We asked you to send in your new and used car experiences.
TFL reader and Patreon supporter Derrick reached out with a few of his purchases, one of which goes back more than a decade. Dealing with any individual car dealer can be a crapshoot — either it’s a great (or at least drama-free) experience, or it can be a complete nightmare. Here’s how he fared with two of his recent purchases:
“I bought a 2018 Nissan Leaf SV for my wife this past May, 2021. This is a used car that had just come off a lease for $19,000. The dealership (Boulder Nissan) sold it at the price listed on the website, there was a small dealership transaction fee, I can’t remember the amount but I felt it was very reasonable. They sales rep was informative, which was helpful, I wasn’t familiar with all the new safety features: adaptive cruise, lane centering, blind spot monitoring, etc. We did meet with the finance person even though we were paying cash. She took care of the paperwork for the title and we were done in 15 or 20 minutes. I wanted some touch up paint for a chip on the front bumper and the parts department ordered it and got back to me quickly when it came in. All in all, a great experience.
By the way, I am a car guy, I put a motor in my 1960’s Land Rover, fixed up an old MG, a Porsche 914 and a couple of Alfas. I didn’t expect to like [the Leaf] — it was just for my wife to drive around town. But I love it. Its super comfortable, has a great stereo with Apple CarPlay, has lots of room and is relatively quick and fun to drive. Who would have thought?
My new vehicle buying experience: The Ford Maverick
I just ordered a Ford Maverick at Larry Miller Lakewood. So far I have reserved it and converted that to an order. The sales rep explained the ordering process (which agreed with the process I had researched on the web), we reviewed the build I wanted, identified the options I wanted, discussed items which could slow down delivery and if there are aftermarket options to replace these. He was very helpful without wasting a lot of time. They are selling the me the car at MSRP plus their $599 delivery (dealership profit fee) which I think is about average in the business for a new car, so I am comfortable with that. He quoted me an all out the door cost including tax and put that in writing. I had to put down a $1,000 deposit, which is high, other dealerships are as low as $100 dollars, but it is refundable if I don’t like the car when it comes in, so I am not too worried about that. So far, I am very happy with my experience.
Ok, now the bad experience from awhile back…
12 years ago, I bought used 2004 Land Rover Discovery at a Ford dealership along I-25. It was advertised at $8,995.00. The sales rep rode with me on a test drive, admitted I knew a lot more about the truck than he did. He was helpful and efficient in arranging the deal. So far so good. The finance manager kept me waiting for nearly two hours, until right before closing time. The dealership was empty on a weeknight, so he didn’t have the excuse that he was busy. The car was advertised at $8,995, but when I got the paperwork it said $9,995. When I pointed out the error, the finance manager looked at the paperwork and said that he would have to fix and reprint all the documents to fix the problem. I told him yes, he would, but that it should be easy. He acquiesced, but it was really a bad experience.
That’s it, keep up the good work, I love the channels!”
