Uhmmm....maybe such a limit exists on purchases made in the former Soviet Union, but fortunately for us--not in the good old US of A!. I confirmed this with American Express and the dealer. Both are more than happy to accept large purchases on credit cards--providing you don't exceed your limit, without additional fees or penalties. I found several 0% APR credit cards online at creditcards.com. If you can qualify, AMEX blue or clear has some decent perks.

 

Then it could be a state thing. I had a merchant account. Any large charge, regardless of the owner's limit had to be manually cleared with the merchant bank and an approval code issued to be attached to the charge.

A surcharge did apply.

Our dealer also told us they could not place a charge over X (she may have said $2,000, but could have been $5,000) amount as well. We were told this before we ever handed them a card or filled out a credit app. I was also told the same thing at the Lexus dealer when I bought my Lexus in 2006.

Now AMEX could very well wave the surcharge as they get the highest percentage off the top of any credit card. I think a dealer givong up that much money off the top is rather silly for them to do, but that is their call.