Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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Any Questions for a Car Dealer?
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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
It happens all the time.
The only real defense is to walk, though you can make it uncomfortable for the dealer by filing complaints with the BBB, AG and by telling everybody you know.
A signed buyer's order, ala Mass, is helpful if you're paying cash or if you have your own financing arranged. If not, the dealer can unwind the deal even after the papers are signed and the car is delivered - by 'failing' to place the loan.
It's a done deal only after you get the loan papers (coupon book, etc.) in the mail, send your first check, and see that it has cleared.
According to Rivertown..." It happens all of the time". Does it? I really don't know. It does not happen where I work but then, RT may know more than I do.
The poster seemed credible. If the facts were as stated, shame on that dealer! The buyer did the right thing by walking out. I hate stories like this that give our business a well deserved black eye.
On the other hand....
This is the internet. I always hate it when a store is named without a chance for a rebuttal.
I know I'm cynical but the nagging thought that just perhaps, that post was made by a recently fired employee or a competitor down the street does enter my mind.
I mean, it's possible and a otherwise good store can be easily slandered this way.
Make sense?
She drove an hour and a half to get there. she was so worn out from her exhaustive shopping that she just caved in and bought it there.
A lot of people say..." I would just walk out"
Many don't however...they cave in and buy. This is EXACTLY why some stores lowball customers.
Funny...she called me to thank me for all of my help and to tell me how mad she was at that other dealer.
Some people just make car buying a long, painful process....
Very good use of sarcasm, landru. I can see driving 1 1/2 hours to go to a dealer that promises a good deal, but I can't see buying something if that dealer then tries something fishy. If I got hosed by such a dealer, rewarding them with a sale is the last thing I'd do, particularly at a higher price than a straightforward seller offered.
For most shoppers, it would be a turn off. It would scare them away. It adds complexity and they will fear the car has been driven hard by the previous owner....probably true.
But, it does add ***some*** value, not a great deal.
Aftermarket wheels, window tint, and audio equipment will usually detract from a car's value. Most shoppers perfer the cars stock.
Terry
What has been happening with the actually out-the-door cost for cars over the past year or so? Has there been much increase in what you are able to get or has it been rather flat?
I see that the last published inflation figure, CPI-U, was 2.2% for the year ending Aug '03. I'm wondering if car prices, in general, are inflating faster or slower than that.
It places the car in a special market niche where the typical dealership and typical buyer would never consider showing you any money for your investment.
Ebay is the best route for a modified ride. I see, every day, bikes and cars with salvage titles being rebuilt and custom painted/modified, and pulling better than a plain one does retail - many people looking for modified vehicles don't even care about title status - how blind is that?
Take out a nice ebay ad, protect yourself with a good reserve, and have a got at it.
Another rule of thumb is that you generally get more for a used car by selling it privately. That may be even more true of cars which appeal to a narrower market, like performance buffs.
It may not be worth the trouble or expense, but another path to consider is to put your 'Yoda back into stock form and sell the supercharger separately.
Terry.
I ran into a similar situation, as yours, recently when buying a used Honda that had after market leather installed. The sellers turned to a private sale when they couldn't get what they expected from a dealer. They finally settled on my offer, as it was a bit more then the dealer but still undercut their perceived valuation by about $2K. Turns out they based it largely on getting a good chunk of the money back out of the leather add on.
However, I did feel some sympathy for their plight since in their case the original dealer flim-flammed them with the "leather holds it's value" story. Hopefully, you didn't get a similar line with the SC on your Toyota. IMHO, that is deceptive and would qualify as an "Inconsiderate Dealer" story.
BTW, personally, I'd see a warranted factory SC as a huge plus on a Toyota... even used. But, that's me.
You are probably better off as folks here have been saying, to find a forum where people who value what you've done to your car hang out. Ebay is a great suggestion, I'd take out an add in the local classifieds as well. Keep in mind though, you're not going to get anywhere close to recouping costs on the supercharger.
A "Micky Mouse" sunroof as opposed to a nicely done electric stock type one can DETRACT from the value.
These items don't scare potential buyers like a supercharger would.
It was the kind that just popped up. You had to remove it and put it in the trunk.
I was glad I had it though. Not long after purchasing it, I took a long drive into the Wassatch national park, was about 5 miles in, got out to look at the view and locked the keys inside. Fortunately, I had cracked the sunroof in the up position. I was able to remove it from the outside and climb in the top. An electric slider, I'd be walkin'.
We went back and forth for 10 minutes, I bet him $1000 it was aftermarket. He walked over and took a good look at the sunroof.....you could see where they cut the overhead console off and how the sunroof shade wasn't that well done. I mean it was an ok job for an electric slider, but still obvious that it was aftermarket. Too bad I didn't get him to shake on that bet.
My Explorer has a factory sunroof, real nice power one. I do kind of wish it wasn't there sometimes though, the kids want a DVD system put in and the sunroof creates a problem.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Regards... Vikd
you can buy a portable dvd player for a lot less, and you can hook it up with your tv at home, when not using it in the car.
since you are up in the great white north, another benefit is that you can also keep it in the house until you go somewhere. they can't work too well after sitting out all night in the winter time. we sit it on top of a backpack with a folded up blanket on top of that, if it is too low, something kind of soft and a bit grippy. 7 inch screen seems to be big enough.
if you don't like the noise you can get a spliter to handle 2 sets of head phones. it's hard to obey the speed limit with the 'fast and furious' playing just behind you, egging you on.
...and you can use it in your next vehicle; you know, the one the pool says you are getting in the next 2 weeks.
Then again we may have to replace hubby's truck if the repair goes much above $2k, don't know what exactly is wrong with it yet, but we have a limit as to what we will spend on it.
Low book is about $6900 on the truck, so anything much above $2k on this repair is gonna mean paying the nice mechanic for his diagnostics and kindly removing the truck from his care and kicking its sorry rear end down the road for whatever we can get out of it!!!!
Sooooo, know anyone who might want a 1994 Chevy K3500, reg cab, 4x4, green/tan, 150k, 6.5L TD, manual trans?? Hmmmm, can probably part it out and get more money out of the stupid thing.
Bow ties are for little boys, I keep telling hubby to get a real truck.....a Ford.
Who knows, can't afford to do anything for a while since our Chevy is bleeding us dry and sucking up every last dollar that we put into savings.
Terry.
It was a 22 hour labor operation that took closer to 40 hours. Guys were pulling these things out of junk yards and getting $1800 worth of work (on Pontiac's dime) done and reselling them.
The Fiero Fiasco caused many a Pontiac tech to leave Pontiacs dealers and work on Chevys, Buicks or Oldsmobiles.
i think the classic car auction is Scottsdale each year is pretty sweet, but somehow I don't think that's what yer looking for.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Keep 1 thing in mind here, I still have a turntable and like 500 lp's and have always had cassette players in my last 5 cars. Cd's are a new breed of animal for me.
Thanks all for any help in this matter!
The Sandman :-)
Thanks for your swift responces on this matter!
The Sandman :-))
I've had casettes get stuck, but never a CD.
What he gave me is a "Retail Installment Sale Contract" but I plan on paying with cash.
I asked him if I could have a Bill of Sale and he said that he always just uses the form and puts in N/A where needed. And he also said that all the dealerships do this.
Is that true? Everyone uses the same form regardless of how the buyer is paying?