Traiding Post

So I am in the market for a newer car. Yeah, fourth generation American Scotsman that I am, I want a car I can just pay cash for, and not a new car. This formula has served me well for many years, and I see no reason to change.

So last night I went to Autotrader.com and found two different cars that would work for my needs. I emailed both places and the one across state said they would make the deal I proposed and today was a special that included tag, tax and title. So we loaded up the truck and headed to Beverly! Only this was Oklahoma City, and I needed to pop in and see a blood sucking attorney (cousin) and his family. The next thing I knew the wife and both kids decided that was how they wanted to spend their Saturday as well!

So two hours to OKC and we get smoothly to the car dealership, ask for the salesman I talked to by phone and was told the car we had agreed on was misadverstised, it had way more miles on the car and a problem with the transmission. In hind sight, I should have just demanded to see the car. But I agreed if they could find me a like car I would still trade. So they directed me to a Kia Rio. If you drive a Kia Rio please excuse this statement but a Rio is a piece of crap! It was dirty, smelled like smoke, was way smaller than the car I had agreed to buy and felt flimsy. We got in the car and then I refused to drive it. We got out told them they were wasting our time.

Then then showed me a Dodge Neon, which was way smaller than the Stratus we had agreed upon, it was the wrong color (black) and had no acceleration power. On the other hand it got 38 mpg and the kids loved that it had a DVD system in the back. So, even though I did not like the car, I agreed to buy it under the terms agreed upon for the first car.

Then the salesman starts telling me how awful our car is as a trade in and we were lucky to even make it to the dealership alive. I stopped him and assured him there was no problem with the car other than too many miles and I was more than happy to keep it and walk away. End result was he agree I had the trade value about right so they could take it to auction and make a bit of profit, but then the manager started telling me I needed to work with them and pay more than I had agreed to pay.

After being told several time they would back up the same deal agreed to earlier, they were now trying to milk out more money for a car I didn't really like. I told them I was wasting time and now, two hours later I was pissed off and ready to leave.

So they tried to talk me into a Buick SUV for a trade in, the cash I said I wanted to spend and a loan of another $6k. Now I am getting really pissed off. Why the hell would I want to borrow money? They kept semi joking (I was not laughing) that there might be an $8,000 loan involved. I countered by telling them I had loaned money in the past, but I charge about 12% and would need a credit check on them. I really don't think they understood what I was saying. So they suggested a few more and while turning red in the face I tried to calmly explain I had loved up to my part of an agreement. If they could not live up to a deal they made they need to give me my fucking keys and title back because I was getting the hell out of there.

Then they said they had a Toyota. I could pay $5,000 and get a Toyota that was the same model as the car I was trading. I sent the family out to our car. Demanded the title and and left.

Later I told my Cousin about the incident. He said he, as an attorney, had dealings with David Stanly Ford in Oklahoma City all the time. He said they were known for shady deals, and once they even sold a guys car while he was there looking around the lot. He was not surprised by the bait and switch and said he almost warned me, but hoped this one lot (there are many David Stanly Ford Lots in Oklahoma City) was more professional. They were not.

I guess I will go back to making trades with small operators in these small towns. You get a level of professionalism you can't get in Oklahoma City from rip off joints like David Stanley Ford.

Now... if I could only figure out a way to get even for wasting all my time.