I bought a car from Autotown about a year and a half ago--based on how it played out and the lies…read moretold, I feel compelled to provide a review, so that others know what they're walking into. I'm sick of businesses playing with people's time and money, and getting away with it!
The entire purchase was completed online, as I live over 1800 miles away. I was in the market for a new car and was taking my time, but honestly, was over car shopping at that point. In fact, based on previous experiences, I decided to shop solely online--it was exhausting! I eventually landed on Autotown for a specific vehicle, in addition to a few other dealerships with the same trim, also out of state--they, however, all had a third of the mileage (a couple of them had less than a third) and cost a bit less, so I was iffy on this listing from the jump.
I reached out via Autotown's website to submit an offer (this feature is just decorative, apparently). Ben responded, completely ignoring my offer, which was more in line with what others were selling it for, again, with less mileage and more transparency about the condition of the vehicle. I should have trusted my gut, then. When I mentioned my offer, he went on basically discussing how it was a luxury vehicle, that he couldn't go down on the price, how awesome it was, and how his wife was driving it at the time and loved it! *eye roll* Imagine listing a vehicle at a specific mileage, but it's currently being driven daily. He also had a Carfax listed for the vehicle that wasn't updated, but said his trusted mechanic maintained and inspected it, but that he wasn't hooked up with CarFax--another red flag. All in all, those emails felt like I was engaging with a smarmy used car salesman--turns out, I was! I moved on after the initial emails--I wasn't feeling the vibe. I contacted the other dealers--one was regrettably unable to complete the purchase fully online, but I wasn't crazy about the color, anyhow. The other took a bit to get back to me. Unfortunately, I heard back from them after having already started this purchase with Autotown, and being over searching and waiting.
Ben reached out with pictures--my signal to negotiate, but I didn't; I truly was over talking to salespeople. I had asked very specific questions about the car's function and cosmetic imperfections--I was very clear about not wanting/having time to have work done.
"The car is as close to brand new as it gets. Not a scratch on it. I looked hard to find an issue and I can't."-Ben
I moved forward with the purchase and TWO HARD PULL CREDIT INQUIRIES later (I financed it through a local credit union), I was setting up shipping. Parts of this process were easy, credit to Ben--had he not been a snaky liar, I wouldn't have been here, even though he could have done more to negotiate the price.
Turns out the Carfax, the listing condition, and pictures Ben sent, were not up-to-date, and there appeared to be further deceptive attempts (brainlessly executed, by the way) to cover up the damage--some temporary white substance that washed away with a spray of water. There was a very obvious dent and paint gash on the passenger door, a few small paint imperfections that I could have ignored if they hadn't arrive covered up--looked like a natural fade--and significant damage to at least one rim (which was rotated over to the driver side. Deliberately? I'm not sure, but definitely strange). Ben knew the damage existed before sending me the car, as he had to sign off on it for shipping. There were also more owners listed on the title than the Carfax originally stated.
I wrote Ben about this--he initially feigned confusion, then blamed me for not requesting a video to catch the damage, but ultimately sent a $500 check to appease me, with no estimate for the damage. The work for the door damage at an auto repair shop would have been 2-3x that! Out of frustration and lack of time--because I would have needed a rental and everything else while the work was being done--I, regrettably, took the easy way out and did paintless dent repair, which was cheaper and faster, but not up to par with the condition I expected and was promised. I shouldn't have, but Ben reimbursed this. Sure, he somewhat resolved it, but got off easy, regrettably.
I like the vehicle I purchased. Aside from the above issues, they could have done a better job deep cleaning the inside, and the charging pad under the radio initially didn't work because there was an ink pen stuck under it--something they should have caught during a true inspection (it worked after removing the pen)--but I didn't find any other issues with it. However, I wouldn't patronize again, nor recommend this place. The whole experience rubbed me the wrong way, but lesson learned!
Trust your gut. Walk away if they are unwilling to negotiate, especially when better deals exist nearby.
See a few pics of my "perfect", unblemished vehicle, below.
