Just once in my life....I would like something to be easy. But knowing my cynical side...if something was easy, I would be waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The new car......
We sent in the loan papers, everything was set up. We figured out how to pay for the difference (half on CC, half is made up of cash from emptying the boat maintenance fund, and taking some from EF and some from home improvement fund). We were figuring out what we needed to do in order to pick the car up today (as in Wednesday).
Yeah.....not so much.
We get a call from the dealership yesterday afternoon that 1) one of the hoses to fix the car is backordered and 2) the finance paperwork guy isn't there on Wednesday.
Let's talk about #1. No one told us that the car wasn't actually fixed yet. We knew about the repair at 1pm on FRIDAY. We went in to do final negotiation paperwork on SATURDAY. We talked to the MONDAY about getting the check. So why was it TUESDAY before they mentioned this????
#2....less of an issue, but still.
G-man went 10 rounds with the sales manager, who was a jerk and a half. Completely unwilling to talk about anything other than WE were beating a dead horse. So he spoke to the general manager. Now we are in a holding pattern. They are unwilling to negotiate any further, but I told G-man that they certainly can throw in some oil changes or something for all the inconvenience. We will see.
The dealership is taking the attitude of "buy the car, don't buy the car...we don't care anymore." We are tempted to walk away. GRRRR.
UPDATE - We found a similar car (not as many upgrades, but only 25k miles) and put a hold on it until we can get there to see it. We are keeping our options open until we figure out what to do.
UPDATE 2 - Apparently we don't have the other car on hold yet. But Car #1 is now fixed and is ready when we are. General Manager offered us ONE oil change for our troubles.
UPDATE 3 - Car 2 has a hold on in the hour we were waiting for them to call us back.
Additional info: We will not have any dealings with the dealership once we purchase the car. The car will have a 60 day warranty on it, but after that...we have no reason to have any dealings with them. Alot of people have said "how will they treat you later?" They won't treat us anyway....we will never see them.
Ughhh that stinks! I'd be so mad. Don't they WANT your business?!?
ReplyDeleteYoo hoo........W A L K A W A Y.
ReplyDeleteYou are heading into a nightmare. Can't you see that?
I agree with Morrison on this--if this is the behavior of the dealership now, when they are about to make a sale, imagine how they will treat you after the sale. Honestly, nothing about this transaction makes any sense...why are you determined to go through with the purchase of a vehicle you cannot afford--the proof you cannot afford it is that you have to put some of the cost on a credit card! Give into temptation and walk away while you still can!
ReplyDeleteWalk away!! It is not worth this much hassle!! Right now they should be bending over backwards to help you!! Run away from this car!!
ReplyDeleteLike I said...we are considering walking away. Of course that means starting all over again...
ReplyDeleteIn regards to being able to afford the car...the CC amount is $500. The money we are paying towards the retirement loan, plus my extra day at work now is the car payment. It isn't really any more money than we are already spending.
I didn't want a car loan....remember? But my car died. I have no idea how much you all think this car is, but if we go under $10,000 for the price...we are getting an old car with high miles. Not exactly reliable.
This car basically has 3-ish years worth of miles on it. The car payment is over $100 LESS than we were paying for G-man's car.
Anyway you slice it...this is the price we are going to pay for some car....regardless if it is this one or another one.
For me personally I would take this as a sign that God does not want me to get the car. As for you, maybe you should reconsider as there are so many little red flags. What other issues might they not be telling you about.
ReplyDeleteCar dealerships should be bending over backwards to accomodate buyers these days. Not an industry that can afford to lose sales. Unreal the amount of things that you are going through.
Hope things look up soon.
Oh and don't you have to come up monthly with $225 for the payment?? Mysti, seriously, it might be a hassle, but walk away. You are setting yourself up for a real nightmare.
ReplyDeleteAgain...the monthly cost of the car is covered by the amount we are paying on the retirement loan and my extra day of work. There are 2 months where it will be very tight, but then it is covered.
ReplyDeleteThe 2012 budget reflects all of of this.
I am not justifying buying a car. It has to be done. This particular car might not work out...but a car is in our future one way or another.
I'd be one to say that walking away is a good choice. If they dont want your business and the car was giving problems before you even picked it up (heck, if you can even pick it up!), don't even think that they will honor any servicing on them. Find another dealership and take the exact same deal you have and have them match it to a car like the one you've been offering. Waiting now and starting the process again can save you a lot of future heartache and headaches.
ReplyDeleteIf the car is bascially sound I'd probably wait and go through with it, yes it's damned frustating but as you say starting all over again is just going to prolong it even further,but I can totally understand why you'd want to walk away and go somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteI'd walk away... I asked below, but you must have missed it? Is there no public transportation in your area to save $$? That way you don't have to keep canceling drs appointments, etc? That sucks! :( We're a family of 6 with no car (like you, we can't afford it, money would be WAY too tight) so we use public transportation instead & stay under budget & not have consumer debt..
ReplyDeletePublic transportation is not readily available in our area. It isn't an option for work due to our schedules (G-man works until 11pm, and the bus isn't running then; if I took the bus to work, I would only be able to work 2 hrs due to commute time).
ReplyDeleteAs for other appts...again, we are looking at timing issues. We aren't looking at appointments that are local (as in within our town...).
We work 3 jobs, and have a special needs child with medical and behavioral issues. It isn't an excuse...but it does influence how we make decisions.
Run away! Or at least try looking for a different car this weekend. I would be afraid that they are really going to screw you over for something..or call your local news reporter. You know the ones that do the "rip off" stories. Bet it gets fixed really fast.
ReplyDeleteJudy
WALK AWAY! they love that LOL
ReplyDeleteI know you don't want NEW but most companies are offering 0% for 60 months!! think of it as an investment that comes with warranty!!
Good luck, I wish you the best!
HS
Walk away.
ReplyDeleteIt just feels like a bunch of signs this is not a good idea.
Walk away. Take deep breaths. Readjust the amount so you don't have to make all of those changes you had to make initially. And do it again.
The worst decisions are made in a rush, under pressure, and/or out of fear. It is a total strain, and I get that, but you need to delay gratification on this one I think.
I'm sorry - I know the entire car buying process has been a tremendous hassle. Can you borrow a car from a family member to buy you more time to look around & find something that's a better fit/available? Rent a car for a week?
ReplyDeleteRun.. not walk.. RUN away from this.
ReplyDelete@Hawaii - we don't have any family here. We are on our own. We rented a car for a week, and it was $$. We can't afford to do that again.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad about the local transportation... :( my hubby leaves for work at 11pm, lol! But the buses run till midnight. You can only do what you can do though! Hope you're able to figure this out!!
ReplyDeleteWalk Away. Can you imagine how they will treat you after you buy the car if there is a problem if they treat you this way now?
ReplyDeleteThere are many cars in the 10K range that are reliable with low miles. It may not be an SUV but with only 2 children you don't truly need an SUV, I agree it is handy, but not a necessity. Look at used Ford Focus, Ford Fusion, Toyota Corolla, Chevy Malibu, etc. The car brand you chose is a car with a history of mechanical issues, newer Fords and Chevys are very reliable as are Hondas, Toyotas, etc. I have 4 kids and often choose to drive my teen's Accord when she isn't using it, simply for the great gas mileage and the kids fit just fine. What about a lease, there are really cheap leases and you can then renegotiate a buy out in a few years. It keeps your monthly payment on a new vehicle really low. I normally would not advocate a lease but your circumstances may require one.
ReplyDelete@Shauna - not sure where you are, but here....there are no cars in the 10k range with low miles. NONE. I will never buy another Ford again, and we looked for Toyota and Honda, and they were out of our price range.
ReplyDeleteWe live in an expensive area, and it shows when making purchases like this.
I realize once I wrote that, that you have a time constraint on finding a replacement car. We are San Francisco (one of highest COL in the country) but we had no time limit so we could just wait until the right car came along. We found several in the 10-12K range with under 25,000 miles but spent 8 months looking. Like I said, I would never normally suggest a lease but it may be a band aid for now for you. It is a new car with all maintenance issues covered with a smaller out of pocket monthly. I have seen them in the paper for well under $200 a month for Corollas and Civics (although you have to factor in how much you drive). Best of luck, I hope things start going your way soon. I'm rooting for you.
ReplyDeleteI remember you said you were in CT. I did a search on AutoTrader.com within 100 miles of Hartford (not sure where you are but it is a small state) and there are 41 Certified Pre Owned cars under $10K. Here is a link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searchresults.jsp?lastBeginningStartYear=2004&num_records=25&search_lang=en&page_location=findacar::ispsearchform&search_type=certified&distance=100&address=06154&marketZipError=false&make=&start_year=2004&end_year=2012&min_price=0&max_price=10000&seller_type=b&transmission=&engine=&drive=&doors=&fuel=&max_mileage=&color=&keywordsrep=&keywordsfyc=&keywords_display=&sort_type=priceDESC&body_code=0&certified=y&advanced=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&showZipError=n&default_sort=&systime=&isFlashPlugin=true&dma=HARTFORD_AND_NEW_HAVEN&rdm=1321464040625
At least these are more options. Good luck with whatever you decide!
I empathize with you Mysti - you are in a tough spot right now. I went through a car search a year ago when my daughter totaled our car and it was a looooong process so I can so understand why you wouldn't want to start over.
ReplyDeleteOnly you can make this decision, follow your heart.
Wait - you have a boat maintenance fund? Couldn't you sell the boat?
ReplyDeleteI am with Jane...follow your heart. You do need a car. Make your decision and move forward. Do you want an SUV because of the snow in your area? Cause I just bought a Hyundai Elantra...it gets about 30 mpg...and I love it.
ReplyDeleteMysti, I know you are frustrated beyond measure but run away from this car. This dealership is crap. Remember I went for 8 months driving a 1989 embarrassing bomb in order to pay off my husbands truck. Follow you instincts, I know you need a car NEED but would you let anything else or anyone else treat you like this. They know you are desperate, they can smell it like a piranha smells blood.
ReplyDeleteToyota starletsare famous for its economical features. It is available with many colors and performance of engine is also good. Interior of car has fine air conditioning, music system and comfort seats. For security purpose it has air bags and enough space for putting your legs. The car has dynamic looks and purchasing a used Toyota starlets car helps you in saving your money as it has low registration and insurance cost, low tax cost and you have to take low money for loan.You can also go for it.
ReplyDelete