AutoNation shenanigans~

[Not A Nice Person]

So here's the thing: I got bored. My Toyota RAV-4, which I've had since 2011, is still running great but showing some age and, let's face it, I've had it quite some time now. So I was looking around online and found this at a local AutoNation dealer:



2015 (last year), low miles, $20K, which is right in my comfort zone. I take the plunge, actually hit "Check Availability" on the website, open a convo with the dealership. They tell me it's available, so I ask about financing & get pre-approved with both them & my credit union on financing. But when the dealer gets back to me on my financing approval later that SAME DAY, they tell me "Oops, that one's not available we sold it to a buyer in Georgia" and they try to sell me an ML-350 with more miles on it than my RAV-4 instead.

Which got me thinking. Because if a Georgia AutoNation can buy from an AutoNation HERE, I should be able to buy from an AutoNation ANYWHERE, right? I ask, and they say yes, but you have to sign all the paperwork & commit to buying it first, plus pay shipping. Okay, fine, but I'm gonna LOOK anyway, right?

There's another one available in . . . . . Georgia. It DID have a stock photo up, but when I went back later (after asking the dealer here about it) it had changed to THIS:



Here's the original stock photo Georgia listing but on a non-AutoNation website:



Notice it's still AVAILABLE on the current AutoNation listing? It gets worse. I check the CarFax history on it and find THIS:



It's the SAME GLK! From HERE! And they shipped it off to Georgia WHILE I was still talking to them about it and arranging financing!

The thing is, they told ME interstate sales required a guaranteed buy & signed papers. So WHY is it LISTED FOR SALE on the Georgia AutoNation website? How did Georgia get it with NO BUYER and why did they snatch it out from under me like that?

I just don't get it. I'm a little bit pissed off about it, though.

~Boar

 

[jfields]

Hmmm..... Maybe a little bait and switch going on there. Maybe they realize they will make more money that way. Sell less cars, but more profit when they do. Another person may have taken the other car.....
Things like this pandemic changes the way people shop and it always brings out a new angle for scammers.

 

[tone-ny]

Absolutely a bait and switch! Like John stated a way for them to maximize profit with so many people shopping on-line.

 

[kann]

That's crazy...

 

[CigSid]

Ok, let me get this straight... you expect used car sales people to have scruples

It actually looks like a pretty good deal on a great vehicle...

 

[Not A Nice Person]

It actually looks like a pretty good deal on a great vehicle...

They're all running around $20K, but most of them have 80-120K miles on the clock. This one was barely over 30K!

And no, I'm too old to expect scruples. But dammit, I had already STARTED the buying process. That's just LOW.

~Boar

 

[cabaiguan juan]

They're all running around $20K, but most of them have 80-120K miles on the clock. This one was barely over 30K!

And no, I'm too old to expect scruples. But dammit, I had already STARTED the buying process. That's just LOW.

~Boar

It sure seems weird. Did you call them up and ask them to explain it? I’d be interested in hearing their response.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

It sure seems weird. Did you call them up and ask them to explain it? I’d be interested in hearing their response.

We were emailing back & forth over it. After I pointed out it was the SAME vehicle, they insisted Georgia had had a presigned buyer. When I asked "Then why do they have it listed FOR SALE?" they stopped replying.

Jerks.

I'm making inquiries about an Audi Q5 up in San Antonio right now. The pre-2018 Audi Q5 (2017 was the last year for the vertical grille treatment) and the 2015 Mercedes GLK are my two top choices to replace the RAV-4.

~Boar

 

[Scap]

Send that up the flagpole and alert the Attorney General in Austin.

 

[CMontoya79]

Don’t buy from them. Read dealer reviews, Find somewhere else to buy. There are many choices, including online with delivery. If a deal seems too good to be true. It is.

 

[The Black Cloud]

I bought my current car through an auto broker. Told them what I wanted, they went out and got it for me. They even assisted with finding the financing and recommended me an insurance agent. About as easy a process as I could imagine. All I really had to do was show up, sign papers, give my deposit, and take delivery. Next time I'd definitely use them again.

I'd recommend checking your area to see if there's a reputable broker you could go through.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

UPDATE:



I found this one at the same price & virtually the same mileage, with a clean one-owner CarFax report, up in Houston & they've been terrific to deal with. They'll be delivering it & picking up my trade in sometime in the next couple of days.

Stylin'!

~Boar

 

[ironpeddler]

Chances are they never physically moved the vehicle to that out of state dealership...they just shifted it over there via paperwork. I’m shopping for a car and have seen this several times in the last 3-4 months....and when they do it, they raise the price.
They never really moved the vehicle, they wanted the ‘transport fee’ dollars plus the price bump to boost the profit on the deal once they had you on the hook. I had an honest dealer explain that and other tactics (advertising a low price where the small print says ‘price includes 5k down payment‘) they use to draw people in to the buying process.

 

[jbfurdog]

UPDATE:

View attachment 32397

I found this one at the same price & virtually the same mileage, with a clean one-owner CarFax report, up in Houston & they've been terrific to deal with. They'll be delivering it & picking up my trade in sometime in the next couple of days.

Stylin'!

~Boar

Smooth! I like it! Congrats

 

[{tpc}]

My daughter is looking for a used car right now, and we are finding that often on the online sites they don’t have the exact one, but always one that is close to it...little different miles/style...and of course, price!

In our case I think dealers get them in, take the photos and they sell real fast, but “forget” to take the ad down, in order to drive people towards other sales. I know that isn’t really the case here, but it is a tactic.

New leases are kinda the same thing right? It’s always get this truck for $149 for returning lessee but then you find out you have to put $2500 down and even when you do it still ends up being. $225 or more..

 

[Not A Nice Person]

Well, it took them over five hours to drive from Houston for some reason, but they made it. I gave the drive team a big enough tip to get themselves a nice dinner, gassed her up & went driving around for a bit.

A shit eating grin may have been observable at some points.

It's very nice.



~Boar

 

[kann]

Congratulations! That's a sharp looking Merc.

 

[mjolnir01]

Congratulations, Boar! Just in time for Hanna to come visit, huh?

Seriously though, please be safe. And enjoy the new ride.

 

[Not A Nice Person]

Congratulations, Boar! Just in time for Hanna to come visit, huh?

Seriously though, please be safe. And enjoy the new ride.

Hanna is just missing us, so it's a bit wet out there today. Stylin' & profilin' will have a wait a few days!

~Boar

 

[Pugman1943]

That is a nice looking vehicle. It gives you that certain je ne sais quoi.