It's the little things. Too often when it comes to auto financing people get so dazzled by the car or sports utility vehicle of their dreams that they skim over a lot of the more ho-hum details of the deal. Here's a look at some of the little tricks that banks and auto dealers use to pad their profits when customers aren't looking. Most of them are the usual suspects, but the auto industry rolled out a few new tricks this year, too. Nowhere is a customer's ignorance more costly than in the world of leasing.
People have to understand what all the numbers mean.
And they have to know how to calculate their own payment. Understand what's going on. Verify everything they give you. Unfortunately, too many people leave themselves wide open for a sucker punch. They cost more than the customer would have liked.