Dealership jerking me around
 

I went in to buy a new 370z (6spd + sports) from my local dealer. Couldn't get a great deal, because they said the car was at another dealership, but I got a decent deal. OTD was about 34k after taxes.

I came in the next day after making the deal to sign the papers and pick up the car. I asked where the car was, and they said "still at the other dealership". I said I didn't feel comfortable signing before I even saw the car (test drove one a few weeks back), but they said they would have the car that evening and to go ahead and sign the papers. They took my trade-in and gave me an 09 Altima Coupe to drive around for the day.

I did (first mistake!) and got a call about 3 hours later saying that they couldn't get it tonight and would have it the next day. Well, today is the next day and the dealership called and asked my second favorite color is...What the hell? They say they "might not be able to get the car from the other dealership". I google'd the VIN, and it's about 2 hours away...

If this dealership doesn't get me the car in the contract, it's void, right? Should I let them find another car and ask for a better deal/incentives? Should I demand my trade-in back, tell them to rip up the contract and just go to the other dealer 2 hours away? It seems like the are royally messing with me at this point....

Help guys!

What does your contract say? Does it list the vehicle color??

If so and they try to give you another, you could say that is a breech of contract and I would think back out of the deal in full.

Yeah you signed the contract for that specific car. Tell them to refund you or you will be seeing them in court.

It's got the VIN, color, everything... They aren't trying to hide the fact they may have to find another vehicle. I'm just not sure how mad I should be right now if it gets to that point.

give them the benefit of the doubt.

given that they took your trade-in suggests they are serious.

i'll ask you this - is your trade worth more than the 09 altima coupe?

car dealers dont stiff people outright like this. they f*ck you over in deals.

also did you specify a colour in the contract?

rather than escalating the issue, just speak to them nicely and calmly and you will get it resolved one way or another.

thats my view.

My trade-in was worth significantly less than the loaner, which makes me a little happier about the whole thing. It's certainly no Z, but hey, they could have let me drive my trade-in around another couple days.

You are looking at it the way I am. I'm calm and not really upset...until they tell me they have to find me another car. At that point, I'm gonna be upset and confused on whether or not to just go to the other dealership directly or let them find me a car. All my coworkers and friends are saying I should be in the manager's office demaning an upgrade to the Touring and other ridiculous things... They all seem more upset than I am.

I just want my Z. :(

EDIT: There's some questions about the contract....I've actually "bought the car" already. A payment is due in 40 days, loan processed....everything for that 370Z color/VIN/options, etc.

Tell them to find the car you optioned and that you don't care if it come from Antartica or the dealer next door but tell them to not waste your time, patience, money and business. You should be able to get your car back since the deal is not over.

the contract means NOTHING until you take delivery of your new Z and drive it off the lot.

even if they had the Z and gave you the keys... you can void the contract if you DON"T leave the dealership with the car. Once you drive off the lot, then it is a done deal.



Oh, and if I were you, I would tell them to void the contract and start over with price/terms when they have a car you want in possession. You can get a better deal that way.

The contract is void. There was never an exchange in goods. You can back out no problem. I know you google'd the car and located, whatever you do don't call the other dealership or you may just seal your fate in never getting that car. It's tough, you are at the mercy of the other dealership and your dealer was agressive with taking you off the market by getting you in the Altima. It's a risky move they pulled and may not pay off. But I assure you, if you want out do it now before that Z arrives. Take the coupe back and back out why you can. They aren't trying to screw you they just jumped the gun. Obviously the other dealers doesn't want to trade or won't call your dealer back.

:iagree:

well said :iagree:

I completely can see that the problem is on the OTHER dealer's side. They apparently renigged on the agreement with my dealer.

If the Z gets here, I don't want to back out! I'm gonna drive the Z away!

You're a dealer Fusz? What should I do if they want to find me another Z? Should I ask for some kind of kick for going through this? Like some free gas, oil changes, options, etc?

:drama:

LEAVE that dealership. It's obvious they're pulling your leg. When they gave you a loaner-car, it's a way to get you to return (because you're physically obligated to). Do not deal with this store.

Tell them you want your trade, and you'll be on your way.

Then they'll say the hackneyed, "we're not here to play games either, we wanna earn your business, but the car you want was unfortunately sold at the other dealer, and we got no control over that...."

btw, are you trading in a 98 dodge stratus, hmmm...that's a soft car to say the least, about $1,000 trade in if you ask me.

And if they keep on giving you b.s., then say I'll call the DMV to investigate you guys. -end of story.

From what they are telling me, the other dealer hasn't sold the Z....they just don't want to give it to another dealership. I'm tempted to pull my trade-in out and drive to the other dealer.

Again, I want the path of "least resistance" that ends in me driving my Z home!!!

I've been in the business for 7 years, and it's a common practice for a dealership to lock the customer down and "take them out of the market"...the way the dealership is getting the vehicle is through locate and trade...they give another dealership a vehicle they have, and the other dealership gives them a vehicle they need...we do that everyday...by signing a contract, in the customer's head, they feel like they're locked into that contract, and by putting you into their "loaner" car, you're not gonna be able to take your trade-in elsewhere to start another deal...

dealerships want to sell what's in their inventory, and they will try to switch you from your choice to what they have in stock...when all else fail and they can't switch you, they will do a "dealer trade"...trust me, your dealership would rather give you additional discounts on a vehicle they have in stock RIGHT NOW rather than getting that other vehicle in for you...it costs them more money to do that (transfer cost plus any add-ons they have on their vehicle that they're trading out from in stock)...

One thing to remember is that if they do a dealer trade, most times, the vehicle will be DRIVEN into the dealership...meaning if the dealership is 2 hours away, expect your vehicle to have some miles on it depending on the other dealership's distance...generally, they won't truck the vehicle in because of cost...but, I guess it also depends on how you negotiated with the dealership too...

In Texas, you are not an owner until you drive the vehicle off the lot...even then, you can always call up the lender and tell them you're going to default on the loan and they will not fund the dealership, then the dealership will rush to get the car back from you...and the other thing that is important to a dealership is CSI (Customer Survey Index)...this is how dealerships earn their inventory and bonus money...if you call and speak to the Customer Relations Manager, and tell them POLITELY that you are not happy with the deal and you feel like you're getting the run around...they will try to make you happy, or let you back out of the deal...we can ALWAYS back out of the deal, even if you have signed your contract...as long as you never took deliver of the vehicle, you are NOT an owner...even if you have signed the contract...now, if you had left a deposit for the vehicle, you MAY lose that money if the dealership did live up to their word in getting you the vehicle they promised you in a timely manner...however, it seems like they've broken their side of the promise, so you're in the clear to back out...whatever you do, just don't be an A-hole...

Wow, great advice. Thanks a ton!

My dealership has ZERO Z's on the lot, so they are trying to get me into one.

They are driving it from the other dealership. I don't mind having 150 miles on the car when I get it.... I've had women with more miles on them but they were still new to me!

What do I do if they can't get my Z and want to find me another? Should I politely refuse and go to another dealership that has one in stock, even if it's hours away or let them find me one and try this all over again?

You know that a dealership on its own whim doesn't have to dealer-trade with another, right? I know JoeAsian touched that, I used to be a car salesman too. I hated the business, too competitive and you gotta have thick skin to deal with customers.

With it having the VIN as part of the contract, it's a breech of contract...null and void!

That is up to you , but free oil changes are always an easy one.

Well...one of the things they would try to avoid is letting the customer know where the vehicle the customer is getting is coming from cuz the customer may go there to get it...if you have patience, and you're willing to settle for another color combination, you can probably go back to the dealership and re-negotiate in your favor: more for your trade, cheaper price, free oil change, etc...otherwise, pull out and go to the another dealership...

living in the big city, there are advantages to buying from a larger dealership...I know this because I work for one...we sell about 400-600 new cars each month, and we're a high volume dealership...we have more leg room to play with when we negotiate...it also means that we have a better selection to trade with other dealerships...this means that, based on what you're telling me, the dealership you went to didn't have any Z, and the other dealership is not giving them the Z, that's probably because the other dealership wants a Z back from your dealership in the trade, but since your dealership doesn't have one to give back, they don't want to take anything else (like a Maxima, or Altima..etc...) back....so in the end, you're not gonna be able to get a car...it may be harder for this dealership to locate a Z for you because all the other dealerships will want a Z back in trade, thus, they may have to wait until they get a Z in stock as trade bait before they can trade for you....

One more thing about smaller dealerships, when they make a sale, they have to make a certain profit before they will accept the deal...whereas, larger dealerships can sell the vehicle below invoice and still keep their average up...

when I say larger and smaller dealership, I meant by volume...sometimes, a larger dealership (in size) may not sell as much as a smaller dealership (in size)...so when I speak of large and small, I speak of units the dealership sells...

This is what happened when I bought my Titan - signed the paper work and drove off with the Titan. I already had financing through my financial instituation which was a great deal. Dealership said they would beat it financing through Nissan financing. Better rate? Sign me up. So urgent issues made me have to drive to Maine from Maryland right after I bought the truck (not the best scenario for break in reasons - but had no choice). When I get back I have a message from the dealership saying they could not beat the rate...and that I had to go back in to resign paperwork because they dropped the price of the vehicle down to compensate and not have to pay more money out of my pocket. Needless to say, this pissed me off. Brought the truck back and told them to keep it (it had over 2000 miles on it LOL!!) and that I was not resigning paperwork. This is when the finance person started throwing out the free crap to get me to resign the paperwork. Needless to say, I wouldn't and she actually started crying and asked me "why I was doing this, this kind of things happen all the time"...which pissed me off even more. I had to take time off of my busy schedule to come deal with the ******** and she could not understand that. Also..this happens all the time? How many people do they try to screw? This was so close to a spot delivery scam (however, it wasn't because they never asked me to pay more money). So I asked to speak to the head guy and she was like "why? I want to keep my manager out of this". Sorry lady...I'm pissed. So I talk to a sales manager and explain that I want my trade in back and that I'm not signing new paperwork. He starts throwing free **** at me. Long story short - I ended up with 8 free tanks of gas (this is when gas was 4 bucks a gallon - with 120 dollar fillups....approx $960 dollars in gas). 5 free oil changes and a free bed extender. So yeah, I might be a **** for being such a hard *** over the entire situation...but I made out with like $1500 dollars in free stuff based on their mistake on a vehicle that I love and wanted to keep. I don't like to be toyed with. Sorry.


Edit: One thing I forgot....in the contract there is some clause that says something to lines that financing is not final and the dealership reserves the right to change until finalized and that you agree not to put substantial milage on the vehicle until everything is finalized (i forget the exact verbiage). I never signed that part which I think was the error on her part, as to why she was freaking out.

I used to sell high-end motorcycles (MV-Agusta, Ducati, Aprilia, BMW). When we did not have a bike that a customer wanted in-stock, we never had a problem locating one from another dealer. If the customer was willing to pay for shipping, other dealers gladly moved product. Granted it's a lot cheaper to ship a 500-lb motorcycle.

It's good business to cooperate with other dealers. Maybe in the car biz things are different, but in the motorcycle business dealers always helped each other out. Nothing was ever asked in return.

Update:

The dealership called and said the original 370z is no longer available from the other dealership.

She said they found another, same exact color/options with the addition of splash guards and kick plates, that they would give me for the same price...but the car has 700 miles on it and it's 100+ miles away, meaning I'll have over 800 miles on the car before I even drive it!!!

I asked them to find me another car for now...unless there is some drastic incentive to drive this 800+ miles Z, there's no way I'm taking that one.

If I keep this Altima coupe much longer, I may end up just buying it....yeah right! GET ME MY Z!!!

They will trailer the car, not drive it...or, at least confirm that is what they are going to do.

f that!!! 800 miles? thats def not a new car by any means....:shakes head:

I would ask the obvious question - why does it have 700 miles on it...that's a lot of "test drives" for an untitled vehicle.

Mine had 56, if I remember right, and I thought that was a bit high too.

lol... dont take it. get your money back and go to another dealer with the goods.

700 miles? That sounds like a sales demo.

Dude, cancel this deal immediately, these people are sharks. Or demand $4000 off their asking price.

They will drive it up to 250 miles from another dealership, from what they've told me. I asked about it, and they will not trailer it. :(

I know, right? I asked what in the world put 700 miles, but I'm sure whatever they say will be a lie. Most likely, the owner/manager drove it around for a month as is own car. I'd venture to guess, no matter how those 700 miles got on it, that they weren't the easiest 700 miles... I can only imagine it was 700 miles of 7500 rpms, tires squeeling, and 87 octane gas!!! (at least that's what would be going through my mind if I did get it)

Well, my dealership is just finding me options right now. They don't have any Z on the lot, so they are searching the entire area for matches on what I want. Another dealer has my exact car, but the owner isn't there until tomorrow...I'll find out how many miles that one has in the morning.

Why are you dealing with someone who LIES to you? Cuba...where's the next-closest dealer, man?

I'm buying a Z in a couple of weeks. I'm ready to fly up to 1000 miles to pick it up if I find the one I want at the right price (Nice break-in if you ask me). It will not, repeat not have more than 20 miles on the odo. I'm not spending $36k on something that has been soiled by someone else. :shakes head:

Meanwhile, go to another dealership. No reason you can't have them competing on the same car that "matches" your criteria.

You do know you can check dealer inventories on http://www.nissanusa.com, right?

I think you'll find what you need somewhere else, no problem?

Seriously, good luck with that.

Unless you're getting a 2010, you're not getting anything but the ones that were test-driven by tire-kickers or employees.

I dunno about that. I've looked at six Z's in the past 3 weeks at different dealers. Not one of them had more than a few miles on the odo. Besides, the 1000-mile limit ends at Fusz Nissan.

Dealer demos are few and far between. Dealers don't have a fleet of test vehicles, Kannibul. The extended test drive I took was a demo driven by the owner's daughter. 5 other Z's on the lot were never driven at the dealership. Why would the dealer let them go out and rack up miles? Never gonna happen.

I would return the Altima, and get your trade back. That way you are back in control. Let them keep looking, and you can keep looking around as well. This way if you find something you have the power to make another deal. Right now you don't, becuase they are holding on to your ticket to shop!

That's s-t-e-a-l-e-r-s-h-i-p, dude! Never sign anything unless you're 99.9% sure of what you're getting into. G'luck!

Not necessarily, and maybe even then only if you put your foot down and demand it. A few weeks ago when I thought I'd found mine; it took a full day of back and forth to convince him to trailer the Z he'd found for me in, as opposed to putting 260 additional miles on it. There were other factors in, but all in all...we just couldn't come to an agreement on it.

Love the avatar pic....lol

That's be a deal-breaker for me. Either they trailer it or I walk. I'm not paying for a used, untitled car, short of them selling it to me at a used price.

I was unhappy about the 50 or so mine had on it. I wasn't concerned over my Civic having 252 miles on it, it was a 12K car. For 40K though...they should stick it in a covered trailer.

Precisely so. Trailer it or truck it, or no deal. Anything at all can happen on the road; the mileage is the least of it. And thanks; I saw it and just LOL'ed.