On April 18, I went to Preston Auto with my family to look at a 2007 Chevy Uplander. Immediately, a salesperson offered a test-drive. With the sound of the exhaust pipe, I stated that something did not sound right and there was a loud noise. The salesman assured me that all exhaust systems have different sounds and it sounded fine to him. Mistake #1. Trust yourself, not the used car salesman.
During the test drive, the van seemed to drive differently than the one we owned. Mistake #2. I should have parked it and left immediately. (My mechanic did find the reason.)
I said no to the first offer; however, he offered to appraise our vehicle. I agreeed, but again said no to the 2nd offer and asked for our keys. The salesman went to get them, but only came back with his manager & his offer, but no keys. Mistake #3. Never give over your keys, if you are 100% certain about not buying a car that day.
Again, I said no, still needed our keys, as my family sat outside of the building this entire time waiting to leave. His answer was that since I had a long-time friend working for Preston, I could receive his employee discount - still no keys. I was NOT interested, so he asked to bring my wife into the office. My wife clearly stated that we had not done any research on cars and did not feel comfortable at all buying the first car we looked at. The salesperson assured us that Mr. Preston had just donated $500,000 to the YMCA (in addition to other sales pitches) and that we could trust their company. He reminded me that we were even receiving our friend's discount. The most painful mistake. We agreed. When we came home & looked @ the internet price it was advertised for, we were devastated. After almost 2 hours of high pressure, we foolishly bought the car for more than it was advertised for. Being 2 science teachers for the community & also doing much charity work, we trust people. You can trust no one, but yourself, when you step onto preston auto's lot. I took it to my own mechanic, to find several issues. And yes, there is a problem with the exhaust. And yes, all 4 tires are cupped & need replaced. I hold hope that Mr. Preston will make any attempt to rectify this horrible experience.
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