Terrible Dealership Experience Yesterday(long read)

[ws6 jim]

Some of you may know I am buying a 2011 Camaro SS and in the process of selling my 1999 Formula. There's nothing wrong with the Formula its just with all this construction and taking 206 all the way to Somerset County from Ewing its not economical or enjoyable to drive in that kind of traffic. So I've been price shopping as I'm getting realistically closer to buying one. I heard about truecar.com that gives you real world pricing of what others are paying for the same car. Also there is an option for a pricing certificate to lock in the best advertised price which on a 2011 is $475 below invoice courtesy of Fred Beans Chevrolet. Also to get the certificate it prompts you for your contact info email cell etc. So I've been in contact with several dealers regarding the car. I explain to them my main hold up is selling my car which is on autotrader and I provide a link showing them the car and the details of it because it is not your stock everyday car. So yesterday after work I head over to Fred Beans in Doylestown which is a little bit of a drive from me.

I am greeted promptly and everyone is nice including the salesman I've been in contact with. I sit down give my info and we build the car through his workbench. We finish up those details and thats when things turned for the worse. They need to drive and look over my car for an accurate appraisal. Now keep in mind I sent them the info explaining to them the work done and I was only making the drive because they said they would arrive at a value fair to both of us.

So now I give the keys to the appraiser and tell him its the blue firebird and I point to it. Well he walks to a black fourth gen CAMARO and starts writing up his sheet and doing a walk around. I walk out and point out my car and correct him. The salesman makes a joke about him needing crumbs to make it back to the building making light of what happened. He then starts it up and takes it for a spin. When he comes back he says its running pretty rough. I tell him its because of the choppy cam and high stall torque converter at this point I'm speaking a different language.

The salesman has been passing the time talking to others answering calls and helping another customer while I am at his desk. I understand its Saturday their busy day, but its been a while now. He finally gets the trade in value for my car and is eager to tell me they can give me $1500.00 for the car. The car and 3000.00 cash and I can get a 632 payment for the next 6 years sounds like a good deal right?!?!

At this point I am frustrated, but I don't show it I just choose my words very carefully. I told him thats unacceptable and ask him how can he arrive at that price point so he brings his manager over to lay down the law and pressure me into the sale right there.

I tell him I would rather give him 1500 cash than to give away the car. He says okay so lets put the deposit on your credit card today and he almost dares me to sell the car in 8 weeks in time for the Camaro to arrive. This is after I question that they have a stock and tired looking 2000 Formula priced at 9000 with 93k on it sitting on their own lot. I then question how can they expect that sort of financial commitment from me when I'm not getting anything from their side. They aren't getting the picture or aren't admitting where I'm coming from. I also let them know that I have another car to drive and theres no pressure from my side. So I then get up after being there 2 hours and driving back home 45 minutes empty handed, but with a better understanding how dealers work and make money off their customers both ways. They didn't want to see any paper work I brought for my car, they acted like they were doing me a favor, and told me when I'm ready I don't have to drive to the dealership, but rather call in my credit card for the deposit. Well they are right I won't be driving to Fred Beans again. I'll also email them when I sell the car. I'll let them know how much I sold it for, that I'm ready to buy....just not from them I'll have their pricing certicate matched by someone else and thank them for the experience.

Morals of the story cash is king, Fred Beans SUCKS, and a dealer will promise you everything just to get you in the door.

End rant

[V]

dealers dont want modded cars. its as simple as that.

[deadtrend1]

Originally Posted by V

dealers dont want modded cars. its as simple as that.

exactly. When I traded in my old bike I removed/sold every aftermarket part on it. It wouldn't have gotten me any more for the bike keeping them on.

[BonzoHansen]

agree. they don't want your car is will go right to auction.

[12secondv6]

Originally Posted by V

dealers dont want modded cars. its as simple as that.

Yup

[r0nin89]

Go slap a stock motor in it, trade it in for a real value and sell the motor outright. Youd be way ahead.

[Tru2Chevy]

While I will agree completely that dealers don't want modded cars, $1,500 is a real slap in the face.

- Justin

[Tsar]

Originally Posted by V

dealers dont want modded cars. its as simple as that.

This..

[sweetbmxrider]

$1500 is ****ing hilarious. i woulda smacked the taste outa that bitches mouth then proceeded to a spirited lap around the lot. i would also tell the appraiser to suck a mean one

[BonzoHansen]

I'll give you $2500

[deadtrend1]

$2501 Bob!

[BonzoHansen]

2750

[Frosty]

No offense but what did you expect by trying to get a good trade in value on your car? Granted $1500 is a joke but why would they want to waste their time on a car they'd have trouble selling? You're also dealing with businessmen, NOT car guys. Do you really think they know what a big cam is supposed to do or how it acts or what a high stall converter is?

It was worth a shot, while Fred Beans isn't the best out there they're far from the worst. You kind of need to look at the position you put them in too...expecting a good value on a modded car. You're going to be wasting your time by trying to trade it in.

Right or wrong it's all part of the game. They figured you were chomping at the bit to get an '11 and would take anything just to get one. You did the right thing...if you accepted their offer I think half of this site would smack you in the back of the head.

[Foosh]

there was a decent condition red trans am at a dealer near me last spring with 75xxx asking 14 for it. and it had some mods...

[Jersey Mike]

Originally Posted by Foosh

there was a decent condition red trans am at a dealer near me last spring with 75xxx asking 14 for it. and it had some mods...

not like this though http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=52098

[JJRRACING]

Sorry you had such a bad experience at a dealer. I would have approached the situation in a much different way. If i was unable to get a wholesaler to put a good number on it I would rather not insult you with such a low-ball number. However please remember we are hear to make a profit (just like Walmart, Price Chopper, Bust Buy, Summit Racing, and so on) So if your getting the car at $500 under invoice, I would really have no reason to stretch on your trade value.

[mc73nova]

That is true 99% of dealers dont take modded cars, probably because their salesman barely know anything about the new vehicles they have in stock with paper work on them. There is one dealer I know for sure that doeasnt mind modded vehicles and was very fair with me when I wanted out of my Jeep. Not sure if you want to give them a shot but it is Great American Chevrolet in Hackensack (The guy I got hooked up with is actually a Ford salesman for All American but they are under the same owner and across the street from each other!) If you want his name shoot me a PM, I dont want to give it out to everyone considering my friend was nice enough to point me in his direction and I dont want to over do it.

[V]

great american is part of all american ford. i dealt with them a few times, and would never consider them myself. a supercharged foxbody for 10k a few years ago, what a hunk of crap, lied to me when i tried to buy a new saleen, said they stopped making them(so i bought my SS instead), lied about hp of the lighting for the next model year, AS i was holding/reading the brochure, over priced too on suvs, etc.

[ws6 jim]

Thanks for the offer mc73nova I'm going to sell it privately when the time is right to the right person who knows what they are getting.

If not I'll be closer to keeping all 3 in the meantime and sell it down the road.

I appreciate the in thread auction at least it was a better offer than the dealer lol.

And to the other comments know this I have never bought a car from a dealer and have never traded in a car through a dealer. So I am a noob, but not a fool in this respect. I understand that mods do nothing for value for a dealer. But take all the extra stuff out of the equation the car is still clean and in good mechanical order.

I emailed them a link to my car on autotrader where they could see a link to the work done and the price I had it up for. I also said I would consider making a deal if they had a # number fair for both of us (15 cents on the dollar is not fair in my book) This was communicated before I made the drive to them. I did this just to feel them out if I wanted to deal with them in the future or in the off chance they gave me a number I could live with.

Also for my own reference I got 1400 a few years back for my tired 1990 Formula TBI car with 203k and got to keep the car and sell it for parts after someone hit me.

The fact that they couldn't answer me when I questioned them on their tactics gave me answer enough so in the future I'll be taking my business elsewhere.

[BonzoHansen]

$2900

[ws6 jim]

Originally Posted by BonzoHansen

$12.90

Sold to Mr. Hansen whom rolls deep.