I wanted to buy a vehicle to rebuild my credit after a bankruptcy a year before. No dealerships could find me a lender. Via the internet, I was contacted by a saleswoman at Rick Case. Since they are an hour or more away from my home, I said it wasn't worth it, that no one was able to get me financed. She kept insisting that she would get me financing. So, I stopped by and we filled out the appropriate paperwork. I picked out a left over brand new 2003 Mazda pick up. The woman told me to come back on Sunday (this was on a Friday) to pick up my new truck. I told her she hadn't even checked my credit yet and she said that she was SURE she could get me the financing.
I went back on Sunday and, sure enough, picked up my new truck. However, the sticker on the window had a retail price of $21,730, but my sales contract had a selling price on it of $28,344!!! She said that was just inflated to make sure I could get the loan and cover the balance of my trade-in. The original contract was with Wells Fargo Financial.
The next day, someone at the dealership called me and said the paperwork was incorrect and they needed me to come fill out a new financial contract. I said it was too far, so they sent someone to my house. This one was from Mazda Credit. So, being the trusting person that I am, I signed that contract. The next day, they called again and said the contract was not correct, that the VIN or something was wrong. So they sent someone out again to have me sign a new contract.
While this is going on, I have a subscription to Equifax. That whole week I kept getting notices from Equifax that someone was checking my credit. I found that Rick Case Mazda was apparently getting turned down at all of the finance companies they were trying and checking into others. Every check on my credit lowers my score by 2-3 points!
Now, a couple of days later, another call comes in from Rick Case Mazda. They need me to sign another financial contract with a different lender. To make a long story short, I have copies from 6 different lenders now of financial contracts that I have had to sign.
They advertise on TV that "No credit? No problem. Bad credit? No problem." No wonder they say that. If someone is desperate enough, as I was, they will keep trying until they get someone financed.
If this is the "professionalism" (?) displayed at this dealership, I would not recommend them to anyone, desperate or not. I believe this is the worst buying decision I have EVER made and have not and will not return to them. You can be sure that, as much as I like Mazda's (I used to be a trainer for them), I would tell anyone to travel up to 2-3 hours just to not have to deal with Rick Case Mazda.
They did me such a disservice, that my Mazda is being repossessed this Friday due to the $26,000 balance owed on a vehicle worth about $15,000, and the high payments they stuck me with.
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