Car salesmen

[PA132 5]

As I get older, I become better at recognizing the thinly-veiled methods with which companies try to trick us into forking over money. Car salesmen, in particular, astound me.

This morning, I received an email from the dealership I bought my car from several years ago:

"Dear ...,

Lehigh Valley Honda would like to "Reward" you for your past business by upgrading your Honda Fit.

Our records indicate you are one of the select few customers who should be able to trade in your 2009 Honda Fit and upgrade into a brand new 2012 Honda Fit.

We should be able to do this with no money down and same or lower monthly payment!

This could mean additional features with that same/lower payment!

Sound too good to be true??? If we can't do what we believe we can, your next oil change or tank of gas is on us!!!

Please contact me to schedule an appointment, or stop by at your earliest convenience with this printed email.

Thank You,

...

Lehigh Valley Honda Sales Manager"

Of course what they really mean is:

"Dear ...,

Lehigh Valley Honda would like to "Reward" you for your past business by taking more of your Money.

Our records indicate you are one of the select few customers who we have contact information for who should be able to give us your 2009 Honda Fit so we can get more money from someone else for it and sucker you into buying a brand new 2012 Honda Fit from us.

We should be able to do this by taking your car without paying you for it and saddling you with never-ending monthly payments!

This could mean little to no benefit with no hope of you ever being done with payments!

Sound too good to be true??? If we can't do what we believe we can, we'll concede to give you minimally valuable service to try to buy some goodwill for future swindling acts!!!

Please contact me to schedule an appointment, or stop by at your earliest convenience with this printed email.

Thank You,

...

Lehigh Valley Honda Sales Manager"

I dread the day I have to buy another car.

[Ontarkie 14,234]

We get mail with the same deal. I think you should email the revised version back to them

[mamaSue 38]

They're also trying to flog off the 2012 models......

I got my 2013 Chevy back in September!

[The Mean Lady 604]

We get mail with the same deal. I think you should email the revised version back to them

Lol. Was going to suggest this same thing.

I want a new(er) car =[

This 2006 POS PT Cruiser that I got saddled with (all my fault of course ) is well... like I said, a POS.

• June - I tell salesman on Monday when buying car that I am driving 9 hours back to canada on Saturday and need something reliable

• Salesman tells me the PT cruiser is the only thing that will fit into my budget (which was probably true given I have a repo on record) and that it's "mechanically sound" (his exact words)

• Drive car away, car seems to make funny thunking noises but I chalk it up to being paranoid since I just gave them my 96 nissan that was thunking at every turn

• Have father look at car on wednesday and he says something definitely wrong

• Take car back to dealership on thursday night. Told needs new linkage, control arms, bushings, rotors, pads, and ac compressor (gee thanks guys, does it need an oil change too?) Only $2k to fix (plus labor!)

• Yell at salesman for saying it was mechanically sound when that apparently doesn't even mean that we check the brakes on something before selling it

• Take car to dad's shop on friday, spent a total of 250 fixing the absolutely critical things

• AC completely dies friday night

• Drive 9 hours to canada in june in 85 degree weather with no AC

• Complain to BBB and on dealership's facebook and call constantly and leave messages for a Month

• July 10th (my bday! ) dealership agrees to replace AC at no charge

• End of Sept, fixed AC (but had to actually send to another dealership because they couldn't fix it) turned out to not be ac, but some heat switch overheating the car.

• Last month, car starting to freak out and do weird things

• Meineke says battery is dying, need new tie rod end ASAP, new control arms (didn't replace before) and back brakes need replace soon.

• 265 going to autozone tomorrow to replace all brake pads (including fronts that were replaced in june because they were $12 pads and yell I COULDNT AFFORD BRAKE PADS every time I stop. No, seriously, they squeal loudly) control arms, and tie rod end (which they told me to do before leaving but they wanted 250 to do it! It's an $11 piece!!)

Please, everyone pray that my car stays in tact while driving down to the states this afternoon.

Edited December 13, 2012 by KDH

[PA132 5]

Lol. Was going to suggest this same thing.

I want a new(er) car =[

This 2006 POS PT Cruiser that I got saddled with (all my fault of course ) is well... like I said, a POS.

• June - I tell salesman on Monday when buying car that I am driving 9 hours back to canada on Saturday and need something reliable

• Salesman tells me the PT cruiser is the only thing that will fit into my budget (which was probably true given I have a repo on record) and that it's "mechanically sound" (his exact words)

• Drive car away, car seems to make funny thunking noises but I chalk it up to being paranoid since I just gave them my 96 nissan that was thunking at every turn

• Have father look at car on wednesday and he says something definitely wrong

• Take car back to dealership on thursday night. Told needs new linkage, control arms, bushings, rotors, pads, and ac compressor (gee thanks guys, does it need an oil change too?) Only $2k to fix (plus labor!)

• Yell at salesman for saying it was mechanically sound when that apparently doesn't even mean that we check the brakes on something before selling it

• Take car to dad's shop on friday, spent a total of 250 fixing the absolutely critical things

• AC completely dies friday night

• Drive 9 hours to canada in june in 85 degree weather with no AC

• Complain to BBB and on dealership's facebook and call constantly and leave messages for a Month

• July 10th (my bday! ) dealership agrees to replace AC at no charge

• End of Sept, fixed AC (but had to actually send to another dealership because they couldn't fix it) turned out to not be ac, but some heat switch overheating the car.

• Last month, car starting to freak out and do weird things

• Meineke says battery is dying, need new tie rod end ASAP, new control arms (didn't replace before) and back brakes need replace soon.

• 265 going to autozone tomorrow to replace all brake pads (including fronts that were replaced in june because they were $12 pads and yell I COULDNT AFFORD BRAKE PADS every time I stop. No, seriously, they squeal loudly) control arms, and tie rod end (which they told me to do before leaving but they wanted 250 to do it! It's an $11 piece!!)

Please, everyone pray that my car stays in tact while driving down to the states this afternoon.

Wow that sucks... while it was a bit fiscally irresponsible for me to buy a new car, I did for my first one so I could have time to learn the ins and out of repairs and not have to deal with a bunch at once like often happens with used cars. I'm also lucky in that my brother-in-law is a mechanic, so I have someone I can trust to look it over if I do ever have problems.

When my sister tried to buy a used car a few years ago, the salesman showed her this car (a Nissan, I think?) which she really liked. She said she wanted to take it to her brother-in-law to look over the engine, and the salesman said fine.

I picture him at this point going back into his office and rubbing his hands together and chuckling evilly.

So she takes it to said brother-in-law, who tells her right away that the car has had extensive body work done. As in, it was probably in a bad accident, and this was not disclosed. She takes it back an tells the salesman she's not going to buy a car that might fall apart, and the guy has the nerve to complain that she said she was just going to get the engine looked at!

[The Mean Lady 604]

Wow that sucks... while it was a bit fiscally irresponsible for me to buy a new car, I did for my first one so I could have time to learn the ins and out of repairs and not have to deal with a bunch at once like often happens with used cars. I'm also lucky in that my brother-in-law is a mechanic, so I have someone I can trust to look it over if I do ever have problems.

When my sister tried to buy a used car a few years ago, the salesman showed her this car (a Nissan, I think?) which she really liked. She said she wanted to take it to her brother-in-law to look over the engine, and the salesman said fine.

I picture him at this point going back into his office and rubbing his hands together and chuckling evilly.

So she takes it to said brother-in-law, who tells her right away that the car has had extensive body work done. As in, it was probably in a bad accident, and this was not disclosed. She takes it back an tells the salesman she's not going to buy a car that might fall apart, and the guy has the nerve to complain that she said she was just going to get the engine looked at!

My first car was a 93 mustang. Got it when I was 17 (so 10 years ago). My dad bought it for me for a grand and it had a LOT of problems but I was 17 so i didn't care that I had to hop in through the hatchback just to be able to drive =X

Then I got a 2002 sunfire when I was about 18 and a half and drove it from 20k miles to 50k miles and got rid of it (I like warranties)

Then I got a 2005 malibu when I was 20 and did basically the same 20k - 50k and got rid of it.

THEN... when I was 24... I bought a brand new 2009 Malibu... loved the ####### out of that thing.

I bought it because I had started dating my bf in canada and I felt like the malibu was starting to wear down a bit.

Once again, hate not having a warranty.

I had a brand new full time job (promoted at the company I'd been working at already for 4 years) and was making 36k so it was AWESOME.

Paid 380 a month for that thing. 0% interest. I felt SO cool.

Until 3 months later when they fired/laid me off.

They brought me back 2 weeks later on only a temporary basis for 3 months.

Then denied my unemployment after that saying they offered me a job (liars).

I evaded repo from March 2010 to March 2011 when I finally brought the car back and surrendered it.

Then in August 2011, I FINALLY got my refund back with my husband's ITIN and bought the 1996 nissan for a grand.

I honestly felt like the biggest failure.

I'd gotten so used to having a decent car since I was 19 and this was what I had to show for it.

Some jerkoff boss screwed me over for BS reasons and I was driving a POS.

The PT cruiser at least makes me feel like people aren't staring at me.

I know I shouldn't feel like my self worth is some-how measured by the car I drive, but I had really felt like I'd made accomplishments to get where I was at 24 and then to have that all taken away and be left with that piece of #######... couldn't help but depress me a bit.