Am I Right (writing a bad review)

[lightbulbsun]

I'm wondering if I'm overreacting to this situation and want objective feedback. H is buying a car, and found a used one that he liked, it was reasonably priced, and had a deal for 5.49% APR financing. He called to check that they still had it in stock, and made an appointment to see it that day. It was about 1h15m from our house, we got there at our appointment time and then had to wait 20 minutes for a sales person, which is annoying but not that big of a deal.

We go through basics and the sales guy (call him Joe) went to get the car. 20 minutes later Joe comes back with a supervisor and they can't find the car. We left because we came for that specific car, and they didn't have any others in stock. We were driving away when Joe calls and says one of their managers had been driving it and it was at his house, and asked if we could come back. We did. They got another sales-person to drive us to the guy's house, and she was pissed about it and told us that we should be happy that they're doing this because she could have been helping another customer. 

We get to his house, and at this point our appointment was at 4pm, and it's 5:20pm and we are finally seeing the car for the first time. It was so gross inside. I know that they detail the cars before they sell them, but there were crumbs everywhere, spilt coffee in the cup-holder, dog hair all over the backseat, and literal garbage in the trunk. We drove it back to the dealership and H still wants it, so we go in to buy it. 

This is when I'm not sure if we're wrong, uninformed, or have a legitimate complaint. H mentions the 5.49% APR deal, and Joe told us that we couldn't use that deal and also get the sale price on the car. On their website, the base price on the car was $50k, but had a "dealership coupon" which made the price $43k. There was no explanation on the website about where that deal came from, so we took it at face value and assumed it was through the dealership. Apparently the deal was through the bank they work with, and they said if we took the $7k deal then our interest rate would be 9.8%, or we could pay the full $50K and get the 5.49% rate. I asked if we had been paying cash if we would have gotten the advertised price of $43k, and we wouldn't have, because it's only valid with financing, which isn't mentioned anywhere on the website. Then Joe tried to tell us that we should have confirmed that both deals were valid before making the appointment. We left.

I did the amortization table when I got home and if we would have taken the 9.8% APR we would have ended up paying around $2000 more in interest over the 60 month loan because of the lower principal, which I guess wouldn't have been the end of the world. 

I don't know if that sort of advertising is common knowledge or not, but it seemed really shady. H wants to make a report of false advertising to the Division of Consumer Affairs. I want to write a review. I hate car shopping. Are we naive? Would it be clear to other people where the deal is coming from?

[meanie]

Unfortunately that sounds par for the course when buying a car. Most of the time the advertised "deal" is nearly impossible to get but technically possible so they skirt around false advertising laws.

The manager having the car for personal use is normal too, but taking you to their house to see it is super weird.

I will say that buying preowned or off lease has worked well for us (not a used trade in) because the dealership can use a lot of different coupons, dealer kickbacks, etc to get the price where you need it to be.

[icedcoffee]

I think it's common that it's either the reduced APR or a lower price. I know when we got 0% APR we paid a bit more for the car.

I think paying $50k for a car with garbage in it is the crazy part of this story. LOL

[mpm]

May 22, 2023 9:01:13 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I think paying $50k for a car with garbage in it is the crazy part of this story. LOL

No kidding. I can’t get past this part. Trash, coffee spills, and crumbs for 50k? Wtf

[icedcoffee]

May 22, 2023 9:03:11 GMT -5 mpm said:

May 22, 2023 9:01:13 GMT -5 icedcoffee said:

I think paying $50k for a car with garbage in it is the crazy part of this story. LOL

No kidding. I can’t get past this part. Trash, coffee spills, and crumbs for 50k? Wtf

For that price I want it rolling off the flat bed with 3 miles on it.  Haha

[just]

I think your experience was shit, so it's ok to review it as such. But the interest vs discount thing is common place so I don't think that's reason enough.

I had an argument with a toyota sales guy who was trying to convince me to take the promotional interest rate instead of the discount once, and I had to literally draw him a diagram to prove it was more financially beneficial for us to take the discount to make him shut up.

[lightbulbsun]

May 22, 2023 9:00:01 GMT -5 meanie said:

Unfortunately that sounds par for the course when buying a car. Most of the time the advertised "deal" is nearly impossible to get but technically possible so they skirt around false advertising laws.

The manager having the car for personal use is normal too, but taking you to their house to see it is super weird.

I will say that buying preowned or off lease has worked well for us (not a used trade in) because the dealership can use a lot of different coupons, dealer kickbacks, etc to get the price where you need it to be.

I should have specified that it the car is certified pre-owned. 

And I know that managers use cars for personal use, but nobody at the dealership knew he had it! 

[emilyinchile]

I have no idea what they can and can't get away with specifying on the website and in the fine print, but I for sure think you should write a review about how crappy the overall experience was and include that on top of the huge delay, poor service and gross car you felt cheated on the price and then again treated poorly by a salesman making it sound like your fault for daring to come see a car without being 100% sure of the price when part of buying a car is negotiating. I'm so angry for you, fuck Joe and his colleague and his manager!

[dexteroni]

That sounds slimy as hell and also unfortunately standard practice. Was this a manufacturer that sells both new and used cars, or a used car dealership that has a variety of brands? The latter is always going to more slimy in my experience and I would avoid dealerships like that entirely. We bought a used Subaru last year at our local Subaru dealer and didn’t experience anything even remotely close to what you described. $50k car full of garbage = we are going home. Even for $43k, let alone $50k. What car brand are we talking about here?

Is 5.49% really a great deal for used cars now? Wow. And 9.8, that’s insane. I would recommend getting approved on your own for a loan at the best rate you can find, and then shopping around.

ETA: Yes, definitely write a review of your gross and shady experience. I don’t know that I would bother with pursuing legal action, but if it’s just a matter of filing a complaint one time, and it makes your DH feel better, then hey, go for it.

[twilightmv]

I also hate car shopping. I don't think complaining would accomplish much, but if you have the time and desire, you can go ahead and complain. Like others have said, I doubt what they did was illegal but if you feel strongly about it to raise it to a legal entity, you can. I'd probably just vent to people I know and find somewhere else to shop.

[lightbulbsun]

Ok, I guess we are naive about car-buying. H hasn't bought a car since 2009 and when I bought my car in 2017 my interest rate was 1.9% and the car sale was pretty straightforward.

I'm gagging at the price, too. My car was $22k, but H is set on that particular make and model, so here we are.

[sassystace]

It is a seller's market in cars right now. If you want a specific car, this seems normal. And car dealers are known as the sleazy salesmen for a reason. They will clean it before you take it home (or at least you can tell them they need to).

[dexteroni]

May 22, 2023 9:14:57 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

H is set on that particular make and model

Which is…?

Come on, you can’t leave us in the dark now. lol.

[purplepenguin7]

We had an eerily similar experience with buying a used car (without the dirty gross car). We ended up having to come back another day because the sales manager had the car. I am shocked they drove you over the person's house.

In our experience the dealership was pretty aplogetic and negotiated the car down pretty significantly and gave us the promo finance rate. I don't know that I'd file a false advertising report as you probably won't get anywhere with that but I think a negative review is fair.

Also, you did buy this car?  Did you already sign the paperwork?  There is no way in hell I would have bought from them after that but I guess it's too late for that.

[TR]

I'll echo others that it's very common to have money off OR a better APR as the deal. It is super fucking weird that they took you to the manager's house to see the car all dirty and gross.

[pixy0stix]

I've had them have us wait as they retrieved a car and then do a quick clean. The driving to the manager's house is weird. Other than that, it seems like the shenanigans of car dealerships, unfortunately.

[lightbulbsun]

May 22, 2023 9:19:02 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

May 22, 2023 9:14:57 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

H is set on that particular make and model

Which is…?

Come on, you can’t leave us in the dark now. lol.

Toyota Rav4 Prime XSE

[rubytue]

I think that price stuff is a common tactic. I walked out of a dealer when the price they gave me was $8k more than their website, and they pulled some shit about how that price includes every discount available, including military and first responders and teachers and some shit. And then the sale guy sent me this long ass text while I was sitting at another dealer with Costco no haggle pricing. I blocked the number.

[momin2013]

I think the interest rate part sounds a bit shady, but IME car dealerships are often shady, particularly when used cars are involved. It’s possible that when they saw how much you went out of your way to see it they thought they’d be able to get away with a bit of a bait and switch. In this case, I’m wondering if by changing up the interest rate story, they were hoping you’d pay the non-discounted price, so they would have made more off you upfront.

I think the staff member driving the car is the type of thing that happens, but it kind of sucks. I think it’s weird that they had it listed for sale (particularly when they had an appt scheduled for you to come see it), and didn’t make sure it was available and cleaned for you to see.

I think the lady that drove you to see it was completely unprofessional.

[shopgirl07]

God, why does buying a car suck so, so much? Sorry for your crappy experience.

[flygirl]

Unfortunately from my experience it’s pretty common. We had a similar situation- went to buy a car and they advertised $5K in manufacturer bonuses (this was 5 yrs ago) and 1.9% financing. When we were ready to sign they said we couldn’t get both. Personally I think it’s a pretty crappy bait and switch because a lot of people will already have the car in their mind and won’t back out. The sale people should tell you that from the get go.

[mel]

May 22, 2023 9:11:05 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

That sounds slimy as hell and also unfortunately standard practice. Was this a manufacturer that sells both new and used cars, or a used car dealership that has a variety of brands? The latter is always going to more slimy in my experience and I would avoid dealerships like that entirely. We bought a used Subaru last year at our local Subaru dealer and didn’t experience anything even remotely close to what you described. $50k car full of garbage = we are going home. Even for $43k, let alone $50k. What car brand are we talking about here?

Is 5.49% really a great deal for used cars now? Wow. And 9.8, that’s insane. I would recommend getting approved on your own for a loan at the best rate you can find, and then shopping around.

ETA: Yes, definitely write a review of your gross and shady experience. I don’t know that I would bother with pursuing legal action, but if it’s just a matter of filing a complaint one time, and it makes your DH feel better, then hey, go for it.

Interest rates are INSANE right now. DH has perfect credit and got approved for an 8.25% rate on a used car ($23k loan). It was the cheapest he could get. Definitely not a good time to get a used car.

[Pilsy]

I tend to leave reviews only for very positive experiences, as I get twisted up in mixed feelings over so-so reviews, but even I think this is worthy of a negative review.

PPs are probably right that it's useless to go after them over the advertising bit, but there's plenty else to complain about here.


Off-topic, but the one time I left a negative review, some troll messaged me repeatedly on Yelp to give me a hard time about it. (S)he went on and on about how I'm so hard to please, and it's evident through my reviews, which was funny since every other review I'd ever left was positive (five stars!). If anything, someone should have accused me of being too generous. I have thin skin, so I think that was the last time I used Yelp. lol

ETA: Not that anyone cares, but I went back to check, and the "bad" review I wrote was still a three-star review!   I said the restaurant was great, but the service was bad. So maybe it was the server, not the owner, who messaged me. 

[cjcouple]

I'd write a review. It doesn't even necessarily need to be a bad review but perhaps neutral. But I'd lay it out so others know what they're getting into. Think about it like other people may not know to ask either for an advertised price.

When I look at reviews, I always consider if the review is a reasonable complaint or just an irrational person that was angry. You can usually tell. 

[Jalapeñomel]

I would not pay $50k for a used car, so I got stuck at that. LOL

[heygrey]

I've had the bait and switch tactic where they confirm the car I want is in stock and then when I arrived they had just sold the last one. But oh! There is this slightly fancier model available if you'd like to test drive it. I did buy the fancier model, and I negotiated a screaming good deal after all the shenanigans they pulled.

I don't know if this advice is still applicable, but we used to have car buying threads on here and posters said to ask for the "Out the Door Price" in email before arriving at the dealership. Know what it will cost after taxes and fees. That gives you a starting point when you show up and they want to introduce all of these stupid financing deals.

I did that with the car mentioned above and the salesman casually said "we can get you in this one for about $3k more". Of course he then tried to say taxes and fees would be applied after the $3k. I pulled up the email with my out the door price on the other car and told him, I wouldn't pay a dime over Price+$3k. Figure out how to make it work or lose a customer. I don't know what kind of deal they worked on the back end, but they got it done. Without that initial price in my email, I wouldn't have had any leg to stand on. I know the car buying world is wild right now so this may not be a viable tactic, but if you're still car shopping I'd give it a try.

[mcppalmbeach]

I am sorry you had a crap experience. There is literally nothing worse than buying a car. I am triggered just reading your story! I agree that it is pretty common that you either get a lower price on the car OR you get better financing.

I am, however, freaking out over those rates! Holy crap!

[dexteroni]

May 22, 2023 9:48:28 GMT -5 mel said:

Interest rates are INSANE right now. DH has perfect credit and got approved for an 8.25% rate on a used car ($23k loan). It was the cheapest he could get. Definitely not a good time to get a used car.

Damn. We bought used a little less than one year ago and rates were so much lower.

[emilyinchile]

May 22, 2023 10:01:57 GMT -5 cjcouple said:

I'd write a review. It doesn't even necessarily need to be a bad review but perhaps neutral. But I'd lay it out so others know what they're getting into. Think about it like other people may not know to ask either for an advertised price.

When I look at reviews, I always consider if the review is a reasonable complaint or just an irrational person that was angry. You can usually tell. 

I feel like by definition "we were made to wait 80 minutes past our scheduled appointment time, treated poorly by two salespeople, taken to a stranger's house by someone we didn't know and then shown a filthy car" cannot be a neutral review.

[dexteroni]

May 22, 2023 9:31:01 GMT -5 lightbulbsun said:

May 22, 2023 9:19:02 GMT -5 dexteroni said:

Which is…?

Come on, you can’t leave us in the dark now. lol.

Toyota Rav4 Prime XSE

I’m seeing prices around $52k for brand new models. Am I missing something? Also wow at >$50k for a Toyota. I’m definitely out of touch with the auto industry!