In 2013, I bought my very first new car from Russell & Smith Mazda (a 2014 CX 5). The experience was stressful, and ultimately traumatic (I have diagnosed PTSD). I paid a drive out price of $27,094.72. Years later, I learned--after negotiating with a competing Houston dealership for the exact same model--that a fair drive out price should have been about $25,000.35, nearly $3,000 less. Realizing I had overpaid that much on my first new car purchase was devastating. It was so hurtful and deeply disappointing. I have never bought a new car since that first car buying experience.
The problems did not end with the price. Within about three months, the driver's seat started to pill and tear. Panicked and heartbroken, I went back to RSM. The service director at the time, Stephen Vo, told me it was entirely my fault. He laughed, sat me down, and pulled up Google to show how "many other companies" had similar problems. Being dismissed and mocked after spending more than half my annual salary on this vehicle was incredibly hurtful.
After repeated complaints, the general manager, Stephen Rodriguez, contacted me. Our first conversation was not productive; he yelled at me on the phone, which only deepened my sense of shame and humiliation. I felt he had only heard the salesperson's side (Sutoyo Sughirato) and never really asked me what had gone wrong. At one point he asked whether I wanted to buy a Ford instead, which made no sense in the context of how badly I felt treated. Looking back, I can see he may have offered some things in good faith, but the way he spoke to me--raising his voice and not really listening--made any possible resolution impossible. I eventually sold the car at a major loss because I could never truly enjoy it.
The financial and emotional impact lasted for years. My salary at the time was about $56,000, and my wife and I had to borrow money from my father to keep up with payments. For a long time, I would pull over to the side of the road and cry, feeling like a complete failure. Two different therapists diagnosed me with PTSD, and I was in therapy for six years. I even tried antidepressant medication for a time. The trauma of that car buying experience has lasted my entire lifetime.
Over the past 13 years, I have thought often about how I wish things had been different. I do give the GM- Steve Rodriguez- a tiny bit credit for eventually reaching out, but I believe he failed in his primary duty as a leader: setting a respectful tone and protecting customers from rude or abusive behavior by salesmen. When a GM yells at a customer, it sends a message that such behavior is acceptable throughout the dealership. Leaders set the tone for the entire dealership; when they are rude to a customer who genuinely had a traumatic experience, employees often take that as permission to treat customers the same way. I am not writing this post to seek revenge, harm the dealership, or to demand an apology. Most importantly, I want to have closure on my PTSD from this dealership and to try to put the trauma and the pain behind me. My goal is to share practical advice I wish I had known for my first new car purchase-
1. Never go alone to a dealership. Bring someone with you.
2. Go on a full stomach and bring snacks so you are not worn down
3. Never buy on your first visit. Leave, and use email/text to negotiate.
4. Avoid focusing on monthly payments alone; that can hide a longer term and higher total cost.
5. Arrange financing with your bank or credit union beforehand, insist on a rate from the dealer. 6. If a salesperson is rude, just leave. I regret not doing this. Legally Texas is a one-party recording consent state.
7. Get multiple online quotes under different names. I have also used different email addresses with different names as well as different texting apps. Many times I use a VPN.
8. End of the month, end of the year/summer is best times to buy.
9. Wear light sunglasses and a mask because dealerships have trained their sales associates and AI to be able to read facial expressions
10. Unlike many customers, I completely understand that the dealership needs to make a profit also, but I still believe they could have given me a better deal. And they didn't need to bully and intimidate me. Even now, I avoid driving anywhere near this dealership; I avoid 610 loop. Seeing their license plate frames or billboards can trigger extremely traumatic and painful memories. I only purchase used vehicles (CarMax and AutoNation) because my mental health is more important to me than any potential "deal."
11.My hope is that sharing my experience helps others negotiate more confidently and avoid the kind of trauma, shame, and financial burden I went through. I no longer want to carry the pain around. After almost 6 years in therapy, I have improved my mental health, yet the wounds cut deep. I will likely never be fully healed but I know that my pain and suffering can be useful for others to avoid these pitfalls. read more