Last week we asked you to tell us your worst dealership stories. Between the email submissions and the comments, we got flooded with responses. The ones below are the most unbelieveable and heinous responses we received.
Apparently, “brown” people don’t buy luxury cars.
g101010101:
Went to a BMW dealership walked, walked around and no one asked if I could be helped. I was looking for a 330i.
About 2 weeks later I went to the same dealership, walked around and no one helped me. So I asked someone who was standing around if they knew where I could find a salesperson. He said that he was one. I asked him why, after coming here twice and looking around for up to 10 minutes, did no one seem to want to help?
He said “that’s really strange, I don’t know why.... it’s not like your brown or anything”
I immediately left, drove 30 minutes to another BMW dealership and bought the car from them.
Dude...where is the engine?
jariten781:
Fun story. Back in 96 or so I saw a used car dealer had a MR2 turbo in the classifieds and I was in the market. Drove over, and as normal, it had ‘just been sold’. I told the guy I wasn’t really interested in anything else as I was just looking at the MR2 because I was interested in a cheapish mid-engined car. He goes ‘Oh, we have just the thing around back, stay here and I’ll pull it around’.
So I’m wondering what it’s going to be...X1/9? late 70s Espirit (they were dirt cheap at the time)?...Nope, it was a freaking del Sol. I’m like ‘Um...that’s not mid engined...’ He ensures me that it is so I pop the hood and point and say...’No it’s front engined see’.
He goes “All cars have their engines in the front. What mid-engined means is that it’s the companies middle sporty car. The MR2 is mid engined because it’s faster than the Celica but slower than the Supra. The del Sol is mid engined because it’s faster than the Civic, but slower than the Prelude.’ So yeah, I learned a thing or two about salesmen that day.
MadisonSuicide:
Back in the mid 90s I was shopping around for a “new” used car and came across a pretty good looking MR2. (looked good on the outside, the interior was a bit of a mess) The dealer came out and we shook hands and went through the pleasantries and I decided to give it a test drive. The dealer got the keys, came back, sat in the car and tried to start it. Nothing. He looked confused and tried again. Still nothing.
And now I kid you not, he turned to me and said, “Sorry, with so many cars here it is difficult to remember how to start them all.” I responded with an amused, “Well, I imagine so.” He tried a few more times and still nothing. Finally I suggested we take a look at the engine and maybe something was just disconnected. He popped the hood, we walked around to the front of the MR2, he lifted the hood, and we stared into an empty space. “Well there is the problem,” I said, “someone stole the engine.” His eyes widened and he said he needed to go inform the manager. I used his absence to walk away.
Brought my car back for repairs...and it got stolen!
Ian Goodman:
This was over 10 years ago, but it still stings. I bring my 97 Jetta GLX (VR6, manual) to the dealer for some minor issue... probably an 02 sensor. I get a call back that afternoon saying that parts for this car are very hard to find and that they would have to keep it another day. The next morning I get another call saying that the good news is that they won’t charge me for the part. The bad news is my car was left in front of the gate to the fence, the security cameras happened to be off, and my car was stolen.
They never accepted responsibility. They made some half-ass attempt at selling me another car at inflated prices as a “special deal.” I had to go through my own insurance company for the claim. Brings a new level of meaning to Stealership!
My wife got fired from her job because the dealer was incompetent.
Ride250s:
My Wife bought a new Nissan Sentra from a dealer in Iowa and almost lemon lawed it because it had so many problems. The main issue was hard starting. Dealership couldn’t fix it so Nissan flee in a special tech who figured it out in minutes. Needless to say the desler got a little heat from Nissan. Anyway, my Wife worked for a local bank where this desler had their main account. When the owner happened to make a deposit and saw her working there, he threatened to pull his account. A few days later my wife was let go with no explanation... Nice.
So...negotiation equals charity?
Santiago Franco:
Few years ago I was in the market for a small hatch. Headed down to a VW dealer in Miami to give the GTI a test drive. Once we started talking price, I gave my initial offer. The sweet little old lady that I had been dealing with showed what she really was, a pint sized b*tch who thought she was selling water in the desert. She got up from her chair, stepped out of her office and looked around As if she was looking for something. She then looked back at me and said she didn’t see a sign that said “Goodwill” anywhere. Needless to say, I left the dealership in heartbeat.
We got so many great stories, keep an eye out for part two coming soon. If you have a dealer horror story to tell and you missed out on the first post, drop me a line at AutomatchConsulting@gmail.com