Buying a car sucks (especially in NC)

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Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
Feb 14, 2004
48,392
5,257
136
found another good car (2016 Kia Forte with 30,000 miles).

Welcome to the Kia family! Sorry you had to go through all that pain. I've had two Kia's (both Souls) & had a really great experience with both of them!
 
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Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,348
3,426
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Off-topic question, but how often does ATOT change their oil/filter these days? What used to be something that was as often as every 5,000 miles I hear people waiting for 20-30k miles with how good synthetic is?

I took my camry in after 11k miles running full synthetic and the mechanic asked me "Did I hear you right about the oil change? The oil and filter look brand new." I told him it was 10k since the last change and he just stared at me for a second. "I guess come back at 15k and we'll check again?" He refilled the oil lost when taking off the filter and sent me on my way without charging me

So I'm going with ~15k since that will also be around 1x a year for me
 

slayer202

Lifer
Nov 27, 2005
13,682
119
106
hmm haven't heard of that garbage if they were advertising the car as CPO. maybe try contacting nissan?
 

FirNaTine

Senior member
Jun 6, 2005
632
177
116
Nope - they're all likely to pull shit. I went to a Lexus dealership and they tried some shady BS. Up front said their financing would be 2%. Then came back late and said it had to be 2.25% because the federal reserve raised interest rates that morning (which they hadn't and hadn't changed for months). Things got a bit awkward when I called them on their BS. Also I replaced the cluster myself when the speedometer stopped working on my current car. I informed them upfront just to see what they would give me for the car. Sales guy put a fully filled out sheet in front of me with a checkbox marked saying the mileage was accurate.

Me: "You know full well this is not true"
Him: "Oh it was just a paperwork mistake."
Me: "Oh yeah? I think a trend is appearing with this and the interest rates."

Sad. I was actually kicking a ES300h as a commuter car for my work drive. I'd typically always driven trucks, because I often needed to haul firefighting gear around with me when I picked up extra shifts last minute at another station. I didn't like putting smoky gear in the vehicle with me, so I was really limited.

Work has recently, very aggressively gone after cancer rates by giving two sets of gear out, and offering instant exchange/send out for cleaning of gear after a fire. Now that I always have a clean set, I would be ok putting it in a trunk of a passenger car.

For what I usually spend on a decent truck for 130-150 mile round trip (every 4th day), I could get into an ES350 or ES300h. Both seem to hold residual well, and the hybrid would drastically lower operating costs, and even the 350 would drop it a fair bit. I usually hold a vehicle for 7-8 years 120-140k miles, partially to avoid dealing with shady dealerships. I was hoping what I had heard about Lexus being more honest was true.

My last vehicle was buying a Honda Pilot, and I had to contact 5 or so dealers to get one willing to be straightforward and work with me. Even after letting them know I was looking to buy a top trim (Elite ~$48K MSRP) by the end of the month, had two folks with 800-850 credit, and I wasn't even mixing in a trade. I parked my (paid off) truck for occasional use when I still need a truck (country living), and have been using the wife's (paid off) Accord as my commuter car to make sure it really works for me before getting the Lexus. Maybe I will see if my last dealer has an Acura counterpart.
 

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
43,243
5,686
136
Rotten bastards. I tell 'em up front they'll pay 35%.


Most irritating is having to wait 4 hours for the paperwork to be done. WTH? Fill out the form 400 and take my check.

My shortest wait, 12/29/2009. The dealership had the 2007 Tacoma because of a brake issue. Talked over the phone with the salesman about trade in and price on a 2010. Wrote the check before I left the office, had some $$ in pocket because I shorted the check. Showed up at 6pm (they closed at 7). OTD at 7:30 :D Year end sales and after hours FTW.

Our quickest walk away. Summer of 2009, cash for clunkers. 2010 RAV4 for the wife. $23K, iirc. "How much are you coming off the sticker?" None. "Why?" We sold X units last month and we'll sell 2X units this month because of Uncle Sam. Went back in September 09, "How much are you coming off the sticker?" $2K. Worked for me.:D
 

Majes

Golden Member
Apr 8, 2008
1,164
148
106
I bought my Jeep Renegade about a year ago from a dealer. I paid cash for it and was confused by why they didn't really seem all that interested in dealing with me. Now I know they make most of their money from the financing portion of the deal. I talked them down until they stopped replying to my messages, then went in and got the car. It really helps if you aren't under pressure the get a car at that very moment.
 

kn51

Senior member
Aug 16, 2012
695
111
106
Yep. Really want to piss a dealer off and have the cash to buy it outright? Get the loan and then pay it off in the first month. Expect an angry phone call.
 

highland145

Lifer
Oct 12, 2009
43,243
5,686
136
Yep. Really want to piss a dealer off and have the cash to buy it outright? Get the loan and then pay it off in the first month. Expect an angry phone call.
Yeah, my creditor tells the dealership I paid off my loan and I'll cause them lots of grief because it's against federal law.
 

DietDrThunder

Platinum Member
Apr 6, 2001
2,262
326
126
I agree as it is always a hassle. Even though I get GM Employee pricing (Father-in-Law retired from GM) they still try this crap. We bought a new 2013 Sonic LT sedan. No real options or add ons. Some moron at the dealership had racing stripes put on this car and locking lug nuts. The racing stripes looked stupid on the sedan (might have looked OK on a hatchback), so I said I wouldn't pay $350 for those as I would be removing them (which I did). I also said I would not pay $125 for the locking lug nuts as the car didn't come with any special wheels. The 4 normal lug nuts were in a bag in the glove compartment, so I told them to put those on instead. Then came time to do the paperwork. We were paying cash, but there was a $120 finance fee for running our credit, and a $200 advertising fee. I told them that I would not pay for either, and asked why they would run a credit check since I was paying cash? The answer "We always do this" just doesn't sit right with me. She said "But we can get you a deal with 7.9% financing through Allstate. I asked "If my cash isn't good here, I'll go to a different dealership." Her response was "No, no, no, cash is OKay". Then came the push for them selling the extended warranty. This particular Chevy dealership didn't want to sell GM extended warranties, they sold an extended warranty through Allstate. I'm thinking in my head, "WTF?". Why would I buy a 3rd party extended warranty that may or may not be good at dealerships nationwide? I told them to skip it as I wasn't going to buy that type of warranty. Then they said they could sell us an extended warranty through GM, but when I looked at the highly inflated numbers, I didn't know what to believe, so I said no. The Sonic came with 2 year dealer maintenance, but they tried to sell me a 5 year maintenance plan in which I calculated it out to be about $85 an oil change. Nope! Then came the question "How about OnStar", which I immediately "NO! NO MORE ANYTHING!". Then we were asked "Would you like for us to give you an auto insurance quote through Allstate?" My wife said that when she looked at me, she though I was going to have a stroke. I don't remember even doing it, but my wife told me I screamed "NO MORE FUCKIN" ANYTHING!". She promptly left the room and the manager came back and finished the paperwork.

My wife and I were at this dealership for over 4 hours, and this was for a vehicle with a fixed price of $13,380 plus TT&L that I didn't even have to negotiate on.
 
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Jimzz

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2012
4,399
190
106
That's not a NC thing just the way slimly dealers, read most of them now, operate.

Use to be there was enough money in cars a cash offer would be a good thing and get you a deal. Now with so much competition, and ability to compare on the internet, there is not enough in the car price alone. So now you have all the "fees" and them pushing to finance. Most hate cash buyers and many would not return my messages when I say that.

Found a good car and was about to go look at it for my BiL but looked the dealer up to read their reviews. Some said they would add up to 3k in fees on a used car. Many said they would tell you to come in on a car they do not have anymore. So the 14k car we were looking at was going to be 16,500 after their BS fees.
Its why I always ask for the out the door price and tell them I am going to get a cashiers check for that exact amount so it has to match. That's when they will usually say oh well you need to add in... and the BS starts. If not then we show up and say this is what we have, make it work or stop wasting our time.

Finally found a 2015 Kia sorento with only $400ish in fees on top of the listed price. So bought that for him.
 
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UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
16,068
7,380
146
I left a bad Google review for there dealership yesterday, and they responded to it with a very generic response (notice they did not even try to deny what I wrote is untruthful in any way):
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And it looks like someone left a review shortly after I wrote mine in which they experienced the exact same nonsense I did.

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DietDrThunder

Platinum Member
Apr 6, 2001
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That is probably their 18 year old website guy pasting one of several canned responses to critical reviews.
 
Mar 11, 2004
23,031
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Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this. Probably will need to do it a couple of times over the next few years. Which, obviously they're going to maximize what they can get, but damn the behavior (and they deliberately waste your time, to try and get you so frustrated that you'll just sign just to get it over with). That's why I'd like to go in able to pay cash and if they try any shit, just walk.

Oh, isn't North Carolina where that one Chevy dealership that ran an almost outright scam was? They'd repo people's cars like crazy (including ones that had proof that they had made all relevant payments, the people thought their cars had been stolen and then found out the dealer had been tracking them and went and picked them up, then fleeced the people making them pay before they'd release the car even if they didn't have a legit claim to repossess it). I forget what all shenanigans they pulled. It took a shitload of blatantly illegal behavior before the state attorney general did anything though. They'd gotten hundreds, maybe even thousands of complaints too. It wasn't until multiple lawsuits were being filed (I wanna say some were already won) before they finally actually did as well. And even then I think it was practically nothing and they were back to the same shit a few months later. I might have the details wrong, but I think it was covered on some of the car blogs.
 

whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
9,460
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Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this. Probably will need to do it a couple of times over the next few years. Which, obviously they're going to maximize what they can get, but damn the behavior (and they deliberately waste your time, to try and get you so frustrated that you'll just sign just to get it over with). That's why I'd like to go in able to pay cash and if they try any shit, just walk.

Oh, isn't North Carolina where that one Chevy dealership that ran an almost outright scam was? They'd repo people's cars like crazy (including ones that had proof that they had made all relevant payments, the people thought their cars had been stolen and then found out the dealer had been tracking them and went and picked them up, then fleeced the people making them pay before they'd release the car even if they didn't have a legit claim to repossess it). I forget what all shenanigans they pulled. It took a shitload of blatantly illegal behavior before the state attorney general did anything though. They'd gotten hundreds, maybe even thousands of complaints too. It wasn't until multiple lawsuits were being filed (I wanna say some were already won) before they finally actually did as well. And even then I think it was practically nothing and they were back to the same shit a few months later. I might have the details wrong, but I think it was covered on some of the car blogs.
No one at the dealership went to jail over this?
 
Nov 8, 2012
20,828
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Yep. Really want to piss a dealer off and have the cash to buy it outright? Get the loan and then pay it off in the first month. Expect an angry phone call.

Careful - I have heard of clauses they sneak into loan agreements that penalize for paying off early. Depending on whom you get the loan through obviously.
 
Nov 8, 2012
20,828
4,777
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That is probably their 18 year old website guy pasting one of several canned responses to critical reviews.

...Because no one actually does call back "to make things right" or whatever the stupid morons reply with.

The point of leaving the review is basically saying "You guys fucking suck - I tried to work with you - but you didn't listen. Now I'm telling other people about my experience" and then they want you to call them back ?

If these companies actually wanted to make things right they would offer you something - or call you directly.
 

TXHokie

Platinum Member
Nov 16, 1999
2,557
173
106
Big thumbs up on following up on your dissatisfaction by slamming them online. That sounds shady as hell and I'd even go as far and contacting your local investigative news reporter and toss them under the bus for a few more run over.
 
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UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
16,068
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...Because no one actually does call back "to make things right" or whatever the stupid morons reply with.

The point of leaving the review is basically saying "You guys fucking suck - I tried to work with you - but you didn't listen. Now I'm telling other people about my experience" and then they want you to call them back ?

If these companies actually wanted to make things right they would offer you something - or call you directly.

Agree 100%.

They never called me or texted me one time after I left because of the "certified" charge they said they lied changed their mind about it.

They only do this generic response to make people think they actually care. I even saw the sales manager, Richard, mentioned by name in several of the 1-star reviews (he's the one I dealt with before leaving), and the dealership response responded by saying they have full faith in him, and how he treats everyone fairly. I guess lying to someone is treating everyone fairly down here in NC. o_O

I hope other people who see what they do with pricing their cars, and either not go to them, or walk the fuck out like I did once they spring the extra charge on them before they sign and go through with the deal. I believe they do it this way because they hope most people are so in love with the car (and just want to get the deal done) that most will grudgingly accept it. I'm not one of those type of people at all. I loved the car we tried to buy, but the bullshit lies made me leave and start the whole process over again.
 
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UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
16,068
7,380
146
I never heard of a dealership that sells salvage

This was one of the first places we went to when we first started out trying to find a car for our son, and after driving a car he loved, we were told all the vehicles they sell are salvage title. Of course they don't state that on their website, and we found out about it after driving 40 minutes to their location.

https://www.bbsautosc.com/
 

eng2d2

Golden Member
Nov 7, 2013
1,007
38
91
This was one of the first places we went to when we first started out trying to find a car for our son, and after driving a car he loved, we were told all the vehicles they sell are salvage title. Of course they don't state that on their website, and we found out about it after driving 40 minutes to their location.

https://www.bbsautosc.com/
From my experience usually the dealers that sell salvage vehicle are of middle eastern background. I stay away from them.
You should go to a regular big dealership to avoid salavage vehicle. If you can follow the history of a salvage vehicle you can find a great car.
 
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lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
57,364
7,516
126
Off-topic question, but how often does ATOT change their oil/filter these days? What used to be something that was as often as every 5,000 miles I hear people waiting for 20-30k miles with how good synthetic is?
I use walmart full synthetic, and changed it twice/year, spring/fall. That was ~13k miles between changes. I lost a major mileage accumulator, so I'm debating what to do. I may go to a yearly change, but haven't decided yet. Truck's burning some oil, so it gets fresh added every so often. When May comes around, I'll probably judge based on how the oil looks. If it's still kinda golden. I'll probably let it go til October.
 

UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
16,068
7,380
146
From my experience usually the dealers that sell salvage vehicle are of middle eastern background. I stay away from them.
You should go to a regular big dealership to avoid salavage vehicle. If you can follow the history of a salvage vehicle you can find a great car.

This dealership was just a regular 'ole stereotypical South Carolina family (with full-on southern accents). They were nice and weren't pushy, but they really should state all of their cars are salvage title (and price them as such).

But yeah, once we found out they were salvage, that's not what we were looking for. However, the next dealership we went to sold manufacturer buy-back lemon cars in the price range we were looking for:

One of the cars we looked at: https://capitalfordcharlotte.com/vehicles/2014-ford-focus-titanium-qajb5780-1fadp3j20el407469

We only found out when we saw the Carfax report.