My wife & I made an appt to see a very specific used car advertised online. We were even called by a Sullivan rep to confirm our appt before we left home to let us know the car was ready for viewing as we live 40 min away. We arrived early for our 1100 appt & were left cooling our heels while they "looked for the keys". We had become perturbed after 30 minutes that the keys could not be located so we told them we were going to SAM's a mile away to pick up a prescription. Upon returning less than 20 min later, the keys had still not been found. We were told: "that vehicle was sold this morning, would you like to look at another vehicle?"
WOW! So nobody thought it important enough to contact us before driving that distance for nothing? Sorry, not interested in seeing another vehicle! Fast fwd 3 months. We were still looking statewide for the same vehicle (color, trim level, options etc.). Another 1yr newer vehicle had been advertised by Sullivan longer than the first one we were interested in, but after the new year, the price dropped to our budget range. Despite still being perturbed over our previous visit, we are serious buyers & had this specific Buick in mind. We test drove it in the evening then did as good of an inspection as we could in the dark of this higher mileage vehicle. During the inspection we noticed it had a lot of sediment in the frame as if it had sat in water. No indication of any intrusion into the cab, but the entire undercarriage was covered in dried sediment, leaves & debris as though water had flowed past & collected in the frame. This turned us off immediately & I brought this to the attention of "Beach", a very nonchalant salesman. He said they would put it on a lift and "look into it". A few days later, still perturbed that we nearly bought a vehicle with water damage that was also not detailed after being on their lot for 5 months, I contacted the Used Sales Mgr Zack to share with him about the vehicle & the disappointment over our two visits. He said he would look into the claims I made with his mechanic (Clearly "Beach" had not found the inclination to do so). Zack called me back & "Assured" me that it was not water damage, but rather "road grime from test drives". Previously the salesman (Beach) told us they have a set test drive "loop" for their cars. (The one we took said car) & it was on asphalt the whole way.
I then asked to be sent the Carfax to see if any water damage was reported. Turns out the vehicle had an additional 7,000 miles on it since it was in the possession of Sullivan Buick since Aug 2024. Zack had given me his personal # so I texted him questions about the Carfax, the maintenance done since they added 7k miles since it was traded into them etc. Probably 10 questions total. He called me back & had a reason for everything except the mileage. I asked if those were all "test drive miles, or was it used to shuttle people from the service side?" It is a high-end large capacity vehicle, so I deduced that was a possibility. He eventually denied it was test drive miles but never explained the increased mileage. He then told me: "maybe this isn't the car for you?" I replied "clearly it isn't, nor is Sullivan the dealer for us". His smart alec retort was: "besides, we sold that car last evening". If this were the case, we have yet to understand why he would call us to tell us anything other than it had been sold, but maybe add: "we will be on the lookout for another similar vehicle for you to earn your business." We believe our deduction was accurate & the vehicle had been water damaged & they either did not know it before we brought it to their attention, or they knew it was, & tried to sell it anyway? It just seems very suspect that the vehicle sat for 5 months with very few test drives & now when someone is interested & brings these items to their attention, the vehicle is suddenly unavailable because it was "sold". We continued our search & are happy to report we found the used vehicle we have been searching for. It took a trip to Leesburg. We purchased our Buick from a Kia dealer who went above & beyond to ensure the vehicle was turnkey for us upon arrival (including a full tank of gas) before they ever confirmed we were purchasing. They also provided a lifetime power train warranty on top of the remaining GM factory warranty gratis. Something even Sullivan could not offer for a fee on their own product. This just solidified our obvious disappointment in the entire experience & lack of customer concern or competency of those who are the "face of Sullivan Buick GMC". Needless to say, we will confidently utilize any other dealer for future service or sales needs. read more