The price of a car, unlike many retail sales, is often negotiable.
The salesman is traditionally paid a commission rather than a fixed salary, usually based on a combination of profit margin and unit volume.
[citation needed] Such salesmen are often well aware of their occupation's negative public image.
As Valerie Biden Owens explained, Joe Biden Sr. left automobile sales for real estate when his son Joe Biden Jr. was elected to the United States Senate in 1972, because "he didn't want a United States senator to have a used-car salesman for a dad.
"[2] It is a common theme for the "used car salesman" to be cast as a shyster in popular culture.