The way of the dodo
This is why car buying is a horrible experience.
We are looking for a car. I figure ok, as an internet savvy person I will forgo the dealer and do everything online.
Foolish me.
I will pick on Ford to start
We had been buying Toyota in the past because we have never had any problem with their cars. I figured, ok time for a change let’s try Ford, looking at their Ford Edge. I get online start looking at their cars, nice website. There is a pre-Approved loan link (since they are offering 0% financing for 5 years looks good). I pick the car and the model I want. I click on the pre-approved Ford Credit form. It rakes 60 seconds to come back and tells me everything looks good, but they can’t give me a final decision until I go into the dealer and actually pick a car. Hmmm, they already know the price I am looking at because I chose everything online, this doesn’t look good.
Ok, I choose my car again, EXACTLY all the options I wanted down to the color and trim. It finds a dealer near me and submitted the form expecting to get a price back, again foolish me. Your local dealer will be contacting you with a price.
I get an email back the next morning (I requested no phone calls) with the subject line
“Vehicle in Stock”
Opening the email expecting a price, I get a form email going on and on how long they have been in business and the virtues of Ford motor company, but no price, just the line telling me to make an appointment to look at the car.
Sigh, these people don’t get it. I DON’T want to deal with the sales people, I DON’T want to deal with the bickering, if the Car dealers didn’t have such strong lobby business in Washington, I could shop actually shop online for a car properly.
BTW, the Toyota dealer was just as slimy. As soon as we opened the door this slimy guy named Mark came to us and did ALL the tricks of a car salesman. Instead of just getting the car off lease for the amount agreed with Toyota, he tried to add $2000 to the price claiming dealer prep. I left and went to the Toyota down the street.
No wonder car companies need my bailout money, they cant get it the honest way.
sigh
