Dealer Experience - So Cal

[Steeeliskt]

For me, I don't like to deal with bullshit like that and would rather have missed out on 0% for 72 months than put up with a shit dealership like that.

Agreed but it wasn't just that. If I was in a financial situation to take 3.9%APR and a premium with PP that was manual, I obviously would have. Unfortunately my circumstances caused me to have to make this decision. I could have easily bought a different vehicle, yes. But I love my Mustang and the timing was right to get what I was looking for at the best deal and pricing. Yes, stupid asshole headache of the universe but it'll work out and I got my mustang again

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[uglygun]

So I posted my experience in response to someone else on a different forum and figured I would copy and paste it here as well. Keep in mind this correspondence is not intended to be a complete recitation of all pertinent facts, circumstances, claims or damages, all of which are expressly reserved.

Oh man... I have an insane story and it is still ongoing. I may have to take my Ford dealership to small claims court. If anyone is interested, I will explain the entire story but the shortest version:

Car salesman tried selling me a bone stock manual transmission 2015 GT Mustang for $42,000. I am in my mid twenties so he thought he could take advantage of me by showing me the monthly payment amount rather than total price. I quickly called him out on this, took 4 hours to negotiate down to sticker, managed to get a bit lower than that, I was OK with the deal, still hated the sales and financing guys for being douches.

Next day rolls around, they told me to call them to get my other key.. after a ton more BS and runaround days pass and still no extra fob. Lucky for me, the finance guy messed up on my purchase agreement and they needed me to do a rewrite. I went down to the dealership and when they wanted me to sign the paperwork, I told them I wanted another $1,000 off the car or I won't sign it and they could take the car back. 2 hours (no exaggeration) pass without anyone coming to talk to me. Finally they hand me my keys and say they will make the prior contract work. Days pass, they can't get the other contract approved by Ford because they made a typo and they MUST get a new contract signed by me, I knew I had them by the balls at this point and they knew it too so they got the general manager involved. He seemed nice enough, promised he wanted to do me right and agreed to instead of lowering price, giving me some mods of my choosing. I decided I wanted the Borla Ford Racing Sport Exhaust (he first tried peddling some lower end parts for a more expensive price and I called him out on that) He agreed. I went in to sign the paperwork, he wouldn't put on a to do order that I would get exhaust, I wouldn't sign. Finally got it in writing and made him rewrite it a few times to make sure it was very clear the deal we made and the entire time kept saying "come on man, I'm not trying to pull one over on you, you need to trust me" (I have emails of him saying these exact lines and then proof he knowingly committed fraud BEFORE telling me he wasn't trying to pull one over on me.. just to show his character)

Finally get the exhaust in, they install it (installed it wrong) noticed an exhaust leak, went to my buddies house, get under the car and they put on Borla ATAK exhaust which is cheaper and different than what we agreed to.

Called them, sent a very nasty email advising how he willingly and knowingly committed fraud (I also copied every single email address I could find for the dealership on it so all of his employees could see he is getting busted for fraud) sent him the law about fraud and how he could serve jail time over it.

Received a call back that day, he tried talking shit to me saying my email was out of line and I quickly told him he better rectify this situation or else I will have an attorney do it. He said he would order the correct exhaust. 11 days later I bring my car to get the exhaust installed. Supposed to be done in 1 hour, 5 hours later I call and they say "oh it just came off the lift, come pick it up" go pick up the car, walk around and inspect the exhaust, the tip on the right side was cracked in half as if the service tech dropped it on the concrete. He blames it on manufacturer. He refused to write a to-do order promising to order a replacement exhaust and said "look man, I can't spend anymore money on this deal" so I replied "am I supposed to just accept damaged goods on the brand new car? did you cut corners again and give me a used exhaust or damaged exhaust to save a few bucks?" He went inside, I followed him to the corner office, they asked me to leave, I advised I wouldn't leave and I will go to each table with sales guys making deals and explain the scenario of the dealership committing fraud and selling me damaged goods. Finally they gave me a to-do order to try and warranty the exhaust from Ford (even though they ordered it from a 3rd party... entire situation is totally suspect still and am battling it out still)

Still waiting to get another exhaust, but to be fair, I am not supposed to have an answer until today... and it's nearing 5PM when he is off. Spent $40 and sent a certified demand letter to the dealership today for lost wages, fraud, and other damages such as the certified mail fee, etc. They have 30 days to make me whole or I will be taking them to small claims court and suing.

Mind you, this is the small version of the story. Completely insane. Most crooked guys I have ever done business with in my life. They thought they could take advantage of me, probably because I am a younger guy but I can handle my business and even after proving to them I know about cars, they still tried to pull a fast one on me. The mufflers are stamped with the model names. It's completely obvious staring you in the face they put the cheaper one on after agreeing in written contract to a more expensive exhaust.

I emailed every different "CEO and executive" email addresses I could find as well as copies of all my correspondence and written proof they committed fraud. I did the online survey Ford sent me and advised of this, I filled out Ford's online contact forms and advised of everything, I printed out hard copies and mailed to 3 different corporate addresses. I just want the world to know that Sunrise Ford of North Hollywood is full of crooks and not a single person should ever do business with him.

There was a lot more with respect to ****** customer service that I could go into detail but the main part is they actually tried committing fraud. Knowingly and willingly and even after being caught, are still trying to cut corners.

/end rant

***edit: even after all of this, let me just say that I love my car. I have owned about 4 different Mustangs in the past (all v8's) this one ascetically and power wise pleases me the most. Just unfortunate I had to go through so much drama when trying to make a large purchase

LOL.

I very nearly drove down there during 0% deal to see a white car.

Email correspondence with them had me feeling paranoid of a bait and switch. Talked to one person about a down payment and 0% and got some crap. Then when I replied I got some other crap about a costco plan I had previously discussed like back in march. There was no recognition of the facts I conveyed in the original email nor the down payment.

Made it seem like snake in the grass salesman tactics to say whatever they could to get you in and then try to sell you on something else.

I stayed local and picked up a similar car without the horse shit. I wound up being out the door for around 41500 for a 400a Perf Pack in Black. Given how fast they were going and that dealing with shitty dealers was a growing possibility I was okay with not getting the deal of the century if it meant 1k incentive and 0%.

 

[CEHollier]

LOL.

I very nearly drove down there during 0% deal to see a white car.

Email correspondence with them had me feeling paranoid of a bait and switch. Talked to one person about a down payment and 0% and got some crap. Then when I replied I got some other crap about a costco plan I had previously discussed like back in march. There was no recognition of the facts I conveyed in the original email nor the down payment.

Made it seem like snake in the grass salesman tactics to say whatever they could to get you in and then try to sell you on something else.

I stayed local and picked up a similar car without the horse shit. I wound up being out the door for around 41500 for a 400a Perf Pack in Black. Given how fast they were going and that dealing with shitty dealers was a growing possibility I was okay with not getting the deal of the century if it meant 1k incentive and 0%.

Exactly. I always contact the dealership through their internet department and work firm numbers before going. Get your/their terms in black and white. Things have always gone smoothly doing this. The key is have your numbers firmed up before contacting the dealership. Due diligence will save you money and grief.

 

[GTP]

... I found personally it is better to do as much negotiation through email as possible. Contact several different dealerships and pit them against each other. Also look at the TrueCar price and don't be afraid to buy a 2015...

Agreed. I learned so much about the car from this forum - quality issues, performance and other technical issues, etc. - for 3 months before purchasing. And all things pricing, dealerships, etc.

I got an acceptable price, and then waited for an ordered car. So my story is a 6-month gestation - quite the opposite of the OP.

Regardless, the smart plan is to start with pricing, and THEN find a car lineup close to what you want. IOW, that sounds backwards, but it works. Yes, start with TrueCar, Costco, X-plan, or w/e, then pit dealers against each other (don't discuss any particular car), and then end up picking a car once you find the feel-good dealer with a price you negotiated in advance (e.g. X% below invoice).

Sucks what OP went through. Sounds like it was the perfect storm of 1) needing a car (any car) immediately, 2) dwindling inventory at model-year-end, 3) 2 days left on -$1k / 0%, and 4) a shady dealership.

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[Steeeliskt]

LOL.

I very nearly drove down there during 0% deal to see a white car.

Email correspondence with them had me feeling paranoid of a bait and switch. Talked to one person about a down payment and 0% and got some crap. Then when I replied I got some other crap about a costco plan I had previously discussed like back in march. There was no recognition of the facts I conveyed in the original email nor the down payment.

Made it seem like snake in the grass salesman tactics to say whatever they could to get you in and then try to sell you on something else.

I stayed local and picked up a similar car without the horse shit. I wound up being out the door for around 41500 for a 400a Perf Pack in Black. Given how fast they were going and that dealing with shitty dealers was a growing possibility I was okay with not getting the deal of the century if it meant 1k incentive and 0%.

Yeah that's a good deal on that car. Still quite a bit more than what I paid which is why I ended up in this car instead. And yes, they tried selling me on something else. They didn't expect me to ask questions.. Started asking for a breakdown of additional charges and magically the number went down.. Then when in financing room I noticed on the option agreement they charged $200 for edge guard, $200 for a theft system and it was $200 for some other BS. I told the guy I didn't want the options, he said he couldn't change it.. Told him I'm not buying the car. Financing manager already left for night so they actually had to call him back in, that's why it took so long because this happened twice. He finally said "are you really going to walk away from this deal over $600?" My response: yes. Take that shit off the car or eat the cost of it. They ended up eating it. I'm so glad this nightmare is almost over.

 

[GTP]

After this story ends, will you tell us this one next?

"2003 Mach 1 - totaled by my local police department"​

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[Steeeliskt]

After this story ends, will you tell us this one next?

"2003 Mach 1 - totaled by my local police department"​

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LOL... well some back story.. I was 18 years old when I owned that one and slid the car around every chance I had so tires were nearly bald.

Anyway... there is a canyon that connected the city where I lived to the city where I worked. Box Canyon. I commuted through there twice a day every day for about 4 years. I knew it inside out. I was going through there on the weekend with my girlfriend.. taking the turns very hot.. unfortunate for me, there is a fire hydrant after a set of quick turns and it happened to have been leaking. I was coming into the turn really hot, couple that with bald tires and I spun out, did a complete 180 and ended up in the other lane with my passenger rear tire almost floating off the side of about 30' drop.. but my vehicle was parallel and against a little bush thing. When we got out of the car, I pushed against it pretty hard a few times with my hand to rock it and see how close I was to almost killing me and my girlfriend, luckily the car was pretty solid and rigid and wasn't going anywhere. Got very lucky and car was practically undamaged. some cosmetic damage to front quarter panel from the bush. Cops show up.. first the sheriffs arrived, they were actually really cool... then California Highway Patrol showed up as it was his jurisdiction and immediately he was a complete dick to me. Tried getting me to incriminate myself by admitting I was speeding, etc etc. Put me in the back of his cruiser, let me out. I was patient and went through the motions. Finally a tow truck showed up with a flat bed and a separate truck with a winch on it. The cop shut down the one lane my car was closest to but decided to leave the other lane open so instead of the winch truck hooking up to both driver side tires and pulling it up onto the road parallel to the side of cliff, he had to get in front of my car and hook it up to front of frame and front wheel... started pulling it, back end of car started to slip off mountain.. tow truck driver outside starts yelling stop and runs over to the cop and tells the cop, "dude we just need to close the other lane for a min to pull it up properly"... CHP looks at him and says I'm not closing the other lane, do what you need to do... they continue to pull it, car slips and falls off mountain, tow truck slides a good amount but there is a bar at the rear end of the winch truck for this exact scenario which ended up hitting the ground and locking the truck in place... winched my car back up the side of this mountain, over a giant tree stump and huge rocks, effectively ripping out exhaust, drive train, radiator, etc, etc. Totaled my vehicle. I wish I would have video taped it but it was so surreal. I was just sitting on the dirt watching all of this with my mouth open. I could understand the cop not wanting to close the other lane if this was a weekday as it is a busy canyon, however this was a Saturday with virtually no traffic whatsoever at 10:00AM.

Silver lining -- My parents just got divorced, I moved out on my own, I wasn't making good money at the time, the car was too expensive, gas was nearly $5.00/gallon that year, insurance was too expensive because I had a shitty driving record. I could barely afford the car and rent let alone have money for anything else. It wasn't the right time for me to have those kind of expenses. Car was almost at 120,000 miles as well and I was having to work on it frequently so this really was a good thing that happened.

 

[GTP]

Wow. Is there a thread that just lists the most fascinating and strange Mustang stories? There oughta be a contest!

(One last request from you - why not add dates next to your Mustang lineage?)
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[Steeeliskt]

Wow. Is there a thread that just lists the most fascinating and strange Mustang stories? There oughta be a contest!

(One last request from you - why not add dates next to your Mustang lineage?)
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I actually had that info in there plus some other vehicles I have owned throughout the years but it looked too busy in the signature. I liked the clean look of what I have now. Plus, the Mustang's I listed were the most "meaningful" cars in my ownership history.

I've been driving for 9 years and have owned cars in this order: '96 Mustang GT, '92 F150, '03 Mach 1, '86 Chrysler New Yorker, '93 Toyota Camry, '03 Mach 1, '14 Fusion, '15 Mustang GT.

 

[GTP]

I actually had that info in there plus some other vehicles I have owned throughout the years but it looked too busy in the signature. I liked the clean look of what I have now. Plus, the Mustang's I listed were the most "meaningful" cars in my ownership history.

I've been driving for 9 years and have owned cars in this order: '96 Mustang GT, '92 F150, '03 Mach 1, '86 Chrysler New Yorker, '93 Toyota Camry, '03 Mach 1, '14 Fusion, '15 Mustang GT.

All the more reason for a timeline! You said you were in your twenties, and yet you have owned so many cars. I could be your dad, and yet this is my first Mustang.

 

[Steeeliskt]

All the more reason for a timeline! You said you were in your twenties, and yet you have owned so many cars. I could be your dad, and yet this is my first Mustang.

Some of the years in my canyon story were off a bit.. i've had a lot of cars.

The '96 Mustang GT was my dad's... but he worked from home and rarely used it so it was basically my car. I rocked that from about 16-17/18. I bought the 1992 F150 and rocked that for another year or two and then traded that in for the 2003 Mach 1. I had that for about 2 years and lost it in the canyon. My girlfriend's dad sold me the New Yorker for $500 (it was a total POS)... rocked that for about 6 months or so then bought the Camry. Had that for another year or two and then got the Mach 1... had that for about two years and the heads started going bad on it. Changed one of them myself, most grueling thing I have ever done on a vehicle before. It was my only car and I needed it for work. I still have the intake valve from that car on my desk here at work that was causing the issues from the first head. I've always stressed out on having to fix my cars throughout the years and having high mileage so I finally got to a point of making better money and went to trade in the Mach 1 for something very cheap.. the new Fusions were out and I really liked the way it looked and got one for pretty cheap and finally had a none gas guzzling vehicle with less than 100 miles that I wouldnt have to work on ever.. after driving that for two years it drove me crazy not having a ton of HP and I was actually saving money up and planned on buying an S550 GT around April of 2016 as that is when I figured I would have paid off enough on the Fusion and enough saved up to get what I wanted. Due to losing the Fusion it forced me to pull the trigger sooner.

I REALLY hope that I hold onto this Mustang for at least the next 5 years. Finally have a car I am happy to drive, am proud of, can afford, and most likely won't have to do much work on.

 

[GTP]

... Finally have a car I am happy to drive, am proud of, can afford, and most likely won't have to do much work on.

Sounds like it IS the perfect car for you.
Although your track record with cars is not very good. (Or it IS very good, depending on your point of view. )

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[Steeeliskt]

here is the intake valve... I started working on the car Friday night after work, completed the job by like 3AM Monday morning so I was able to get to work again. It was roughly 30 hours of work if I remember correctly. Did it at a friends house on his flat driveway.

 

[GTP]

Nice little trophy.
The hardest thing I have done was replace a head gasket and send the head out for machining. Seems like a lifetime ago now.

I can visualize wrenching on my car for bolt-ons. But eventually in life you learn that -- other than a sense of DIY satisfaction -- it is better to earn money at a rate higher than you pay a professional to solve your problem. Moral: the higher rate you earn = the more problems you can solve with money, and have more free time.

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[Steeeliskt]

Sounds like it IS the perfect car for you.
Although your track record with cars is not very good. (Or it IS very good, depending on your point of view. )

.

haha. Track record is shit with cars. Can't even buy one without going through chaos. I am older and more responsible. I haven't even spun the tires yet... aside from a few chirps from 1st to 2nd. So hopefully, no one hits me.. I don't plan on bombing canyons like I used to. I am going to baby this car.

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