We finally made it back from the car dealership with the new (to us) van. Buying it was a horrible experience from start to finish. There are very few experiences that are as frustrating and awful as purchasing a vehicle. By the time I am finished dealing with the paperwork, the sleazy salesmen, the stupid contract games, and the bank I am so angry that I can't even stand to look at the new vehicle. Buying my truck was a bad experience, and buying this van was more of the same.
Purchasing my motorcycles wasn't anything like this. The salesmen are generally pretty pushy, but the paperwork seemed to go a lot faster, they didn't run back to the manager 15,000 times to check on things, and I was generally on the bike and on my way long before I became too angry to care anymore.
The only auto sales place I've come away from feeling good about the transaction is Oasis Auto in Boise on State Street. They specialize in Subarus, but usually have a few other things on the lot as well. The salesman worked with us, didn't try to push a bunch of baloney on us or hide a whole pile of crap in the contract that had to be dealt with, and the guys in the service department have always treated my wife well, even though we bought one of the cheapest cars on their lot. I wish that they'd had anything in their inventory that matched our needs, because I would go back in a second to avoid the jackasses that are employed at every other dealership we've been to. I think I'll just have to try the private party thing next time, since I won't have a trade-in or anything to worry about.
I think I will miss my truck a bit, but in the end they're all just boxes to ride around in. At least I can cross the Peterson Autoplex, the Edmark Superstore, and Mountain Home Auto Ranch off of my list of dealers to look for cars at. I'm probably going to be angry for three weeks just thinking about it. I hope that when I'm thinking about buying another car someone can point me to this post and remind me that I don't want to go to a dealership, no matter how good the deal looks in the ads or on the lot. I feel like a moron for doing it again this time.
Purchasing my motorcycles wasn't anything like this. The salesmen are generally pretty pushy, but the paperwork seemed to go a lot faster, they didn't run back to the manager 15,000 times to check on things, and I was generally on the bike and on my way long before I became too angry to care anymore.
The only auto sales place I've come away from feeling good about the transaction is Oasis Auto in Boise on State Street. They specialize in Subarus, but usually have a few other things on the lot as well. The salesman worked with us, didn't try to push a bunch of baloney on us or hide a whole pile of crap in the contract that had to be dealt with, and the guys in the service department have always treated my wife well, even though we bought one of the cheapest cars on their lot. I wish that they'd had anything in their inventory that matched our needs, because I would go back in a second to avoid the jackasses that are employed at every other dealership we've been to. I think I'll just have to try the private party thing next time, since I won't have a trade-in or anything to worry about.
I think I will miss my truck a bit, but in the end they're all just boxes to ride around in. At least I can cross the Peterson Autoplex, the Edmark Superstore, and Mountain Home Auto Ranch off of my list of dealers to look for cars at. I'm probably going to be angry for three weeks just thinking about it. I hope that when I'm thinking about buying another car someone can point me to this post and remind me that I don't want to go to a dealership, no matter how good the deal looks in the ads or on the lot. I feel like a moron for doing it again this time.
No 2 daughter has just passed her test so I am going to look at starter cars today. To be honest, I rather enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy shopping for cars online; browsing listings, comparing options, and running numbers, but once we move to the interacting with people part of things I get frustrated. I don't deal well with the back and forth and the word games. Some people get a rush out of the negotiations or the interaction with the sales staff, but it's just not for me. I'm a better researcher than I am a negotiator.
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