It’s time to call out some more dealerships on their markups. This time it’s a Southern California dealership that made it’s way to Reddit, and to us via a tip from friend of the site Dutch Mandel.
The dealership is Russell Westbrook Hyundai of Anaheim. I’m very familiar with this dealership. Aside from the Russell Westbrook association, they once tried charging me over $500 just for a front brake job (I drive a Sonata), so they were already on my list of dealers to avoid. But after seeing this Reddit post and doing my own investigation, I’m even more sure that I’ll never go there again.
Reddit user Qball1754 posted a link to an image of a Monroney they found on a Veloster N at the dealership showing the following:
MSRP: $34,935
Dealer Installed Options
Smartshield Armor All Exterior Paint Protection $1,295
Dealer Added Markup: $8,000
Performance Package: $17,995
Downpipe
Intercooler Upgrade
Strut Bar
Wheels & Tires
Cold Air Intake
Spark Plugs Upgrade
Turbo Inlet Upgrade
Eiboch Swing & Holder
Custom Paint W Blackout
Eiboch Lowering Kit
Exhaust Upgrade
Tint
GPS Tracking: $1,595
Courtesy Guard: $1,095
Nitrofill: $179
The total price? A “Get up from the table without even saying anything and just leave” price of $65,095. Do you know what kind of car you can get for that money? Everything from a C8 to an M2. (Theoretically, anyway. —ED)
Besides that, look at the bullshit they are trying to sell someone on. GPS tracking? No one needs that. Courtesy guard? I had to look this up because I had no idea what it was, but apparently, it’s another theft deterrent system that etches the vehicle’s VIN or another unique ID number into the windows. The AARP pretty much called pricing for it a scam. Plus they’re asking $1,100 for it and you can do it yourself with a $20 kit from Amazon.
The worst part of all this though is the $8,000 markup on top of the base-Hyundai-Venue-priced Performance Package that no one asked for and is dubious at best. Qball1754 said on Reddit that the dealer informed him that the upgrades have the car making 370 horsepower at the wheels. Assuming that were true, remember, the Veloster N makes 275 HP stock. So, this means you’ll be paying $18,000 for 95 HP, again assuming the dealer can back up that claim.
I reached out to the dealer to get a confirmation on price. It took over an hour and interactions with three separate people to finally get an answer, and even then only the $8,000 markup was mentioned.
Good Morning, Lawrence
I can give you an idea of the market for this vehicle right now, and currently it starts at 8k over the sticker price, plus your tax, license, fees and aftermarkets.
The sales guy pretty much-confirmed everything, using wording like “starts at” and “aftermarkets”. If you’re looking for a Veloster N, it’s a great car, but don’t pay these prices. The market is terrible right now, but allowing dealers to get away with this nonsense just encourages them. Wait it out or look elsewhere, we’ll all be better for it.