Planet 9

hi guys...long time no see...the following is my experience at a local dealership i went to today...



okay guys, let me tell you folks about one of the WORST car buying experiences i had EVER...absolutely the WORST customer service i have experienced at a car dealership....

I wont say the name of the dealership, but I will say they sell Mitsubishis in aiea...

i needed a new safety check on my Z06, so after i got it i decided to stop by the Mitsubishi dealership when I was done, as i'm looking for something with 4 doors...now mind you, i have test driven and bought lots of cars over the past few years, all from different dealerships, and many costing over twice as much as the Evo X MR that i was interested in...

as soon as i get out, i get greeted and everything was fine...i get directed to a salesman, and tell him that i work at noon (it was 1015), so i'd like to cut to the chase and give him my license and insurance card and tell him to run the credit check before we even start talking cars, so we don’t need to wait for it later on…so while i hear his sales pitch, the credit app can be processed...

so we start on the paperwork, and he submits it...he then brings out his "4 squares" worksheet, with the adjusted price of 7k+ over msrp...i tell him that i dont pay over sticker, and we can discuss price after the test drive, cause i'm not gonna waste time dealing with numbers if i dont like the car...sales guy then puts his pen down says, "so what do you want to do today then? just look at cars?" i tell him that i am interested, but i dont wanna work out numbers until after i drive the car...i'm still trying to decide what i want...and the financing may play a factor in what i decide to get...that's why i had them run the credit app...so they know i'm not BSing...

so we go and look at a silver one outside...he shows me features and all that stuff...it already has plates, cause it has 48xx miles on it, and is considered their demo...i tell him i'm ready for a test drive, then he says that only people with approved credit get to drive the car...i told him that i know my credit is good, thats why i had him run the credit check....so we go back inside to check on the status...manager comes out and we all sit down...he tells me that he hears that i'm just looking, and that they wont let just anyone test drive the car, but they will serious buyers...i tell him that i am serious, but i'm there to drive one to see if i like it...if there's no test drive, then i'll leave, so they dont waste my time and i dont waste theirs...they talk and tell me that people who drive it usually buy it, and they want to keep the miles low on it...

i reiterate the fact that they have a silver one with 48xx miles on it, and a person who passed the credit check, and they wont allow a test drive?!? the manager then says that people who buy the cars are picky about mileage, and they want the miles as low as possible...this boggles me at this point- since they have a demo with lots of miles already on it...i repeat that fact, and they mention this guy who bought one didnt want more than 30 miles on it, and so does this guy on the big island, and this other guy in tahiti...i'm thinking great- they arent here, but i am...and they have four 2008 models sitting on the lot during the second week of december, not to mention how bad the economy is, but they wanna keep the miles low for these people in other places to buy it eventually...

i tell them i know about keeping miles low, but i cant see them not giving a test drive...i tell them the C6 Z06 I have i test drove before making any commitment, and it cost twice as much as the MR...they say, servco was more inclinced to do so since i had a deposit on it...so i thank them for their time, and say sorry we cant do business and walk out...

as i start up my car, the finance manager come up to my window and tells me that he wants to see how he can help me...i tell him that i was serious about looking at the car, but i dont wanna waste my time if i cant test drive it...i ask him how more serious can i get when I’m the one telling them to run the credit app as soon as i get out of the car?!? i told him that i have to be honest, and that i'm leaving with a pretty bad taste in my mouth...he tells me to hold on a minute and he'll talk to the GM...i tell him he has 2 minutes to do it, and i'll keep the engine running...he comes back and tell me i can test drive it after i go and look at the other cars i was considering, so they can keep the miles low...i thank him for his time and tell him "thats okay." I wasted an hour of my time with them…

NEVER will i buy anything from that dealership...i'd rather get one from the mainland and ship it down...i was never a prick or acted like i was entitled when dealing with them...even when I was leaving, never did I swear at them or express anger…I even thanked them for their time…i still cant believe that they wont let a potential customer with funds and credit not test drive a car they have four of sitting on the lot...i've test driven all sorts of higher end cars, and never did i get treated as poorly as i was at mitsubishi...

Sorry if you see this on another forum, yes, i am sharing my experience with all the car forums i am on, just so people know what i went through over there...if you had a good experince from them, then i'm happy for you, as i didnt get one...i just wanted people to know how I was treated there…

Thanx for reading if you’ve made it this far…

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I think it must be a Mitsubishi thing. When the last EVO came out I and 2 other Porsche owners went to look at it and take it for a test drive. We roll up in over $200K worth of cars (we all 3 drove separately) and go inside to look it over. One of the other Porsche owners was serious about buying one because he was looking for an extra car and something that would be fun and at least "somewhat' practical and in that price range. The manager gives us the same story about they won't let a test drive be taken unless you are going to buy the car. Huh? How would he know if he wants to buy it without taking a test drive first? They said something like "if you are really serious you'll put money down right now... yada yada... etc. etc." This was to a guy in his 50's (my friend) who was just apalled at their attitude. We left and as far as I know none of us have ever been back to that dealership. I can understand if some high school kid comes in wanting to drive a car like that, but come on, 3 of us roll up in Porsches and my friend is in his 50's and he gets treated that way? No thanks. I bet that car he looked at is selling for $12k now.

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K-Man S

sorry to hear you had the same experience i did...that suck...but oh well, their loss...

word of mouth will get eventually get around...

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See what happens when you leave the pcar family? j/k You go down to POH, they give you the keys and tell you to have fun; that's how to sell a car.

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"I thought I was invincible, but that's only true for comic book heroes." Valentino Rossi

That's rediculous. Several years ago, I test drove an EVO MR with no hassles. Last week I test drove an C63 AMG with no issues either (if we finalize the numbers I pick it up on Monday )

This is definately a dealer issue. Sorry to hear of your experience.

yep- that's how i bought the cayman!!! sean didnt even come with me at the time...there was no room for him, so was just me and my wife at the time...

wow- c63!!! you're gonna have a torque monster!!!

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I have a scalpel. Now I need a sledgehammer.

Yes, some dealers are just like that, and the funny thing is that I could understand that from a Rolls, Bentley or ferrari dealer, but c'mon a Mitsubishi??? and then they wonder why subaru sellds more than them. It's their dealers.