This just in: ALL used car dealers are LIARS!!
09-04-07, 11:03 AM
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This just in: ALL used car dealers are LIARS!!
From personal experience, of course. I have never met an honest used car dealer. Over the past month, I have been helping a friend of mine search for a new vehicle. We went and saw atleast 3 vehicles from dealers that all turned out to be horrifying experienceS. I will explain to you my most recent experience which drove me to post this on the internet.
I found a 1993 Legend that was listed as... "93 Legend.. Black on Black leather 131k Miles. $1999 THIS IS YOUR LUCKY DAY!"
Sounds like an awesome deal, right?
I called the guy and asked the following questions...
Q: How does it run?
A:Runs perfect, no problems.
Q: Hmm...your a dealer, aren't you?
A: Yes, I am.
Q: How is the body of the vehicle?
A:Pretty good condition, looks good.
Q: Ok, is there anything wrong with the car?
A: Nothing wrong, it's a good car.
Q: Have you driven the car?
A: Yes, I have. It runs good.
Q: Is there anything...ANYTHING at ALL wrong with this vehicle that you can tell me about?? (said it exactly like that)
A: No, its a good car, come take a look before it's gone.
Q: OK, sounds good. Can I have the VIN number so I can run a carfax please?
A: Sure, let me find it and i'll call you back.
I waited over an hour and he never called back. Now I'm thinking that it's a great deal and that I don't want anyone else to go buy it before me so I gave up on running the carfax and drove 22 miles to go look at it.
I got there... I saw it.... I was terrified....simply terrified. I quickly became enraged when I saw that the vehicle was PARKED INTO A POLE! Yes...it was reverse parked into a pole. The whole weight of the car was on it so the back bumper was bent and the paint was cracked all around it.
-Passenger mirror was broken
-it was wrecked on passenger side
-front turn signal light was broken
-front bumper was loose and falling off
-leather on back seats had horrible cracking
-front seats were so badly cracked that they had ugly covers on them
-the entire dash had HUGE cracks alll over from sun damage
-windshield was cracked
-antenna was broken
-there was no tape player/cd player
-paint all over driver side quarter panel had the clear coat peeling off
I never even bothered to ask for the keys to the car to open it up or turn it on.
Last, but certainly not least...IT HAS 231,000 MILES ON IT!!! NOT 131K!!!!
Carfax report was pulled on it to show two accidents!
I went into the dealership and DEMANDED to speak with the person that is answering the phones. Three people there, all picking up phones. Who was the person who took the phone call about the Legend, I asked. He replied with "everyone has picked up phone calls on it."
Q: DO YOU REALIZE THAT IT HAS 231,000 MILES ON IT?!?!
A:Oh...we don't know anything about THAT car.
Q: NO ****!
I left before I said or did anything that I could have regretted later. The next day, I called about a different car. The convo went like this...
Q: What kind of condition is the body in? Any dings scratches or dents that you can tell me about?
A: Nope, great condition.
Q: Are you a dealer?
A: Yes
Q: Ok, thanks anyway.
I found a 1993 Legend that was listed as... "93 Legend.. Black on Black leather 131k Miles. $1999 THIS IS YOUR LUCKY DAY!"
Sounds like an awesome deal, right?
I called the guy and asked the following questions...
Q: How does it run?
A:Runs perfect, no problems.
Q: Hmm...your a dealer, aren't you?
A: Yes, I am.
Q: How is the body of the vehicle?
A:Pretty good condition, looks good.
Q: Ok, is there anything wrong with the car?
A: Nothing wrong, it's a good car.
Q: Have you driven the car?
A: Yes, I have. It runs good.
Q: Is there anything...ANYTHING at ALL wrong with this vehicle that you can tell me about?? (said it exactly like that)
A: No, its a good car, come take a look before it's gone.
Q: OK, sounds good. Can I have the VIN number so I can run a carfax please?
A: Sure, let me find it and i'll call you back.
I waited over an hour and he never called back. Now I'm thinking that it's a great deal and that I don't want anyone else to go buy it before me so I gave up on running the carfax and drove 22 miles to go look at it.
I got there... I saw it.... I was terrified....simply terrified. I quickly became enraged when I saw that the vehicle was PARKED INTO A POLE! Yes...it was reverse parked into a pole. The whole weight of the car was on it so the back bumper was bent and the paint was cracked all around it.
-Passenger mirror was broken
-it was wrecked on passenger side
-front turn signal light was broken
-front bumper was loose and falling off
-leather on back seats had horrible cracking
-front seats were so badly cracked that they had ugly covers on them
-the entire dash had HUGE cracks alll over from sun damage
-windshield was cracked
-antenna was broken
-there was no tape player/cd player
-paint all over driver side quarter panel had the clear coat peeling off
I never even bothered to ask for the keys to the car to open it up or turn it on.
Last, but certainly not least...IT HAS 231,000 MILES ON IT!!! NOT 131K!!!!
Carfax report was pulled on it to show two accidents!
I went into the dealership and DEMANDED to speak with the person that is answering the phones. Three people there, all picking up phones. Who was the person who took the phone call about the Legend, I asked. He replied with "everyone has picked up phone calls on it."
Q: DO YOU REALIZE THAT IT HAS 231,000 MILES ON IT?!?!
A:Oh...we don't know anything about THAT car.
Q: NO ****!
I left before I said or did anything that I could have regretted later. The next day, I called about a different car. The convo went like this...
Q: What kind of condition is the body in? Any dings scratches or dents that you can tell me about?
A: Nope, great condition.
Q: Are you a dealer?
A: Yes
Q: Ok, thanks anyway.
09-04-07, 11:47 AM
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09-04-07, 05:03 PM
#9
Lexus Fanatic
So.......THIS is news? 
Used car salesman are not saints by any means....for the most part, never have been. That is one of the main reasons why me, 1SICKLEX, bitkahuna, Robarapta, and others spend so much time on CAR CHAT advising people on car purchases.
Used cars are typically a sleazy buisness, especially at public auctions, but it is becoming less so now than in past years. CarFax reports, NHTSA recalls, Certified Used Car programs from auto manufacturers, ever-improving reliability records from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power, and fairly reputable used-shops like Car Max (some Car Max shops sell both new and used) have all taken some of the risk out of getting stuck with a lemon with little recourse.
But some risk still remains. I myself have seen Toyota Certified used cars on dealer lots, ready for sale, (Toyota basically invented the Certified program) that I did not think met the Certified criteria....they had loose or broken interior parts, cracked glass, noticeable dents and scratches, etc......
And some years ago I went out to look at a hard-to-get used Subaru SVX at a Car Max shop for a friend of mine (used SVX's aren't exactly a dime a dozen) that was sitting on their lot ready for sale...it had passed their "inspection" yet still had a serious trunk leak....the spare tire and its well were soaked. Needless to say, they immediately put it into the body shop for resealing and repairs. But, all in all, by used-car standards, Car Max is pretty good....in general, I have a higher opinion of them than many of the strictly hole-in-the-wall, Smiling Sam's Screw-You shops. And Car Max has clean, up-to-date repair and service facilities.
Used car salesman are not saints by any means....for the most part, never have been. That is one of the main reasons why me, 1SICKLEX, bitkahuna, Robarapta, and others spend so much time on CAR CHAT advising people on car purchases.
Used cars are typically a sleazy buisness, especially at public auctions, but it is becoming less so now than in past years. CarFax reports, NHTSA recalls, Certified Used Car programs from auto manufacturers, ever-improving reliability records from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power, and fairly reputable used-shops like Car Max (some Car Max shops sell both new and used) have all taken some of the risk out of getting stuck with a lemon with little recourse.
But some risk still remains. I myself have seen Toyota Certified used cars on dealer lots, ready for sale, (Toyota basically invented the Certified program) that I did not think met the Certified criteria....they had loose or broken interior parts, cracked glass, noticeable dents and scratches, etc......
And some years ago I went out to look at a hard-to-get used Subaru SVX at a Car Max shop for a friend of mine (used SVX's aren't exactly a dime a dozen) that was sitting on their lot ready for sale...it had passed their "inspection" yet still had a serious trunk leak....the spare tire and its well were soaked. Needless to say, they immediately put it into the body shop for resealing and repairs. But, all in all, by used-car standards, Car Max is pretty good....in general, I have a higher opinion of them than many of the strictly hole-in-the-wall, Smiling Sam's Screw-You shops. And Car Max has clean, up-to-date repair and service facilities.
09-04-07, 05:43 PM
#10
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That’s how the game is played. The car that the customer calls about may be a pile of junk but you tell them that it’s great. Once they get there you flip them to another car “for just a little bit more”. The $2K or $500 car is really not the car that the salesman and his manager are trying to sell. That’s a bait car. Most of those will not make it off the lot in one piece. Sorry but that’s how it works.
09-04-07, 05:59 PM
#11
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Not all are liars, I have met some good sales people, men and women.
The consumer needs to EDUCATE themselves and not walk in the dealer pants around their ankles begging for a stiffy.
We live in the INTERNET age where you can do research. I DON'T BUY MILK WITHOUT DOING SOME RESEARCH!!
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND!!!
lol
The consumer needs to EDUCATE themselves and not walk in the dealer pants around their ankles begging for a stiffy.
We live in the INTERNET age where you can do research. I DON'T BUY MILK WITHOUT DOING SOME RESEARCH!!
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND!!!
lol
09-04-07, 06:00 PM
#12
Lexus Fanatic
That’s how the game is played. The car that the customer calls about may be a pile of junk but you tell them that it’s great. Once they get there you flip them to another car “for just a little bit more”. The $2K or $500 car is really not the car that the salesman and his manager are trying to sell. That’s a bait car. Most of those will not make it off the lot in one piece. Sorry but that’s how it works.
09-04-07, 06:06 PM
#13
Lexus Fanatic
Not all are liars, I have met some good sales people, men and women.
The consumer needs to EDUCATE themselves and not walk in the dealer pants around their ankles begging for a stiffy.
We live in the INTERNET age where you can do research. I DON'T BUY MILK WITHOUT DOING SOME RESEARCH!!
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND!!!
lol
The consumer needs to EDUCATE themselves and not walk in the dealer pants around their ankles begging for a stiffy.
We live in the INTERNET age where you can do research. I DON'T BUY MILK WITHOUT DOING SOME RESEARCH!!
GOOGLE IS YOUR FRIEND!!!
lol
Dealerships are also becoming more and more aware that customer opinons will show up in Consumer Reports and J.D. Power dealer satisfaction ratings.
Last edited by mmarshall; 09-04-07 at 06:12 PM.
09-04-07, 06:20 PM
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SICK is correct. Not all car salespeople are unscrupulous. I myself have met a number of honest ones.....new car salespeople more so than used (one of the honest ones, Asian Girl 007, is now on the CL staff)........but the sad part is that a lot of those who don't outright lie simply don't KNOW much about the vehicles they are selling...or are trying to B.S. you into a sale. They are salespeople rather than car people.....their job is to make money for the dealership. They exaggerate the car's good points and underplay the bad points. That is why both me and SICK do reviews....and like SICK says, there are many great sources on the Internet as well. In fact, more and more dealerships are offering no-haggle Internet discount pricing now.
Dealerships are also becoming more and more aware that customer opinons will show up in Consumer Reports and J.D. Power dealer satisfaction ratings.
Dealerships are also becoming more and more aware that customer opinons will show up in Consumer Reports and J.D. Power dealer satisfaction ratings.
