<snip>
>
> Anyway, when I found out who he was, I asked him why I couldn't buy a car
> from a local dealer. He informed me that my offer was fair, that HE would
> have accepted it at his home dealership in California, but that some
> dealers
> (apparently all in the New England area) would not sell a car for such a
> small profit. So he CONFIRMED that car dealers are (on the whole) crooks
> who will not sell a car unless they can RIP YOU OFF. A car won't be sold
> at
> a "profit", it will only be sold if the dealership makes a killing.
>

Why are they ripping you off if they refuse "to make such a small profit"?
The owner of any business is entitled to sell his merchandise for whatever
price he wants to. If his price is higher than his competitors, he'll sell
less merchandise but that doesn't make him a 'ripoff artist'. A person
invests millions of dollars in a business, has a tremendous overhead and
decides for himself what the minimum profit is acceptable to him. You, as
the customer decide who gives you the better deal and value and purchase
from them.