"Slang is just sport-model language stripped down to get more speed with less horsepower." - Buffalo Evening News
On a recent visit to a local used-car dealer, it felt like entering a foreign land. The sights looked familiar except for a new model or two, but the aroma of new-car-leather-scent air freshener and bits of conversational Razzmatazz made me take another look around. Talk of a $500 sandwich, cream puffs, juice and a roach opened my eyes and ears. But the talk wasn't about lunch, dessert and insects. In this land of "Deals On Wheels," a secret language was being spoken.
The language, once used solely by men in polyester leisure suits and white patent leather shoes, is used today by men and women who are often casually dressed in Dockers and polo shirts working at car dealerships across the country. What sounded like someone's lunch order in an overpriced diner were actually industry terms describing potential customers, vehicles and financing.
After extensively researching this mysterious language in car dealerships from Boston to San Francisco, here is a Razzmatazz-to-English translation dictionary to make car shopping an easier and more enjoyable experience. Imagine a salesperson's surprise at hearing a "novice" speaking their language!
Ad car: A very basic car without any options (used to sucker customers into the dealership).
Be-backs: The customer who didn't buy during the visit.
Bird dog: Referral fee.
Birth Control Seats: Bucket seats.
BK: The customer has a bankruptcy in their credit history.
Blow them out: No deal! Don't waste any more time with that customer.
Bomb: An old car with no value.
Clip joint: A car dealer who has a reputation for overcharging.
Crapped out: Loss of motivation for the buyer and/or seller.
Cream puff: A second-hand car in very good condition.
Crop duster: A car with a smoking problem.
Dead-beat: A customer who has a history of not paying debts.
Dime: $100
Fat city: Made a lot of money selling cars that day.
Fish: A customer willing to pay full price -- "I reeled in a fat fish!"
Gasser: A talkative or boastful customer who does not actually have the funds to buy the vehicle.
Gouge: Sell the car for much more than it's worth.
Grease: The amount of discount needed to close the deal. May include incentives or 'push.'
Grease monkey: A mechanic.
Grind: Negotiations on the price of the car that end up taking a long time to complete.
Gross: Amount of money that the car dealer actually profited.
Hammer: Pressure the customer to buy the vehicle.
Hang (Got them hung): Customer ready to buy and paperwork beginning.
Hosed them: Made a lot of money on the deal.
Idiot light: A warning light on the instrument panel.
Juice: Money
Junker: An old car ready for the junkyard.
Key and a Heater: A very basic car without any options.
Kick-back: An often secret amount of money that is refunded to the car dealer after the sale is made. This may come from the car maker, finance company or insurance companies from the sale of extended warranties.
Licking: When someone loses money on a deal.
Loaded: A car with all the options or a very wealthy customer.
Long green: Paper money.
Low-ball: A last minute attempt to make the sale by lowering the price of a car as the customer heads for the door and eventually to competing dealerships.
Maypops: Bald tires.
Nickel:
$500(The) Numbers: The price of the vehicle.
Nut: The price at which the dealer breaks even or makes minimum profit.
On the hood: Rebates, incentives or low-priced financing offered by the manufacturer or finance group. "This car comes with a 3% push on the hood."
One-legged-up: A customer without a spouse.
Pack: Money built into the price of the car for dealer profit.
Pad: The amount the salesman makes on a sale.
Peel off the ceiling: Used to describe the reaction of a customer to the price of a car.
Player: A customer with a good credit history.
Pooched it: Messed up the deal.
Pound: $1000
Push: Cash, rebate or finance rate incentive.
Razzmatazz: Double talk
Rear-end money: Money kicked-back to the dealer from lending institutions after the sale and financing deal is completed.
Repo: To have a car repossessed for non-payment on loan.
Roach: A customer with a poor credit rating.
Roll them: Instructions to the salesman to close the deal and make the sale.
Rubbernecked: Someone looking with no intention to buy.
Shark: A ruthless and greedy salesman.
Slam: Make a great deal of money on a particular sale.
Slam-dunk: Car sold and huge profit made.
Sled: A worn-out and worthless car; one that is low on power.
Slicker: A customer who believes everything claimed, and who is willing to pay full sticker price.
Snow job: An attempt to deceive, overwhelm or persuade with flattery and insincere talk.
Song and dance: An elaborate effort to explain or justify the high price of a vehicle.
Special financing: High interest loans for customers with poor credit.
Spiff: An extra bonus the salesman receives if he makes the sale.
Sticker shock: Customer's first reaction to the posted price of the vehicle.
Stroker: A customer who sounds as though he is ready to buy, but actually has no intention of doing so.
Sweep them: If you can't make the deal, send the customers away. Don't waste any more time with them.
TD: The customer's loan application was turned down.
Teaser: See Ad car and Leader.
Tin Lizzie: A dilapidated old car.
Twist them: Put pressure on the customer to buy.
Up: A new customer just came in.
Up-side down: When the car's true value is less than the amount owed on the vehicle.
$500 sandwich: Went to lunch and missed a sale.So the next time you are out shopping for the perfect cream puff, be prepared for the sharks, bring your juice -- but be careful not to get hosed!
