- Joined
- 19 April 2001
- Messages
- 511
In June of this year, I needed to purchase a car that would be driven 1 mile each way to the Metro (subway) every day. I was looking for an inexpensive but reliable car and thought a used Lexus ES300 would fit the bill. I looked at a few from private owners and decided I'd rather buy from a Lexus dealer because they would be more truthful and honest given that they have a name/brand to protect and would probably want me to purchase future cars from them.
I found an ES300 at a Lexus dealer, spoke to a rep about the car, negotiated a price, and asked the rep if the car had any paintwork. His answer: absolutely not. He also said that it was a car sold new by them, serviced by them, so they would know. I asked him to verify with the used car manager or the dealership's buyer who actually inspected the car. He calls me back and says the car is in perfect shape, no accidents, no paintwork. I asked him on at least 5 occassions. NO PAINTWORK. I buy the car.
Fast forward five months. I am getting ready to sell the car because I don't need it anymore. It has been driven less than 1000 miles from when I bought the car. Take it to get detailed and I am informed that there are signs of paintwork on several sides of the car. I am not experienced in car evaluations and was not able to see the paintwork when I bought the car but when they showed me the indications, there were obvious tape marks and overspray.
Needless to say, I'm pissed. Since it was a used car with high miles, this deal is not going to bankrupt me. However, I would not have paid nearly what I paid had I been told the truth about the car having paintwork. In fact, I agreed to pay a little more because the interior is in great condition. I called the used car manager and he didn't deny/defend that the sales rep lied to me about the car being painted. His only defense was that he "would never tell anyone a car hasn't been painted because over 50% of the cars on his lot have paintwork". WTF??? I told him I wouldn't mind a little touch up paint to fix scratches, chips etc. But this car has had a lot of paintwork. His offer: he would be willing to buy the car from me for what it is worth in today's market. Basically, he told me to screw off. I asked him how much he would give me, and he offers me $5500 less than I paid (5 months and 1000 miles ago) and $1500 less than a non-Lexus dealer has already offered me. Big help.
Here is the thing that burns me. This dealership also sells Acura and I personally recommended a friend of mine from CA to fly out to DC and buy a used NSX from them (which he did about 2 years ago). I sold them my 98 NSX about a year and half ago. They had a used Ferrari which I seriously considered buying for $160k. And they want to screw me for $5k. Regardless of whether they feel they are obligated to resolve this issue, it seems to be business stupid to respond in this way since it will cost them much more in the long run. This deal will obviously impact my decision to purchase from them again, to recommend them, and to actively share my experiences with others.
I am going to call the GM tomorrow and ask him to buy the car back for what I paid less some value for the mileage that I put on the car (maybe $1000-$1500). If they are unwilling, I will proceed to 1) Sue them under Virginia's Consumer Protection Act for false representation 2) visit the dealership periodically to let potential customers know of my experiences and 3) visit as many online automotive boards to inform them of my experiences.
Do you think this is unreasonable or unfair? What else would you ask of the dealership for compensation for their misrepresentation?
[This message has been edited by WeakestLink (edited 04 December 2002).]
[This message has been edited by WeakestLink (edited 04 December 2002).]
I found an ES300 at a Lexus dealer, spoke to a rep about the car, negotiated a price, and asked the rep if the car had any paintwork. His answer: absolutely not. He also said that it was a car sold new by them, serviced by them, so they would know. I asked him to verify with the used car manager or the dealership's buyer who actually inspected the car. He calls me back and says the car is in perfect shape, no accidents, no paintwork. I asked him on at least 5 occassions. NO PAINTWORK. I buy the car.
Fast forward five months. I am getting ready to sell the car because I don't need it anymore. It has been driven less than 1000 miles from when I bought the car. Take it to get detailed and I am informed that there are signs of paintwork on several sides of the car. I am not experienced in car evaluations and was not able to see the paintwork when I bought the car but when they showed me the indications, there were obvious tape marks and overspray.
Needless to say, I'm pissed. Since it was a used car with high miles, this deal is not going to bankrupt me. However, I would not have paid nearly what I paid had I been told the truth about the car having paintwork. In fact, I agreed to pay a little more because the interior is in great condition. I called the used car manager and he didn't deny/defend that the sales rep lied to me about the car being painted. His only defense was that he "would never tell anyone a car hasn't been painted because over 50% of the cars on his lot have paintwork". WTF??? I told him I wouldn't mind a little touch up paint to fix scratches, chips etc. But this car has had a lot of paintwork. His offer: he would be willing to buy the car from me for what it is worth in today's market. Basically, he told me to screw off. I asked him how much he would give me, and he offers me $5500 less than I paid (5 months and 1000 miles ago) and $1500 less than a non-Lexus dealer has already offered me. Big help.
Here is the thing that burns me. This dealership also sells Acura and I personally recommended a friend of mine from CA to fly out to DC and buy a used NSX from them (which he did about 2 years ago). I sold them my 98 NSX about a year and half ago. They had a used Ferrari which I seriously considered buying for $160k. And they want to screw me for $5k. Regardless of whether they feel they are obligated to resolve this issue, it seems to be business stupid to respond in this way since it will cost them much more in the long run. This deal will obviously impact my decision to purchase from them again, to recommend them, and to actively share my experiences with others.
I am going to call the GM tomorrow and ask him to buy the car back for what I paid less some value for the mileage that I put on the car (maybe $1000-$1500). If they are unwilling, I will proceed to 1) Sue them under Virginia's Consumer Protection Act for false representation 2) visit the dealership periodically to let potential customers know of my experiences and 3) visit as many online automotive boards to inform them of my experiences.
Do you think this is unreasonable or unfair? What else would you ask of the dealership for compensation for their misrepresentation?
[This message has been edited by WeakestLink (edited 04 December 2002).]
[This message has been edited by WeakestLink (edited 04 December 2002).]
