A friend of mine was looking for a new car. He called and said he didn’t know a lot about cars. He had been driving the same model for the last eight years and had gotten a lot of solicitations from other dealers telling him he could get a much better car for a lot less money. I said I’d be happy to shop with him, it would be my pleasure to check out the market with someone else’s money. I asked if he was dissatisfied with the model he was driving and he said that he liked it but the lease rate had gone up a bit after every term and he thought he might do better.
Dealer A told us that his car got better mileage and performed better, in addition to being safer. My friend’s current vehicle gets 26 mpg, 0-60 in 6.2 seconds and had a five star safety rating, costing him 399 a month. Dealer A said his ride had that beat. I checked the CU website. Dealer A’s car got 23 mpg, 0-60 in 8.0 seconds and rated 4 stars safety-wise. The price, equipped like his current car, was 429 a month.
We thanked the dealer and moved on to dealer B the next day. Same story. We were going to walk out when he said that his brand and Dealer A’s were merging and that they were about to unveil a new car would be far superior. He couldn’t give us anything in writing because the deal wasn’t finalized, but that the merger talks had been going on for years and they were on the verge of creating a near perfect car. Could be close to 40 mpg, 0-60 in approximately 4.8 seconds and as costing as low as 379 a month. Write the check now and if the deal didn’t come together as promised, we’d be free to seek a better alternative.
Sounded great. My friend pulled out his checkbook, but just then, his cell buzzed. It was the salesman from Dealer A. He said that he was about to take a job in another industry and he was calling his prospects to inform them. My friend said he was about to buy the new super car. The salesman asked if the other dealer would guarantee the specs or would he be stuck with the old
lesser model if the merger failed. Sure enough, in the fine print, it committed my friend to buy from Dealer B, regardless of any promises made or implied. The departing salesman told my pal if it were up to him, he wouldn’t write the check. My friend took the man’s advice to heart. He said that two women he knew had told him that this was a scam all along. But what do women know about cars? he thought.
Wow. Saved by the bell. We left the dealership, had a drink and called it a night. The next day, my buddy re-upped with his old brand. He said it wasn’t perfect, but it beat the alternatives.
