It's a trend with certain dealerships. In my experience, the low-end car companies tend to do this more often. As a hobby, I help friends buy/negotiate cars, so

It's a trend with certain dealerships. In my experience, the low-end car companies tend to do this more often. As a hobby, I help friends buy/negotiate cars, so I've had experience with several dealerships. Here's my list from memory: Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge: Horrendous. I have never found a dealership I like in this chain. Nissan: Hit or miss. One dealership was fantastic (San Diego) and one I went to was the awful "hard sell" place. Mazda: Every one I've been to has been good save for one (unfortunately, that one is the closest to where I now live in Austin, TX.) If you live in Austin and want a Mazda, go to the dealership on the south side. They will literally throw you the keys and let you test-drive any of their cars. Acura: Good overall, though have not been impressed with the salespeople themselves. BMW/Mini, Lexus, Mercedes/Smart, Porsche: Have always had good experiences with these dealerships. One caveat: My fiance has a BMW and we bought it certified used, and it didn't come with a manual. A year later, despite multiple requests, we still don't have a manual. The sales experience was good, however. Of all of the above, Lexus has been the most consistently awesome. I've been to 4 different dealerships and all were extremely pleasant. Of note: Two dealerships have offered me jobs as a car saleswoman after I negotiated with them for friends.