I was driving a full sized GMC 4x4 Z71 pickup, probably the most loved vehicle that I have ever owned, and one that I thought I would never have to sell, but I knew that I had to do something about the amount of fuel I was using.
I wasn’t sure if my credit was in good enough shape to purchase a new Chevrolet vehicle, and thought it a good idea to test the water despite the IRS having a lien on my credit, and despite the fact that I was working on the lien and knew that it would be released soon. I was worried about the fact that I was spending way too much on fuel.
I had been spying the Chevrolet HHR, a very similar vehicle to the PT Cruiser, and felt sure that it was a good buy for me since it was so reasonably priced and would get 30 miles per gallon. Additionally, the Chevrolet HHR was roomy enough to accommodate my DJ equipment for my 2nd job.
And since I was spending $600 per month on fuel, I realized that I could afford a small car payment and the fuel for a car like the Chevrolet HHR. But what I would also gain from this purchase is a reliable vehicle with a warranty, and a vehicle that I wouldn't have to worry about reselling in an increasingly fuel conscious economy.
I went on over to Parkway Chevrolet in Tomball, Texas to take a look at the HHR and see if the financing would be a problem. I met with the Internet sales person since I had been looking into the Chevrolet HHR on the Parkway Chevrolet web site and had already taken part in correspondence via the Internet.
I explained to him that I wasn’t sure if he could get me financed, but felt it a good idea to look into getting a new Chevrolet it at this point. He ran my credit and came back to tell me that it would not be a problem.
Next, I let them take a look at my GMC truck as a possible trade in, but of course they came back with an offer that was ridiculous, so I turned them down on trading in my truck. He then told me that I only needed $2,000 down to buy this new vehicle from Parkway Chevrolet, and said that I could easily come up with that if I were to sell my GMC truck.
So, I left the Parkway Chevrolet dealership that day, and spent the entire next day cleaning and detailing my truck to see if I could get it sold. And since it was in such good shape and ran so well, I was hopeful that it would sell… and it did the next day, to the first guy that came along to look at it.
The next day I headed to Parkway Chevrolet to get the new HHR that I had discussed with them in my previous visit. And now I really felt optimistic, because I would now be able to put down twice the money as originally discussed.
Needless to say, I hung out in the Parkway Chevrolet dealership all day long, only to be told at the end of the day that they could not get me financed. I could not believe what I was hearing! I just sold my vehicle and now was being told by Parkway Chevrolet that I could not get financed!
Needless to say, at this point I was pretty upset and not sure what to do about the situation that I was put in by Parkway Chevrolet. I called the dealership back and spoke with the woman that is currently the General Manager and explained that I was lied to by her salesman. Her answer was for me to come back to Parkway Chevrolet and let them try to put me in a 3 or 4 year old vehicle… something that would put me back in the situation I was trying to escape.
I decided to try another dealership, and drove out to Ron Carter Chevrolet after speaking with an older sales person that seemed to be on the ball when it comes to getting me financed. But little did I realized that this was going to be every bit as traumatizing as my visit to Parkway Chevrolet.
My sales person at Ron Carter Chevrolet strung me along for 4 days. That’s 4 days of driving 125 miles round trip! During this time, I only saw my sales person a few times for only a few minutes total, as he was working other deals and fitting mine in when he could. Needless to say, I didn’t feel like a customer at Ron Carter Chevrolet because I certainly wasn’t being treated like one.
Despite the fact that I knew something about car sales and told him that (having been a car salesman at one time), this guy decided that I wouldn’t know the difference if he and his peers at Ron Carter Chevrolet lied to me too. He called me on day 4 and told me that he was going to get me into a Chevy HHR, and to come on down to the dealership.
I took my final drive to Ron Carter Chevrolet only to find out that he was planning to put me in a Chevrolet HHR that was pre-owned. But the real kicker was that he told me that the bank told them to put me in this vehicle, and no other. He actually told me that the bank was telling me what I could drive.
He then told me that I would be paying Ron Carter Chevrolet right at $16,000 plus tax, title & license for this 2 year old HHR that had 32,000 miles on it.
My first question was how could Ron Carter Chevrolet put me in an HHR that was only a few thousand miles away from having no warranty (since the 2006 model only came with a 36,000 / 36 month warranty) and asking me to pay a price that was almost that of a new Chevrolet HHR.
Again, he told me that the bank was telling them what I was going to be driving and what I was going to be paying. But worse, I had seen this vehicle online on their web site for almost $2,000 less. Additionally, further inspection revealed that the vehicle’s tires were worn out.
I then asked what kind of finance company would set me up with a Chevrolet vehicle that was about to be out of warranty, and send me down the road on a bad set of tires? It was obvious to me that this was a Ron Carter Chevrolet that they badly needed to get rid of before 36 months came around, or they had just had it on the lot too long.
And needless to say, Ron Carter Chevrolet said that even if I bought this vehicle they would not put good tires on it, or give me a warranty.
Ok, now I had been to 2 different Chevrolet dealerships, Ron Carter and Parkway, and they had lied to me, and had no vehicle to drive other than a rent car that I had been in for too long already. Needless to say, I was put out by these antics at Ron Carter Chevrolet and Parkway Chevrolet since I was a long time GM customer that has been driving GM vehicles for 30 years.
I decided to go to one more Chevrolet dealership and give them a chance to get me in the right vehicle. I went to Lone Star Chevrolet the next day, and they were actually honest with me and tried once again to get me financed. Eventually, I found out that it just wasn’t going to happen.
So, here I sit with no vehicle, trying to decide what to do about the situation that Parkway Chevrolet and Ron Carter Chevrolet had put me in. I have been out looking at used vehicles that I can afford for the cash I have out of my truck, but everything is junk at that price, and a risk to buy.
What is the moral of this story? There is still plenty of dishonesty in car sales, and even though I felt some loyalty to Chevrolet and GM, they certainly felt no loyalty to me, a long time Chevrolet / GM customer that will certainly reconsider future Chevrolet purchases.
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