As with every good grift, everything started off great...
I asked questions, I got answers ( which turned out to be incorrect ).
Based upon those empty promises, I showed up Saturday morning as promised, to test drive a vehicle that they admitted had not been through their shop to inspect, but they said if I was ok with that, they were.
Before I took it for the test drive, I informed them that I would want to have it inspected by my regular Mazda dealership before purchase. They told me no problem; it was going to be a couple of days before they could even get the car into their shop. Experience has taught me that the dealership selling the car is inspecting to make sure it will pass state licensing inspection, but they often skip over costly repairs that are required to keep it on the road. It's more profitable to say that it checks out perfectly than it is to say it's going to cost a bunch of money to fix.
After the test drive, I noted a few issues that needed to be investigated before I signed the paperwork, but I was very interested. I offered to make a deposit to hold the car for 2 days until my shop could get me in for an inspection I had already scheduled. If the car checked out, I would be buying the car.
At first, the story was, I needed to sign a paper saying the $500 deposit was "nonrefundable", but that was a formality, if I found mechanical issues, they would refund the money. Then after I wrote the check, they changed the story to, it's nonrefundable, no matter what. I was willing to invest $170 for an independent inspection, that alone should have shown my sincerity of purchase, but clearly it was not.
Considering they themselves hadn't even inspected the car, I explained nonrefundable was NOT acceptable. There was no telling what problems might be found and they weren't willing to say they would repair anything that was found after I made the purchase, it was "as is". I said fine, I guess I'll leave and come back next Tuesday, if it's still here, I'll take it for another test drive to be inspected.
They then came back and said that since I had already checked the car out for a test drive, I could just keep the car until the following Tuesday when I had scheduled my inspection... no deposit required... To me, this was crazy way to do business, but if that's their rules, ok... I'll play it their way. I wanted the car, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to be a money pit.
This was the set up for their con...
Halfway home, I get a text to contact them immediately. When I call, they inform me that they have another appointment to show the car later that afternoon, I needed to bring it back immediately. The implication was I better go ahead and buy it without inspection, if I didn't want to let it get sold to someone else. It's a manipulation tactic I'd never seen before, but it was it was right out of the bad used car salesman playbook.
The joke is on them, I was not desperate for a car, I'm not willing to be lied too or treated like a dumb mark when they made hundreds of thousands of the make and models I'm looking for, I'll buy from someone else. I'll also never buy from them, ever. I recommend that people looking for a car, used or otherwise, avoid them this dealership if at all possible.
Funny, come Monday morning, they wanted me to come back to buy the car.. but by then, I'd already found a better offer, on a better car, from a dealership that didn't treat me like a mark.
Treat customers like a mark, acquire the title, con men. read more