Every Dollar Counts: The Story Behind Our “$27” Pricing
This post is part of our “Shop Smarter” series, helping consumers navigate today’s car market with confidence.
If you’ve browsed our inventory, online or on the lot, you’ve probably noticed something a little different about our pricing.
While most dealerships price their vehicles at numbers ending in $95 or $99, at Karl Chevrolet you’ll see prices like $34,927, $41,227, or $28,527.
It’s not a glitch. It’s not random. And it’s been our practice for years.
The Number That Means Something
Karl Chevrolet was founded in 1927 by Leo Karl Sr. and his brother Emil, right here in New Canaan, Connecticut. In their first year, they sold thirty-four new cars and thirty-eight used ones out of a small garage on what was then Railroad Avenue.
Nearly a century later, we’re still here. Same family, same town, same commitment to honest dealing. And ending every price in “27” is our way of connecting that legacy to every vehicle we sell today.
It’s a small detail. But to us, it says something important: this isn’t a faceless corporation trying to squeeze every last dollar. This is a family business with a history, a reputation, and a reason to do things the right way.
The Math Works in Your Favor
Here’s the thing: our “27” pricing isn’t just symbolic. It actually saves you money.
The industry standard of pricing at $95 or $99 is a well-known psychological pricing tactic. The idea is that $39,999 feels significantly cheaper than $40,000, even though the difference is a single dollar. It’s been used in retail for decades, and it works, which is why almost every dealer does it.
At Karl Chevrolet, we end at $27 instead. On most vehicles, that means you’re paying roughly $68 to $72 less than you would with standard industry pricing. It may not sound like a fortune, but multiply it across every vehicle we sell, year after year, and it adds up to real money we’ve chosen to leave on your side of the table.
We could price at $99 like everyone else and pocket the difference. But we’d rather honor our founding year and save you a few dollars in the process.
A Philosophy, Not a Gimmick
We realize that $70 isn’t going to make or break most car purchases. But the “27” pricing is really about something bigger than the dollars.
It reflects how we think about every aspect of the transaction. At Karl Chevrolet:
We benchmark our prices against Kelley Blue Book and JD Power, not our own internal math. Because transparency starts with trusted data.
Our dealer conveyance fee is $489, one of the lowest in Connecticut. Because we don’t believe in hiding profit in a line item most consumers don’t know to question.
We include a Carfax vehicle history report with every pre-owned vehicle. Because an informed buyer is our best customer.
We never charged above MSRP during the pandemic. Because doing the right thing isn’t something you only do when it’s easy.
And we end every price in “27”. Because every dollar counts, and even the small things should reflect who you are.
These aren’t separate policies. They’re all expressions of the same philosophy that Leo Karl Sr. brought to this business when he opened the doors in 1927: treat people fairly, be honest about what things cost, and earn the relationship; don’t assume it.
Three Generations of Doing It Differently
In our brand story post, we shared the full history of how Karl Chevrolet came to be. From Leo Sr.’s refusal to play favorites during the postwar car shortage, to Leo Jr.’s decades of community service, to the decision Leo III made during the pandemic to honor MSRP pricing when many dealers were charging thousands above sticker.
The “27” in our pricing is a thread that connects all of those moments. It’s a quiet reminder, embedded in every transaction, that this business was built on something more durable than a quarterly profit target.
We’ve been told by other dealers that our pricing convention is unusual. We take that as a compliment.
What to Look for at Any Dealership
Our “27” pricing is unique to Karl Chevrolet. But the principle behind it applies anywhere you shop. When you’re evaluating a dealer, look for the signals, big and small, that tell you how they think about their customers:
Do they price transparently? Can you see exactly how the vehicle is priced relative to independent benchmarks? Or is the pricing opaque and hard to verify?
Do they keep fees reasonable? A dealer with a $489 conveyance fee is making a different choice than one charging $995. That choice tells you something.
Do they put conditions on their prices? If the advertised price assumes a down payment, a trade-in, or a rebate you may not qualify for, that’s not transparency, it’s theater.
Do the details add up? Sometimes it’s the small things, like the last two digits of a price, that reveal the most about a business.
The Bottom Line
Ending our prices in “27” won’t be the reason you choose Karl Chevrolet. But when you combine it with benchmark-based pricing, one of the lowest conveyance fees in Connecticut, a Carfax report with every pre-owned vehicle, and a nearly century-long track record of fair dealing, the picture becomes clear.
Every dollar counts. And every detail matters. That’s been true since 1927, and it’s still true today.
Next in the series: Your Out-the-Door Checklist: How to Really Compare Dealers — a practical, printable guide to the questions every car shopper should ask before signing.
Read the full series: Car Shopping… What’s the Real Price?