r/FuckDealerships

PSA. I'm a lender for a local financial and I'm here to say, never, ever, ever do business with the crooks that are mcgrath. I have seen time and time again, where members reach out to refinance, and they are way upside down bc mcgrath sneaks in extra costs (after repeatedly being told NO.) Our institution ended our partnership with them bc they continuously cause all kinds of problems for their customers and our members. It takes a special kind of evil to take advantage of others to the extent the crooks at mcgrath do. Their whole business model is shady and all about taking advantage of people.

A family member recently bought a car here in Columbus from a very sketchy dealer. (Dotman autos) on Westerville rd. They are refusing to release the title even though the full price was paid. Does anyone know any lawyers in the area who can assist with this? Any advice or help would be huge. I already know we can go to the AG but personally would love to see this place shut down as it seems we are not the first to go through this.

So was recently looking for a new car because the one I have is starting to go down . I was told that a Kia dealership had a good deal on cars . Said if you bring $500 down with fair to good credit and a stable job you can walk out with a 2026 . I did the application online about three different salesman reach out to me and was like don’t talk to anybody else and I can help you get a car . Long story short the one guy I talk to was like you pre approved and ask what I can do for a down payment. I said $1000 plus trade in . He said that would work . He said they can deliver the car and everything. Well that was last Friday. Didn’t hear back till yesterday. Long story short he said I would need to bring $1700 plus the trade in . Then the monthly payment will be $651 . When we first talk he was like you payment will be form $351-$465. I said I can’t do that he said I got to me quickly or the car would be gone. I ask to downgrade to a lower model that was pre owned and he said no . He was like this a great deal and you be dumb to walk away. I’m 23 and the car was a Kia K4 LXS .

putting in the work beforehand, negotiating via email and arranging your financing before you step in the door will save you an enormous amount of time AND money.

in theory, I guess, going in and making it clear you’ll pay anything they ask if they make it fast might save you time, but more likely they’re going to think they’ve got a pig to bleed out and they’ll go to work on you trying to make you pay even more.

another r/askcarsales fail

Editing because I just wanted to say "I am looking for advice" on the best PROACTIVE way to approach this***** Do I know it's a long shot.... YES... I do not work on cars know anything about cars so I came here for advice.

Looking for advice from service advisors or anyone experienced with Dodge goodwill assistance. I have a 2016 Dodge Journey 2.4L with only 69k miles that now has a blown head gasket after a heater hose failure, and I was quoted about $7k for an engine replacement. I purchased the vehicle brand new and have maintained it over the years. Has anyone had success getting goodwill assistance or partial coverage for a major engine failure like this? Or am I just SOL. Any advice on the best way to approach the dealership or customer care would be appreciated.

Mitsubishi’s U.S. dealership count has fallen 16 percent since before the pandemic as its sales slid roughly 20 percent.

Mitsubishi began 2026 with 56 fewer dealerships than it had in early 2019 — a bigger decline than any other mainstream brand except much larger Ford and Chevrolet, according to Automotive News. Its network shrank every year during that time except in 2024.

In the past 18 months, the company terminated about 35 franchises, CEO Mark Chaffin told Automotive News. He acknowledged the network could shrink further before it grows.

Mitsubishi now has 297 dealerships, averaging about 15 new-vehicle sales per month.

Several Mitsubishi dealers expressed frustration over onerous factory requirements, heavy reliance on fleet sales and limited incentive support for an aging product lineup.

The brand’s portfolio of three nameplates is skewed toward aging designs, primarily because the Outlander Sport is on a 15-year-old platform.

“It’s harder to compete with this lineup,“ Mitsubishi National Advisory Board Chairman R.C. Hill said. ”Dealer enthusiasm for the brand is fading."

Some retailers have voluntarily surrendered their franchises, liquidating inventory for thousands of dollars below invoice to quickly clear floorplan debt rather than wait out the typical three- to four-month termination process.

“They’re taking the bath and moving on,” a dealer said.

One Mitsubishi retailer said he acquired 14 2015 models for $7,000–to-$8,000 below invoice from a competitor shutting down. The dealer said the previous operator was selling just two new Mitsubishis a month versus 150 new vehicles from a different brand at his other store.

A dealer who recently closed a Mitsubishi store in the Midwest said he had “lost confidence” in the brand’s ability to deliver a competitive lineup and was “fed up” after losing money for several years.

Nationwide, average Mitsubishi dealership net profit as a percentage of sales is below 2 percent, a source said.

Many say the brand’s weak value proposition between new and used vehicles also makes business increasingly difficult.

Mitsubishi has some of the industry’s lowest residual values, with 1-year-old vehicles retaining just 69 percent of their original sticker price, according to Edmunds data.

Such a steep falloff “creates a major disadvantage for new inventory,” Edmunds analyst Ivan Drury said. “Consumers are easily swayed toward the more affordable used equivalent.”

Hi,

Bought a used '19 Civic from a local Honda Dealership, 109,549 miles. It was freshly traded in, hadn't been thru service yet. It had a code A13457 on the dash and Maintenance Due Now, which they said was just a service reminder. Drove it, was fine.

Couple days later, 5/9/26.....returned to the dealer, after they "serviced" and cleaned the car. Looked nicer. Drove fine. Bought it.

Immediately after getting car home, realized the CVT transmission fill plug was not in place, and was an open hole into transmission, for who know how long. They said to drive it to them and they'll change the fluid, but it's a 35 min drive, and didn't want to cause any further damage, so I changed the fluid myself (simple, just like oil change).

The problems started nearly immediately. Backed out of garage, and parked car fine. Next time I tried to drive, started, idled smooth, upon selecting D, shuddered then stalled. Restarted and let it warm up a few min, then went into gear, drove around for 20 mins, no problems.

Since then whenever selecting D or R on gear selector, it stalls repeatedly. Eventually, once warmed, will go into gear and drive normally.

Called dealership, they said bring it into Service, they're "not one of those dealers" and "want to help", service called today and said it was a weird issue and they need help from Honda Technical Assistance. I know a mechanic there, and he said it looks like it needs a new trans. The service manager that called said they need it one more day at least, to see what Honda Technical Assist says.

Do I have any options? They sold me a car with Maintenance code and instead of addressing, they just cleared the code, both times I drove the car it was pulled up and warmed up which seems to hide the major issue, they didn't realize the Fill plug for trans was missing. I feel like they're gonna offer something weak like, free labor if I buy a trans, or something.

What can I do? This is messed up

Hello I am looking into buying an SUV. I am between a RAV4 or Subaru Outback. I have saved up enough to buy either with cash. However, I am told I should pretend I am financing so I can negotiate the car price. Additionally, I have been told that dealers add BS fees. Can I get some tips on how to go about this as well as knowing what fees are actually required?

Thank you!

I saw an article where the person removed the car dealership name off the vehicle, stating that she doesn't do free advertising. But she didn't remove the manufacturer's logo or name. So isn't she still advertising for free?

$3600 markup on a CH-R

yeah ok go fuck yourself

https://smartpath.toyota.com/inventory/details?source=t1&dealerCd=31039&vin=JTMAAAAD3TJ014367&type=new&intsrc=tcom-tier1:search-inventory%253Avehicletile:view-details:mstc-tier1%253Avdp

Before Carvana they sold 35 vehicles a month. After they purchased them it is over 350 vehicles a month.

Dealers have already complained and Stellantis is limiting how many dealerships Carvana can aquire.

Its not direct to consumer but it shows consumers are more than happy to order a car and pay a single price.

Who knew that after a 100 years of innovation people can figure out better ways to sell cars than what we did a 100 years ago?

follows on the wendover vid a lot of people saw about a month ago, but a nice summary… someone should post at r/askcarsales - I’m not sure they’d know what to say. a lot of panting noises and hoof stanping, I would imagine.

I sold my car yesterday for a cheap price because I know about its issues: the tires are old, from 2021, and the engine has an oil leak.

Today I found the same car listed again for about double the price. The new listing describes the tires as “fairly new” and does not mention the engine oil leak.

I’m not mad about the money — I agreed to the price and I’m satisfied with what I got. What makes me sad is that the buyer told me he wanted the car to teach his little brother how to drive manual, but it turns out he appears to be flipping it.

Just a heads-up for anyone shopping for any cars: please inspect it carefully and don’t rely only on the seller’s description

In my experience, Rock & Roll Harley Davidson in Cleveland, Ohio is by far the worst service and sales experience I’ve ever had in any regard.

Their service department is unbelievably under skilled, and they refuse to stand behind their work. Their sales people are aggressive and off putting. If you Google them, I am clearly not alone.

I’m curious, what other dealerships have anyone run into problems with or would you advise to avoid entirely?

I'm talking used cars. Do dealerships make the deal, then take their time to do the so called safety etc, but actually switch expensive parts for cheaper ones etc. Is this a thing? I suspect it is, but can't prove it.

Went into a Honda dealership looking at civics at the low 20 thousands range, found a 24 civic sport at 16,000 miles at 24,500$. Went inside to work the numbers at a 8% interest rate for 72 months at $430 a month would add up to around $32,000 otd.This is already a lot and at this point buying a 2026 makes more sense. I walked out the dealership after seeing the numbers. This is with a co-signers, by myself they would’ve given me a 15% interest rate. I understand state taxes in California and all that, but this is just absurd in to practically pay $32,000 for a 2 year old civic. I understand why they don’t depreciate and all that.

But surely there can a much better deal than that right?

The cars total sales price is $25,808 before taking interest into account.

What would be the correct steps to get this at the lowest possible price I was aiming at $25,000 OTD but clearly this dealership had something else in mind.

edit) forgot to include the sales breakdown

Selling Price-24,494
Government Fee- 578.42
Proc/Doc Fee-85
Total Taxes- 2,150.87
Cash Down- 2,000
Amount Financed- 72months

Total Payment- 25,809

Tomorrow I will likely be coming home with a 2026 Honda Odyssey, either EX-L or Sport L.

I was given a $436 monthly payment (10k mile/year 36mo lease) with a total of $5245 down… $27,902 buyout ($44,290 Msrp, $490 doc fees)

Where is my negotiating power? Can I ask for the sport L instead of the EXL for the same price? …. Maybe a special order color for the same price as the quoted color (gray)…. How about undercoating the vehicle?

Admittedly, and unfortunately, I’m pretty clueless with financing anything. I’ve only financed my homes in the past. This will be a vehicle we keep for 10 years or more hopefully

(if anyone can beat this deal and you’re within 60 to 90 minutes of northeastern Pennsylvania, let me know)

Last month on 21 April, I paid a deposit over the phone on a used car after speaking with a salesman. During the call, I was specifically told the deposit was fully refundable which is the only reason I paid it. I have learnt my lesson now, but at the time no contract was provided or signed.

Within the 48 hour cooling off period, I decided not to go ahead with the purchase because I found the same model car with a few extra tech features I wanted. When I let the salesman know, the “fully refundable” deposit suddenly became a “you might not be entitled to it because you didn’t physically view the car” situation. Apparently my eyes needed to physically lock onto the vehicle for the refund policy to work even though they say online they send cars all over Australia and surely one of those customers have changed their mind in the past?

He said he’d need to discuss it with the owner, but what frustrated me was that none of this was mentioned when they were happily taking my money over the phone, even though he later tried to say via text that he did advise me of this during the phone call (insert Pinocchio nose).

Since then, getting responses has become painful. Before I paid the deposit, replies were basically instant. Afterwards, it started taking multiple follow-up messages to get any response at all, despite my messages being read instantly.

On 29 April, I was told the refund had been “requested”.

Then two more weeks passed with nothing.

I followed up again on 11 and 12 May (because it takes multiple messages to get a response) and was told it had been “overlooked” and the refund was being requested again. At that point I asked what I thought was a pretty reasonable question: “How exactly are you refunding me when I never gave you my bank details?”

And surprise surprise… suddenly they needed my BSB and account number. Which honestly made me question what exactly had been “requested” the first two times.

Since then, I keep getting told the refund is “being processed” while more days and weeks pass. Unless the funds are travelling here by carrier pigeon, I genuinely do not understand the delay.

To be fair, I completely understand cancelled sales are annoying and I was genuinely apologetic for wasting the salesman’s time. But despite the replies staying technically polite and professional, the delays are starting to feel incredibly deliberate.

What makes it more frustrating is that this dealership heavily promotes honesty, integrity and customer experience on social media. I even read an article about the business where the owner talked about having a hands-on team where “nothing gets lost in the process.” Meanwhile my refund appears to be lost in space.

I’m not really the type of person to trash businesses online (hence why I haven’t named and shamed yet) and I’ve genuinely tried to resolve this properly. I’ve now emailed and texted the business directly, offered to come in with my card to expedite the process and advised that if it keeps dragging on, I’ll begin the process of escalating it through my bank and Consumer Affairs.

I understand business owners will naturally back their staff, but surely at some point you’d look at this situation and think “yeah okay this has been handled terribly.”

So I’m curious, for anyone who’s dealt with dealerships before, is this normal behaviour or am I right to feel like I’m being professionally scammed?

This was my first time and last time buying a second hand car from a private/“boutique” dealer. I can’t help but wonder if I would be getting the same treatment if I was a big burly guy instead of a regular girl. Do I need to start a social media tirade to get my money back?