Drove almost 2 hours from my home to check out a car at this dealership. It took a little longer to get there than I anticipated, so I called to delay my appointment, which I was able to do without a problem.
When I pulled up, the car was already parked in the front of the building. However, I walked in and there was literally no one there. I waited for about 5-10 minutes before finally calling and asking where everyone was. Rudy, the customer service manager, came over to greet me and walked me over to another Reynolds building while my salesman, Jermaine, finished up in a meeting.
The wait was short, and after a quick greeting and some pre-test-drive formalities, we were on our way. I loved the way the car drove, but I was not pleased with the numerous dings and chips in the paint. These were not highlighted in the pics I found on AutoTrader, and I found it highly unusual that no one else at the dealership seemed to/claimed to notice, given the otherwise bold color of the car.
I wanted a vehicle that was turnkey and ready to drive off the lot that day, but since I really liked the car, I strongly considered inconveniencing myself further if they would cover the repairs AND if we could negotiate a decent price. Jermaine told me that he only had about $500 of wiggle room for this vehicle. That was not going to work for me, so we launched into that dreaded push-and-pull that makes most people resent buying cars from dealerships. He showed me similar vehicles in the area, as well as the Kelley Blue Book value of the car I was considering, as justification as to why he was not willing to negotiate, but it was not enough to justify the inconvenience for me.
Since they would need an additional 5 days to fix the paint and the dings, I would have had to drive home (almost 2 hours) empty-handed, wait for the repairs to be complete (and either extend my car rental for that amount of time, or make due without one for 5 days), and drive another 2 hours back down there to pick it up. Had they been more willing to negotiate, I might have done just that, but instead we hit a stalemate.
Since I had other options, I was ready to leave. I'd initially planned on buying another SUV anyway, but since the car was also AWD and met most of my criteria, I decided to check it out and explore all of my options. I didn't have my heart set on this one car, and the added headache made it easier for me to walk away.
After negotiations stalled, the owner came over and apologized for the paint damage. He said he had no idea why no one noticed it, but that it needed to be fixed, whether I bought the car or not, and that he would talk to his team about that. That's great and all, but the fact remained that I would still be inconvenienced if I made this purchase, and they were not willing to do what I needed to make the sale work.
Time to move on. I wasn't wasting any more time on a deal that was dead. As I headed towards the door, a "sales manager" stopped me on my way out saying he wanted to take one last look at the deal to see if he could do anything to help. He actually made matters worse, telling me what I "couldn't have" (wrong thing to say to someone like me) given the requirements I outlined, as well as the price I was wanted to pay. That's not the way to try and sway a customer... especially one who has done her homework. I could tell early on this conversation would be an additional waste of my time, and it was. After he finished his spiel, I made it clear that I would not be making a purchase from this dealership because their terms were unfavorable and I was not willing to make numerous concessions if they were not willing to do the same. He countered, stating that they would incur such a "significant' cost to get the paint fixed "for me". I informed him that the owner and I had already spoken, and that he told me the paint would be repaired, regardless of whether I purchased it or not. Nice try on the guilt trip, buddy...
By this time, I was bored with the games, and it was really time to go.
I got a phone call a few days later from Rudy, the customer service manager, to follow up and see how my experience went. I appreciated the follow up and I informed him of the outcome of my visit. He asked if I had any feedback to provide, which I was more than happy to share.
Overall, I would rank my experience here better than any that I've had with dealerships in the immediate DC Metro Area, but don't let the small town, family-owned thing fool you. A car salesman is a car salesman wherever you go. read more