Fun dealer shenanigans

[Skepteach]

Having sold my SR RWD, I'm on the hunt for an ER AWD and found a potential candidate at a dealer in TX. The vehicle is a '21 Premium ER AWD in Rapid Red and it is a certified pre-owned. It has 4k on the clock and I was amenable to their sales price of $59,9xx. Granted, this is above what this car cost new, but such is the name of the game in today's market right?

I called and spoke to a salesperson, got assurances on the condition of the car, its history, etc. I clearly asked, "Is $59,9xx the actual sales price of the car?" The answer was yes. Yay! I found a car that I think would suit my desires and in the price range I was looking for.

Then comes the first build sheet....

I quite literally LOL'd when the sales guy texted it to me. He was right, their sales price was just under $60k, no "dealer markup," just some useful packages for peace of mind. A mere ~$7700 worth of said useful packages. Not a word about this ahead of time.

At my polite decline of the deal (thankfully this was through text so they couldn't hear my loud guffaws), then came the second build sheet....

Almost like magic, just about all of those useful packages vanished, almost as if they weren't really worth anything at all. Weird, right? All that remained was that final GPS tracker nonsense (folks, the car is trackable via the app...). I again politely declined, at which one that last package then became their "final offer" at $899.

I ended up completely declining to work with the dealership. Though they finally did get their car's price into a territory I am willing to pay, their unethical games turned me off of them. They are trying to take advantage of desperate, impatient, or ignorant people, not only making a killing on the resale of a used vehicle they picked up at an auction but also on those insane packages.

FWIW, if anyone else is looking for an ER AWD and wants to use this to get the same or better deal, go for it! After that back and forth, I personally couldn't stomach working with them. The sales guy was nice. The dealership's ethics, not so much.

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[Neil4Real]

This is almost every dealership. I found local dealers here in Cali saying they sold at MSRP and then they all add that crap. I somewhat see where you’re saying they’re unethical but, I mean, it is still a car dealer lol. They are selling it at MSRP and tomfoolery is the name of their game. But they negotiated, which is rare in todays market and, uh, pretty normal for a dealership before all this mess.

Did you expect them to just instantly remove everything? Is that how every car you’ve purchased was? You say a price and they either agree right away or you walk until a dealer does? No back and forth?

All my dealers refused to remove or reduce price of their BS add ons because they’re already “installed” and of course someone will pay it.

 

[WNKent]

Having sold my SR RWD, I'm on the hunt for an ER AWD and found a potential candidate at a dealer in TX. The vehicle is a '21 Premium ER AWD in Rapid Red and it is a certified pre-owned. It has 4k on the clock and I was amenable to their sales price of $59,9xx. Granted, this is above what this car cost new, but such is the name of the game in today's market right?

I called and spoke to a salesperson, got assurances on the condition of the car, its history, etc. I clearly asked, "Is $59,9xx the actual sales price of the car?" The answer was yes. Yay! I found a car that I think would suit my desires and in the price range I was looking for.

Then comes the first build sheet....

I quite literally LOL'd when the sales guy texted it to me. He was right, their sales price was just under $60k, no "dealer markup," just some useful packages for peace of mind. A mere ~$7700 worth of said useful packages. Not a word about this ahead of time.

At my polite decline of the deal (thankfully this was through text so they couldn't hear my loud guffaws), then came the second build sheet....

Almost like magic, just about all of those useful packages vanished, almost as if they weren't really worth anything at all. Weird, right? All that remained was that final GPS tracker nonsense (folks, the car is trackable via the app...). I again politely declined, at which one that last package then became their "final offer" at $899.

I ended up completely declining to work with the dealership. Though they finally did get their car's price into a territory I am willing to pay, their unethical games turned me off of them. They are trying to take advantage of desperate, impatient, or ignorant people, not only making a killing on the resale of a used vehicle they picked up at an auction but also on those insane packages.

FWIW, if anyone else is looking for an ER AWD and wants to use this to get the same or better deal, go for it! After that back and forth, I personally couldn't stomach working with them. The sales guy was nice. The dealership's ethics, not so much.

GPS theft protection. No thanks.... I prefer the $29 Apple AirTag option; they work like a charm.

 

[Maquis]

My local dealer never tries to pull any of this crap. For that reason, you’ll likely never find a desirable, hard-to-find car on their lot. They sell as soon as they get them in.

 

[Logal727]

Yay a GPS tracker that’s gonna drain my 12v battery.

 

[HuntingPudel]

I trust the two closest dealers to me to perform these and more shenanigans, possibly to a higher degree. This is why I bought from a dealer over an hour away. ??

 

[Avelli]

You were right to decline. Once they got your butt in their seat the old-school car salesman tactics machine would fire right up. "Ooh, with your credit, this is the best rate we can get". "Well I could try to get that GPS PROTECTION fee lowered, but in today's market...". "I could get you a different lease residual, but I'll have to talk to my manager...". "Another potential buyer just came in and want to buy it right now for $XXXX over list. Are you willing to counter?"

Also are you sure it's an ER-AWD and not a Standard-Range AWD? The "$59,928.00" is the "Market Value Selling Price", and not MSRP, so they've baked in their ADM into that number. Finally, check with your insurance if they'll cover a used car for that amount. You may haver to buy gap insurance if you finance more than what they think the car is worth.

I called and spoke to a salesperson, got assurances on the condition of the car, its history, etc

Run a Carfax. Just to be sure.

 

[Skepteach]

This is almost every dealership. I found local dealers here in Cali saying they sold at MSRP and then they all add that crap. I somewhat see where you’re saying they’re unethical but, I mean, it is still a car dealer lol. They are selling it at MSRP and tomfoolery is the name of their game. But they negotiated, which is rare in todays market and, uh, pretty normal for a dealership before all this mess.

Did you expect them to just instantly remove everything? Is that how every car you’ve purchased was? You say a price and they either agree right away or you walk until a dealer does? No back and forth?

All my dealers refused to remove or reduce price of their BS add ons because they’re already “installed” and of course someone will pay it.

I describe it as unethical because to say "yes that is the price of the car" and then attempt to blindside a would-be buyer with all that nonsense is, to me, unethical. They should be totally up front with that since they're adding another 13% to the actual price of the car.

I honestly shouldn't be surprised. I guess it irks me even more than usual because my local dealer got a brand new '22 version of this exact car, no markup, no hidden fees, nothing, and I was in the process of talking to a salesguy over the phone when he found out his sales manager was already working a deal on it with someone. Damnit.

 

[Neil4Real]

I describe it as unethical because to say "yes that is the price of the car" and then attempt to blindside a would-be buyer with all that nonsense is, to me, unethical. They should be totally up front with that since they're adding another 13% to the actual price of the car.

I honestly shouldn't be surprised. I guess it irks me even more than usual because my local dealer got a brand new '22 version of this exact car, no markup, no hidden fees, nothing, and I was in the process of talking to a salesguy over the phone when he found out his sales manager was already working a deal on it with someone. Damnit.

But again, at least around here, that's what all dealers say. Unless you specifically ask if there are any dealer addons, they all just stick to the price of the car. It is similar to when dealers get you to fixate on the monthly payment amount rather than the total car cost so they can give you a 20 year loan at 6% lol.

I'm sure when you actually would have come to do the deal on the '22 you would have been just as surprised with random fees. I find it extremely doubtful that a dealer willing to add that much on a used one would let brand new ones go right at MSRP with no addons.

 

[Skepteach]

I'm sure when you actually would have come to do the deal on the '22 you would have been just as surprised with random fees. I find it extremely doubtful that a dealer willing to add that much on a used one would let brand new ones go right at MSRP with no addons.

Big difference there is the used one is at a dealer in TX, and the new one was at a small dealership here in AR.

 

[SnBGC]

Having sold my SR RWD, I'm on the hunt for an ER AWD and found a potential candidate at a dealer in TX. The vehicle is a '21 Premium ER AWD in Rapid Red and it is a certified pre-owned. It has 4k on the clock and I was amenable to their sales price of $59,9xx. Granted, this is above what this car cost new, but such is the name of the game in today's market right?

I called and spoke to a salesperson, got assurances on the condition of the car, its history, etc. I clearly asked, "Is $59,9xx the actual sales price of the car?" The answer was yes. Yay! I found a car that I think would suit my desires and in the price range I was looking for.

Then comes the first build sheet....

I quite literally LOL'd when the sales guy texted it to me. He was right, their sales price was just under $60k, no "dealer markup," just some useful packages for peace of mind. A mere ~$7700 worth of said useful packages. Not a word about this ahead of time.

At my polite decline of the deal (thankfully this was through text so they couldn't hear my loud guffaws), then came the second build sheet....

Almost like magic, just about all of those useful packages vanished, almost as if they weren't really worth anything at all. Weird, right? All that remained was that final GPS tracker nonsense (folks, the car is trackable via the app...). I again politely declined, at which one that last package then became their "final offer" at $899.

I ended up completely declining to work with the dealership. Though they finally did get their car's price into a territory I am willing to pay, their unethical games turned me off of them. They are trying to take advantage of desperate, impatient, or ignorant people, not only making a killing on the resale of a used vehicle they picked up at an auction but also on those insane packages.

FWIW, if anyone else is looking for an ER AWD and wants to use this to get the same or better deal, go for it! After that back and forth, I personally couldn't stomach working with them. The sales guy was nice. The dealership's ethics, not so much.

This is how they get around the ADM issue. The manufacturer frowns on ADM. Some dealers care...others don't and just do it anyway. Other dealerships are more creative and have fabricated mandatory "packages" which equates to the ADM they would like to get. This is how my dealer did it when they prioritized their first 25 customers for the Lightning. Reservation holders got their choice of packages ranging from $5k to $20k from what I remember....

It's all legal though so buyer beware like always. ?

 

[connoisseurr]

While it's not an AWD, you can buy our old ER RWD from Koons Ford in Sterling, VA. Traded in with 3700 miles.

 

[ElectrifyME]

Why is car buying such a game? The worst thing! Hate sitting there going back and forth with my head in my hand whilst the husband is haggling…. Just tell me the price. I either buy it or I don’t. I actually hope this new car buying through ordering stays around. Anyone know if the ordered cars are being marked up? I have an agreed upon price; I upgraded at the time of the order; should I expect “add-ons”? Should I expect up to date software?

 

[ElectrifyME]

While it's not an AWD, you can buy our old ER RWD from Koons Ford in Sterling, VA. Traded in with 3700 miles.

Why may I ask did you get rid of it so fast?

 

[connoisseurr]

Why may I ask did you get rid of it so fast?

A few reasons... used car market profitability, increased useable battery capacity on the MY22, and we wanted Rapid Red.

Dealer gave us $57k for a trade-in on the MY21 which zero'd out the Delaware new vehicle document fee for the MY22. So we made a little money on the deal which then was transferred to the purchase of the MY22, bringing our payment down from around $670 to $500/mo.

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