No, that handwritten note you got from your car dealership asking about your 2017 Honda Civic really isn’t written by hand. Here’s the secret font they used to trick you.
Earlier today, scrolling through Facebook, I came across a handwritten note from a car salesman mailed to an owner of a 2015 Acura TLX. The note was short, and sweet, offering to buy back their car so he could fill his pre-owned inventory.
I really thought a salesperson wrote that note but upon closer inspection and five minutes of google searches, it looks like there’s a standard font these dealerships use.
Here’s that note I saw, I tweeted it out I thought it was so interesting.
Here’s where I found out about this handwriting font they use, look familiar?
This “handwritten” junk mail from a local car dealership has a printed ink smear to sell the illusion from r/mildlyinteresting
There are several similarities between the notes including those letter T’s, some of the numbers, and those exclamation points.
There are other inconsistencies between real handwritten notes and machine printed ones like consistent pen pressure, even spacing, as mentioned identical letters etc.
My favorite part is that smudge, easily done by hand before the ink dries, or maybe it’s already automated.
There’s a great article on Medium where they delve into robot vs. human writing in depth.
But in that Reddit thread, one commenter clued us in on the handwriting font they use.
It’s called Biro Script, it’s free, and you’ll probably come across this handwriting font again.
Here’s a screenshot of what Biro Script looks like and where you can download it for yourself. (Biro is what Brit’s call ball-point pens.)
Artistically produced and marketed by IngoFonts, Biro Script is,
…an authentic script from the tip of the ball point pen. This hasn’t been seen yet: A typeface which truly looks as if it were handwritten.
This font’s been on the market since 2007.
So, I hate to break it to you. A car salesman didn’t slice five minutes out of his day, grab his coffee, sit by the car lounge waiting room area, and write you that note. That buy-back note was printed out by the thousands by someone in the office and mailed to you.
The maths
And just to indulge you, since I already did the maths, the only reason car dealerships want to buy back your car is to make money off of you.
Profit.
Take that 2017 Honda Civic. You buy it for $19,575 and with 4.5 percent APR, finance it for $22,372.
It’s 2019 and you get this handwritten note. By this time you’ve paid off $9,005.
Let’s say they offer you $8,000 for your 2017 Honda Civic, not to mention offering you a 2019 Honda Civic at a lower monthly payment. If you don’t finance a new car, you’d sell your car back to the dealership along with a check for $5,366.97, the amount you still owe to the bank to release your loan.
You don’t owe the car anymore but at least you don’t have to make payments.
Here’s a 2017 Honda Civic I found for sale, certified Pre-owned for $17,998.
The car dealership is out $8,000 but they have a potential $9,998 (minus the tech hours it cost to recertify and detail) to make if someone buys your used car, now certified pre-owned.
That’s why private sales are always more in your favor. You can sell your 2017 Honda Civic for a KBB price of around $15,000, pay off your remaining loan, and have a bit of cash left over to play around with.
It’s all about the money, the “handwritten note, ” the offer to buy it back.
