Dealerships talking about stuff they don't know anything about

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
07/22/2014 at 15:37 • Filed to: None

Remember that !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ? Last Friday, I had some rare free time during the infuriatingly limited hours that most small-town dealerships are actually open. I called the little podunk dealer, and they told me someone was buying the car so I shouldn't make the ~25 mile trip out to them. Ok, fine. I went and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! instead.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Just in case, today I called the place with the 944 Turbo back. Sure enough, the car never sold. The guy who supposedly was making a deposit when I called last week, never actually came back with the money to make said deposit.

I've already mentioned to this dealer guy multiple times, that I would be looking at the 944 for purposes of deciding whether I like it enough to ditch the lease on my 135is. But today, I explained it again, just to make sure he understood exactly what would be involved. I've already checked with BMW about the lease transfer process, which is:

1. Find someone with similarly good credit to myself, who wants to take over my 135is lease.

2. Have that person complete a lease transfer application with BMW and pay a $500 transfer fee ($400 of which gets refunded if they're not approved).

3. Once BMW approves the lease transfer application, do a bunch of paperwork and hand the car over to the new lessee.

But this guy—who has already twice dicked around with me saying the 944 is sold when it's not—decided once I explained this process in full, that I was a waste of his time.

"I've been in the car business for 20 years and I've never seen anyone transfer a lease like that ever." Then he told me he had some advertising rep there to meet with him about something, and he didn't want to waste that guy's time, and rushed off the phone.

I understand he may be a bit frustrated with this car, because he's had a couple people try and fail to buy it. So along comes little old me saying I need to get someone else to pick up a lease on my car before I buy his car, and I could see how he'd be less than enthusiastic.

But come on dude. I've been nothing but candid with all this information, and mentioned my A-grade credit score and membership in a credit union that won't hesitate to give me a small, well-under-$10k loan. You'd think you'd try a little harder to at least figure out a time when I can test drive the damn car.

DISCUSSION (14)

thebigbossyboss > Textured Soy Protein
07/22/2014 at 15:39

*Stealerships talking about stuff they don't know anything about.

Fixed it.

Meatcoma > Textured Soy Protein
07/22/2014 at 16:25

Older cars come with slightly higher interest rates. If you aren't financing through the dealership and your purchase is contingent on getting someone else to take over your lease, sadly... it would be wasting his time. They don't make a ton of money off the car itself, they make money by supplying the loan through their loan companies and getting a percentage of the interest. Shady indeed.

My father had a dealership refuse to sell him a car once because he was paying in cash and the dealer stood to make nothing. The dealer flat out told him that he would not sell the car to my dad for this reason. Crazy, but true.

Textured Soy Protein > Meatcoma
07/22/2014 at 16:34

Yeah, I know all about that. When I got my Grand Cherokee last fall, I got a small loan pre-approved through my credit union. The dealer also works with that credit union. They went through the process of taking a credit app from me and doing basically the same loan over again, so they could get the credit for initiating the loan.

Jonathan Harper > Textured Soy Protein
07/22/2014 at 16:40

Well...you may have shot yourself in the foot by explaining everything.

All he likely heard was "I want to come drive this old Porsche hard and probably not buy it".

It's good of you to be upfront about your intentions but the used car biz is sketchy, and sometimes it pays to be a little sketchy yourself.

E92M3 > Textured Soy Protein
07/22/2014 at 17:13

Dealers get so many time wasting phone calls from all walks of life. Not to mention people going on test drives to say "well I got to sell my car first" afterwards. These same people know better than to trade in their car for auction value. From the dealers perspective the car they want will likely be sold before they've sold their current car. If you want to be taken seriously show up in person.

Textured Soy Protein > E92M3
07/22/2014 at 17:23

The problem with showing up in person is this is a little small town dealer/shop that's about a half hour drive away from me and is open 9a-6p weekdays, and 10a-12p weekends. So I want to make sure the car's there before I drive out to them.

Textured Soy Protein > Jonathan Harper
07/22/2014 at 17:26

You may have something there. I should've just played the sales game, "hi I want to check out this car is it there for me to drive?" and not say anything else.

You'd think though that if this is now the third time I've called to see if the car hasn't been sold that I'm more than just a looky-loo.

Jonathan Harper > Textured Soy Protein
07/22/2014 at 17:32

Yeah...the guy might just be a dick too. But think about it this way, every mile that's added is a detractor to the value. Said miles are very expensive on older Porsches when things start to break. He's probably had it sitting around for sale for a while, and doesn't want to add any more wear to it that it's already got/is getting by just sitting.

Chances of something breaking during your drive are probably high, and he doesn't want to risk it. That said, forget that guy, and that car, there's always more out there.

Textured Soy Protein > Jonathan Harper
07/22/2014 at 17:37

Well, I may just make his wishes come true and drive it then not buy it. ;)

It's a good deal though, supposedly it's in good shape, no issues (yeah right) and no mods beyond the roll bar, 930 steering wheel, and lowered suspension. The upper half of the back seat is in the trunk in order to fit the roll bar, which I would remove.

They're only asking $9k which I would of course do my damndest to talk down.

I may just say screw it and cut out of work a little earlier than I normally do, and just go drive the thing to get it done with and see if a 944 Turbo is a car that I like in general.

This is the place selling it. Lovely.

E92M3 > Textured Soy Protein
07/22/2014 at 17:46

My advice then is to not say too much on the phone. Call him Saturday morning when they open, and simply ask if the still have the 944. If they say yes, go there. Or whenever YOU have time. Don't call 2 days before. Don't mention your lease again until after you have your test drive. You don't even know if you like it or not yet. There's no need to disclose if's.

Textured Soy Protein > E92M3
07/22/2014 at 17:48

I told the guy I was planning to head out there Saturday morning. But then realized that I might have other crap going on then. I might be able to scoot out of work a little early tonight and just go drive the thing and get it over with. That way I look serious by taking the initiative and driving it sooner rather than later.

ZiptieMcBumper > Textured Soy Protein
07/22/2014 at 20:52

You will find another. I would be leery of a car with a roll bar just for the fact that it's likely been auto-x'd.

Not that it's a bad thing by itself, but you're going into a situation where (one of) the previous owners either babied this thing like a first-born child, or beat the ever-loving shit out of it.

Being that it's currently for sale at what's likely a buy-here-pay-here used dealership who gets his cars from the clapped-out crap that ends up on the auction block, I'd bet on the latter. Even if you get someone to take over your lease, don't buy from this place.

You will find another.

Textured Soy Protein > ZiptieMcBumper
07/22/2014 at 22:11

Even if I don't buy this car, I still want to drive it, at least to get familiar with the 944 turbo and see if it's a car I want to pursue. There aren't very many of them for sale around me.

Meatcoma > Textured Soy Protein
07/23/2014 at 09:12

Have a friend call and then go in and test drive it.