Posts
1363
Joined
8/3/2014
Location
Annapolis, MD, USA
Bought a car for the wife last week, and negotiated a price in the mid- $15s.
Of course, when I went to sign the paperwork it was $185 more. On principle, I requested they change the price back to what we had agreed to. The finance lady acted as if that was a hassle and I was being unreasonable, but changed the paperwork. They kept adding and subtracting this service plan that was free and sometimes not. (They said they could take out the service plan to get my price, but when I signed paperwork they said it was free and I got it anyhow).
So I leave with the paperwork reflecting the price I negotiated.
But when I check my credit report to see what amount was financed- the $185 had magically re-appeared again.
So today I emailed the owner of the dealership and asked why the $185 was added back in. I am being kind of picky but I don't think they should just be able to take $185. They probably think I am being a jerk, but why should they just be able to take my money? Would most of you just let it go?
Of course, when I went to sign the paperwork it was $185 more. On principle, I requested they change the price back to what we had agreed to. The finance lady acted as if that was a hassle and I was being unreasonable, but changed the paperwork. They kept adding and subtracting this service plan that was free and sometimes not. (They said they could take out the service plan to get my price, but when I signed paperwork they said it was free and I got it anyhow).
So I leave with the paperwork reflecting the price I negotiated.
But when I check my credit report to see what amount was financed- the $185 had magically re-appeared again.
So today I emailed the owner of the dealership and asked why the $185 was added back in. I am being kind of picky but I don't think they should just be able to take $185. They probably think I am being a jerk, but why should they just be able to take my money? Would most of you just let it go?
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
Consider yourself doing it for the people!
I'm currently in the market for a new truck. The dealership I went to i talked to a kid I've know for roughly 15 years. We've always been friends, not to the level of hanging out on a consistent basis but friends none the less. He tried fucking me over on the price and he throws the old "we're good friends and I'm giving you the best possible price I can." Bull shit. My old man is very good friends with the sales manager, he gave us a price $4,000 cheaper than the friend. These dealerships have a lot more leaniancy when it comes to price than most people realize.
In the mid-90s I was making awesome money selling bikes, jet-skis and jet boats. You could pull $800 commission on one boat. That was during the .com boom when people had money for toys. But a manager came in from the car business and cut our commissions in half. He said "don't like it? Quit." I did.
My ex-wife sold cars, new and used. In reality the dealer doesn't make a whole lot on new cars. Very little and the longer the car sits on the lot the more it costs the dealer. Used cars on the other hand are a huge mark up.
I don't think I writing anything most don't already know.
71Fish- since I used to be in sales I am not afraid to stick to my price. I also think a dealership should be allowed a reasonable profit.
This car was used and I am sure they turned a penny or two. Don't be afraid to negotiate- it is just business and no professional salesman should get offended.
did you check to see if he was an 8 story crustacean from the protozoic era?
Pit Row
Yea you should go back and be an extra dick about it. As other have said based on principle. I'm with ya on that comeback!
On the two scenarios you laid out- my paperwork says $15,499- the out-the-door price I agreed to. So there was nothing I could have missed on the paper. My paper had my price.
I am fairly sure she just changed the number on the contract once I left the building. (She gets paid on the financed amount I believe)
It's hard to believe she would not have noticed the financed amount was back to the old price.
It would not have been a processing fee because $185 was specifically the amount they had added to the price.
Anyhoo, they fixed it. I emailed the owner just to let him know his employee might be committing fraud!
It's pretty sketchy to send a customer out the door with paperwork that has one price, then file a different contract with the lender.
I dealt with some stupid prick on a $144,000 truck, to have it show up with $5,000 of shit missing, that I wanted. Wrong stuff installed on the truck, etc:. Then the guy says, "Trucks are ordered wrong all the time, it's just the way it is."' Hate dealerships with a passion, it seems like they're out to fuck you, without providing decent service.
So I started pressuring him into telling me which dealership had the truck we wanted. He paused and tried to talk about something else. My wife was pissed off about the time we had spent there by this time and demanded to know which dealership they were going to trade with... the guy says, "Hamer Toyota,".... AND I LOSE IT.
I start telling him that the 7568 in Super White that they have is already sold to another customer. He doesn't say anything and he gets up and walks back up to his high tower desk and makes a phone call. 10 minutes later he comes back and says that 7568 is already gone from Hamer and that he is very sorry. He says they will order me one for 3000 over msrp, "a good deal for that truck". I counter with 3000 under msrp, you will PDI it and we'll drive off, no work no your part. He says no and we get up to leave. He gave us 10 dollars to pay for parking because their lot was so full of unsold cars that we had to park in the pay structure next door.
We found a dealership up the coast who would order for us for 1500 less than msrp but it would have been a 5 month wait, hopefully, 5 months... We randomly found a 7568 come into allocation at a dealership in Cathedral City by emailing a bunch of friendly internet departments every few days. My wife called this place randomly one day after 3 months and they got it in their allocation that day. We drove there, put 500 down for it, then picked it up the day it came off the truck with 6 miles 24 days later. December 10th, 2015 was a good day. Paid 500 less than msrp, which was a good deal back then for this rare truck
tl;dr Culver City Toyota is filled with dbags
P.S. I always HATED buying cars in the States back in the mid 80's when I lived there. Everything just seemed like running through wet tar all the time never getting a straight answer from the slimy/shark-like salesmen. It's not perfect here but it is sooo much less stressfull to get a good deal. People will be straight with you if you know what you want. Maybe because new cars are rarely sold from dealer stock but are normally ordered in from the manufacturer.
I don't screw around like most do and simply contact the correct authority to take care of the problem when people make these "honest" mistakes. I work 10 hour days, and I'm not going to screw around with someone who can't get a price correct.
I am trying to imagine a scenario at the dealer where I worked in which a customer walked out the door with one number on a contract, and another contract goes to the lender. It would never happen. The loan went through because my credit score dropped.
I am pretty sure this lady tried to pull a fast one because I argued over $185.
It generally goes along with my experiences doing business in Maryland since I moved here three years ago (very bad).
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