My Salesperson Misled Me

oldfarmer50

"...a customer yesterday who made a low offer on an Accord..."

I read somewhere that Honda is offering an Accord lease for $209 a month. Maybe your customer saw that ad and thought it was the monthly payment.

People sometimes see what they want to see.

lokki

Did somebody say buy an Accord for $209 a month? That was a salesman, right? Now you have to give me that price, right? Was that 36 or 48 months? I won't pay too much for the interest you know..... My FICO is nearly up to 400 again now that the government is making my house payment, so I'm expecting a zero percent loan for my car too. Oh, and I'll buy today if you throw in the NAV system. What? you can't do that? Are you all misleading me? Again? That's what happened with my mortgage!

Seriously, is foot traffic of serious buyers up or down? The papers are full of gloom, but I'm still seeing a lot of temporary tags here in Dallas, and they seem to cover a pretty broad spectrum of makes. So, from the casual observer in traffic, it doesn't look like things are too bad.

isellhondas

" it doesn't look like things are too bad"

Ah...look again.

lokki

Oh dear. Sorry I asked.

I guess those ads for Chrysler Crossfires $18K off, 50 available, aren't just come-on ads after all.

joel0622

In that example, would the customer have received a lower level of service from you than what a more profitable customer would have received?

I can speak for myself, the answer is no. To be honest unless it was in the last couple of months I can't rememebr how much money I made on you with out checking my notes. I have never had some one ask me for help and then go and check the deal to see if I hit a home run before I decide if I will help you.

Now there have been people in the past that I did not go the extra mile for. Not because of the profit margin but because they are [non-permissible content removed] holes. In my book you get treated the same way you treat me.

maennj

2 days ago, I went to auto dealer in new york. They had this offer about toyota camry 2009 for $159 monthly and $2999 down payment. The offer looked reasonable to me. However, when I came there I was shocked that the total due at signed jumped to $5200, Honestly, I felt a scam and immediately said thank you and left.
The salesperson just put unbelievable number of fees. I remember bank was $745 but he also put something for $1200 among others. Is there a scam here ?

oldfarmer50

"...Is there a scam here?..."

No doubt. Legally there is something in the fine print that makes it not criminal fraud. Put that dealer on your list of places to never do business with.

madmanmoo

Scam? Doubtful. The fine print probably detailed the extra due at signing.

Good business? Not hardly.

jipster

Saw something similar a few days ago in the paper, sounded like a good deal. Got out a micron microscope and read the fine print. "Does not include dealer fees."

I thought it would be maybe an extra $500 or $600 in fees... 2.2 grand is a bit asinine. :lemon:

maennj

That's what I thought, I blacklisted the dealer . Just to be more careful, can someone tell me what are the typical fees for toyota car lease ?

madmanmoo

A sign and drive is supposed to be walk in and sign and then drive off. If it is a $0 downpayment (which reduces the cap cost) then you would typically be looking at first month's payment, acquisition fee (bank), tax, tag, title and doc fee. On a $300 payment lease, that would probably equal around $1,200 or so. That's my educated guess.

volvomax

In carspeak, a down payment is just that. Any other fees that are due would be on top of that number. Not just dealer fees, but taxes, license and registration fees also.
If the fine print read, $2999 TOTAL DUE, then you are in business.

As always, READ the fine print, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

maennj

I can't really read the fine print. They had this ad on the website and picture quality was the worst. There is no way to read it, looks like they've done it on purpose.

madmanmoo

I can't really read the fine print.

Hahaha, that's awesome. This dealership is getting better and better. How in the world they expect to sell any cars in this manner is beyond me.

mikefm58

I can't really read the fine print.

I heard a screamer ad on the radio the other day where they screamed the unbelievably low prices at you so you could easily hear them, but then they played some load background music and had a guy who talked faster than an auctioneer recite the details, LOL.

jipster

but then they played some load background music and had a guy who talked faster than an auctioneer recite the details, LOL.

Sounds like Kia. They run radio ads like nobody's business.

maennj

LOL. I feel bad for dealers, they just want to drag customers to the showroom in every possible way.

volvomax

Hahaha, that's awesome. This dealership is getting better and better. How in the world they expect to sell any cars in this manner is beyond me.

Don't underestimate this kind of advertising.
Most people never read the fine print, even when it is legible.
People see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe.
If these ad's didn't work,dealers wouldn't use them.

Remember, there are still far more uneducated consumers out there than educated ones.

oldfarmer50

A person I know recently had to replace her late model Ford Expedition (not sure what year, less than 6 years old). She bought it used a few years back from a new car dealer.

The vehicle was not riding right so she took it to a mechanic where she was told that it had such extensive undercarriage rust that it was unsafe to drive and could not be repaired at a cost that would be worth it.

She returned to the dealer and of course was told that since the 30 day warranty had long ago expired she was SOL.

Other than the obvious advice to have a car inspected before you buy it, what would you tell this person to do?

volvomax

Usually, there are some state regulations on the condition that a used car must achieve in order to be sold by a dealer.
I'd contact the AG's office and the BBB for starters.

roadburner

"She bought it used a few years back from a new car dealer."

How much is "a few years"? Two? Five? Assuming that the mechanic is telling the truth, the truck could have rusted out after your friend bought the thing. Even if it had a tinworm infestation when it was sold she will have a devil of a time proving that was the case.

"She returned to the dealer and of course was told that since the 30 day warranty had long ago expired she was SOL."

I can't see how she could expect a dealer to correct a problem after the warranty has been expired for years. Unless they concealed something like a junk or salvage title she doesn't have much to go on.

"Other than the obvious advice to have a car inspected before you buy it, what would you tell this person to do? "

I'd also advise her to have the car serviced more frequently than every few years. If the corrosion was as bad as she claims a good mechanic should have caught it the first time it was put on a lift. Other than that, my only other recommendation would be that she should file the experience under "Hard Life Lessons Learned".

oldfarmer50

"...How many years is a "few years"?..."

Not sure, my feeling is it was less than two. My first inclination was to asked her how she could be so stupid as to not examine the vehicle before she bought it but then I thought "who suspects major rust damage on a relatively new car?".

After all this time I wouldn't hold any hope for proving that the dealer knew of excessive rust damage but my gut instinct tells me he probably did and pawned it off on an unsuspecting female buyer.

I'll ask her for more details next time I see her.