hey_mikey
Well-Known Member
First of all, let me preface this by saying that I sold Hondas for a couple years and did quite well, earning Silver Level in Honda's Council of Sales Leadership, so I know the difference between a good customer service experience and a bad one.
Since I will be needing a bigger car soon, I took a drive to the closest dealership to check out the latest Hondas. I had some time to burn and since the salesperson was relatively new, let him take me out on a demo and go through the motions, making sure he understood that I was a salesperson and know the game, and wasn't seriously shopping. Of course, he still goes through the process anyway, and I play along. Well, long story short, I let them appraise my car and give me a quote on a my trade along with a quote on a new Accord. Since my car was modded, I knew I couldn't get top dollar for it "as-is," but they gave me a pretty good deal anyway. It was not one that I would say I couldn't refuse, but it was good enough that it seriously got me thinking.
So after spending the weekend thinking about it, I went back to the dealership to see if I could get a better deal. They did sweeten the pot a little, and we start finalizing the paperwork. While we're finishing up, a manager comes over and stops my salesperson, and pulls him back to the desk. He comes back and says they can't do the deal because my car is lowered, saying that even though a manager drove my car, had it inspected, completed the appraisal, and gave me a number for the car "as-is," they won't take it in. I call shenanigans, and another manager comes out apologetic, but not budging that unless I pay the service department for the parts and labor to return the car to stock condition, they won't accept it.
In conclusion, unless you like wasting your time and going back and forth over several days just to grind out a fair price, shop elsewhere.
Since I will be needing a bigger car soon, I took a drive to the closest dealership to check out the latest Hondas. I had some time to burn and since the salesperson was relatively new, let him take me out on a demo and go through the motions, making sure he understood that I was a salesperson and know the game, and wasn't seriously shopping. Of course, he still goes through the process anyway, and I play along. Well, long story short, I let them appraise my car and give me a quote on a my trade along with a quote on a new Accord. Since my car was modded, I knew I couldn't get top dollar for it "as-is," but they gave me a pretty good deal anyway. It was not one that I would say I couldn't refuse, but it was good enough that it seriously got me thinking.
So after spending the weekend thinking about it, I went back to the dealership to see if I could get a better deal. They did sweeten the pot a little, and we start finalizing the paperwork. While we're finishing up, a manager comes over and stops my salesperson, and pulls him back to the desk. He comes back and says they can't do the deal because my car is lowered, saying that even though a manager drove my car, had it inspected, completed the appraisal, and gave me a number for the car "as-is," they won't take it in. I call shenanigans, and another manager comes out apologetic, but not budging that unless I pay the service department for the parts and labor to return the car to stock condition, they won't accept it.
In conclusion, unless you like wasting your time and going back and forth over several days just to grind out a fair price, shop elsewhere.
