Some people judge a book by its cover, but car salesmen tend to judge a buyer by their clothes.

One sketchy car dealer thought he could rip off an old man dressed in tattered clothes, but he didn’t realize he was about to negotiate himself out of a job.

You’ll want to read on for this one!

Turns out he had the money

My grandmother recently told me the story about how my grandfather got his blue pickup truck from an arrogant salesman.

My grandfather (Chuck) always dressed like he was low on money—ripped-up shirts and jackets—because “it’s cheaper than buying new stuff.”

But looks were quite deceiving.

But Chuck actually had quite a bit of money from some stocks he had invested in.

Chuck’s car recently broke down, and he needed a new one.

My grandmother had always liked a blue pickup from the local dealer, so he decided to buy it.

Chuck went in with a game plan that he was determined to stick with.

Chuck loved to haggle for a good deal, and this time was no different.

The car was $18,000, and the salesman (Jack) didn’t even think Chuck had made that much in his life based on his appearance.

So the two made a deal.

During their negotiation, Chuck said:

Chuck: “I’ll give you $9,000 today.”

Jack: “If you can get me $9,000 by sundown, the car’s yours.”

And with that, they shook on it.

Little did Jack know, Chuck was able to get that money quite easily.

Chuck went off to the bank, wrote up a check for $9,000, and an hour later, he walked up to the dealer with a grin on his face.

He set down the check and asked, “Where’s the keys?”

That’s when Jack started to backtrack.

Jack tried to argue that there was no contract, but when Chuck called Jack’s boss (Bob), the conversation went as follows:

Bob: “Jack, did you agree to the terms?”

Jack: “I didn’t think he’d actually get it!”

Bob: “Did you agree or not?”

Jack: “I did.”

Then Jack’s boss started to turn on him too.

Bob: “Then give him the car. Then pack your things—you’re fired.”

Chuck drove off with his truck, and the dealer is still there to this day.

I’m gonna get my first car from there soon, although I don’t think I’ll get the same deal, sadly.

Grandpa got a half-priced car and the shady salesman got a one-way ticket to the unemployment line!

What did Reddit think?

Regardless of what someone is dressed like outside, you never quite know what’s going on inside!

Underestimate the buyer, lose the sale!

This commenter brought a similar story.

Being bold pays off in the car-buying business.

Never judge a person by the way they dress!

If you liked that post, check out this story about a customer who insists that their credit card works, and finds out that isn’t the case.