing." Do Dealerships Require Insurance Before Selling A Car? In most cases, dealerships do require proof of insurance before selling a vehicle. As explained by Car and Driver, buyers typically need insurance before they can drive a vehicle off the lot. The best plan of action is to research insurance plans ahead of time and have a policy before arriving at the dealership. In many cases, your current insurance plan can be transferred to a new vehicle. However, it’s highly unusual for a dealership to insist on activating insurance before the buyer has made a final decision on the purchase and discussed the numbers. Motor1 has reached out to Samantha via Instagram direct message for additional information and comment. This article will be updated 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