Experienced Buyer who purchased a 4 yr old vehicle:
Found it while doing an online search, and drove about 2 hrs to look at it. As soon as we arrived my wife said, “Ever feel like a piece of meat?” There were 4-5 salespeople milling around outside the building’s entrance. These sharks/vultures created a poor first impression.
Doc fee is $500…very high;
Offer NO GENERAL WARRANTY ON USED VEHICLES they sell. Many dealerships do, especially when they have a multi-point inspection process, and this dealer claims to provide a “125-point inspection” and to be a “Five Star Certified” dealership. But they sure push the extended warranty ($thousands) and gap coverage on the loan ($hundreds);
They complete the above inspection and fluid change on all used vehicles before they are put on the lot for sale, per the salesman, even if the vehicle is not judged to be a “Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle,” afterwards. But the “Change Oil” message came on in my vehicle the day after I bought it. Considering the salesman told me it had been on the lot a very short time, that means the best case scenario is their techs don’t know how to reset the computer on a vehicle they have serviced; worst case scenario is they did no inspection, at all, or that they did not change any fluids;
After test driving, I returned home to think about whether or not I wanted to purchase. Once I decided, I made a $500 deposit via phone using my credit card to hold it til I could return. I made it clear that I wanted this refunded when I arrived, as I wished to finance the entire amount. I asked twice as we began our paperwork with the salesman (Kreg) and he promised he would take care of it while we finalized our paperwork with his manager. HE DID NOT, so we were forced to wait an add’l 30 minutes after buying for him to finish with another customer. When he finally took me to the cashier, she acted as if it was ruining her day to re-scan my card and punch a couple of buttons. Unfriendly and unprofessional would be understatements!
I was provided an “out the door” price via email from a Finance Mgr, incl taxes and fees, tags, title, etc., along with a quote of the monthly amount. When finalizing paperwork on the day I returned to buy, this had increased, without explanation;
Angela is helpful and nice, but all she does is computer contacts and app’t setting. Blake, a sales/financing manager, was awesome to deal with via email. (I rcvd no calls from my salesperson, however. NONE in response to either emails or voicemails I left!)
Jeff, another Manager, was simply one of the most ‘holier-than-thou’ and fake people I have ever dealt with. Put on a great act for us early, but once we bought, he never spoke again or even acknowledged our presence on the 3 trips we made past his “tower of power.”
Positives: Great selection and the best used vehicle pricing in a wide area (I searched for 2 months in 4 states--- making several long-distance trips for test-drives--- and they were notably better on pricing than any other). Also offer great financing (again, I could not beat what they obtained for me through Truliant Credit Union), and are fairly low-pressure in their sales tactics;
Negatives: YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A NUMBER to them. Jeff told me they sell 200 used cars each month, alone, before he became mute. As soon as you buy, they all show they have no further interest in you.
Did I buy? Yes. Was I pleased enough with the overall process to return, or to recommend the dealership to others? Probably not. I DID NOT LEAVE WITH WARM-FUZZIES after spending over $19k… and I deserved that!
Update 3/10/12: Rcvd notice from lien-holder that they had not rcvd title from dealership >2 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE!! This from the primary financial institution that the dealership uses/promotes??!!
RUN AWAY, folks!!!!!!!!!
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