On Saturday, 8/1/26 I drove nearly two hours to this dealership intending to purchase a 2002 Dodge…read moreRam Van 1500 listed on their website for $6,700. I was paying cash and prepared to buy it that day.
When I arrived, Andrew told me the van had been there about three months and they were ready for it to sell. He said they had received a lot of interest, but no one had followed through. I was there to follow through. Unfortunately, the van wouldn't stay running. Even after jumping the battery, I couldn't test drive or purchase it. Andrew also mentioned possible carbon buildup, which raised additional concerns about the engine.
Andrew apologized for wasting my trip, took my number, and assured me multiple times they would "do right by me." He said they would get the van into their shop, get it running, and follow up.
Before leaving, I brought up the $6,700 price because the windshield showed $8,900. Andrew insisted it wasn't $6,700 until I showed him the price on their own website. He acknowledged he didn't realize it had been reduced that much, but said if $6,700 was the listed price, that was absolutely the price.
That was Saturday. By Wednesday, I had received no call/text. I checked their website and found the same van relisted for $7,400
I left a negative review because the experience felt dishonest. I had made a nearly four hour round trip as a serious cash buyer, was promised follow up, and instead discovered the vehicle relisted at a higher price. I have screenshots showing the $6,700 price on 8/1 and $7,400 price on 8/5.
After posting this review, Andrew called me Thursday 8/6. He said the battery had been replaced and the van was now good to go. When I questioned the higher price, he said they didn't know how $6,700 had ever been listed and that it should never have been that price.
A few hours later, I told Andrew the back and forth on pricing had turned me off and I wasn't comfortable paying more after driving there specifically to purchase it for $6,700. I thanked him for calling and even removed this review.
Later that day, Andrew called back after speaking with his manager. He said that in order to "do right by me," they wanted to honor the original $6,700 price. I appreciated that and immediately accepted. I told him I wanted the van and would be there first thing Saturday morning to pick it up.
Then Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours later, Andrew texted me saying another buyer had gone to the bank for cash and was "99%" likely to purchase the van that day.
I was shocked. Had I known the van wasn't being held after I accepted their offer, I could have rearranged my schedule and gone Friday. Andrew then told me they don't hold vehicles or accept deposits.
I understand a no-hold policy. What I don't accept is how it was handled here. I had already driven nearly two hours each way to buy this van the previous weekend, and THEY were unprepared to sell it because it wouldn't stay running. Had the vehicle been purchase ready when advertised, it would already have been mine.
Given those circumstances, "doing right by me" could have meant holding it until Saturday morning, allowing me to make a deposit, or at the very least clearly telling me that despite accepting their offer, the van remained first come, first served. None of that happened.
Andrew then explained that they have a lot of vehicles, so he couldn't have known this one wasn't purchase ready, and he didn't know I was coming from so far away. That's unacceptable to me. A dealership not knowing whether a vehicle it has advertised for sale can actually be driven off the lot is not the customer's responsibility.
After this entire experience, it's difficult not to feel that "doing right by me" only applied until someone else was willing to buy the van at the higher relisted price.
I intend to submit a complaint to the appropriate consumer protection agencies regarding the dealership's advertising, pricing, and handling of this transaction.
