My experience at Potamkin Hyundai was beyond disappointing - it was outright frustrating from start to finish.
I worked with a salesperson named Dario, and after some negotiation, we reached a clear verbal agreement on both the out-the-door price and the value of my trade-in. I even signed a worksheet with the numbers and my phone number to show I was committed to moving forward.
At first, I thought the deal was aggressive but fair. Then I realized I had made a mistake calculating the out-the-door price - I had based taxes on the full purchase price instead of factoring in the trade-in difference, and was off by about $1,300.
Even after recognizing that, for the sake of avoiding further delays being that I was with my family, I honored my word and did not attempt to renegotiate or lower the price.
That's when things took a turn.
Instead of honoring the agreement, they came back trying to appear "like they were giving me a great deal" in reducing my trade-in value by $1,000 from what had already been agreed upon. At that point - after realizing my own mistake and now being pushed further -- I got up to leave. Keep in mind, I was there with my wife, toddler, and baby.
They followed us to the door, and after more back-and-forth, suddenly they were
"able" to return to the original agreed on trade in number. Fine - we proceed.
Right before heading into the finance office, we were already fully committed, as they printed the numbers to hand over to finance we were moving all of our belongings from one car to the other, including installing and transferring two car seats, which anyone with kids knows is not a small task. At that point, there should have been zero surprises left.
Then came financing.
Out of nowhere, they added dealer fees ON TOP OF the out-the-door price - a price that had been clearly confirmed multiple times (at least six). When we questioned it, they brought in another gentleman to "clear the air" on the numbers. By then, I was already on edge after everything that had happened. I made it very clear that I was frustrated, that we had been transparent the entire time, and that I was ready to leave because this had turned into a complete waste of a day - especially with my entire family there.
Instead of resolving anything, he took offense and claimed I was "threatening" him by saying I would leave, and responded with "he has a family too." That comment was completely irrelevant and tone-deaf - his family wasn't the one stuck at a dealership for hours dealing with shifting numbers and broken agreements.
At that point, any remaining trust was gone. We got up and walked out for good.
This was, without question, the worst dealership experience I've ever had. The constant backtracking, shifting numbers, and lack of integrity made it exhausting and infuriating.
In summary: After a verbal agreement (understanding I was off by $1300) they still attempted to reduce my trade in value and then sneak in the dealer fees at the end.
Honestly, it's shocking to say this, but I likely would have paid less - and had a far smoother experience - buying from a place like CarMax.
Do yourself a favor: avoid this dealership read more