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| - DO NOT believe the Avondale Toyota hype! I visited them today with the purpose of researching a used car on their lot. It was a 2009 Audi A4. When I arrived, I was greeted by one of their greeters. Their sole job is to stand outside and greet customers as they arrive and direct them to the appropriate person. I found this part of the experience to be very pleasant.
Then I was introduced to Erik Warren who identified himself as a Sales and Finance Manager. I informed Erik that I was interested in looking at the Audi, which was advertised on their website. I was able to examine the car. When it came time to test drive the car, I was informed that someone else was currently in a deal to buy the car.
So, not to waste my time, I said to Erik that I wanted to look at other used cars. He informed me that they had a used Lexus IS250 in the same price range as the Audi. I told Erik that I was interested and would like to see the Lexus. Erik walked me to the used car lot of their dealership. The Lexus was not there and Erik stated that it must have sold. As we walked by some of the other used cars, I noticed a 2012 Camry. It looked sporty and had a price within my range.
I asked Erik if the sticker prices were negotiable, he stated they were NOT. He further explained that they were a one price dealership. I informed Erik that I was aware of their one price policy. However, I informed Erik that I had looked up the Audi on Kelley Blue Book and the appraised price for the car as equipped was over a $1,000 less than their advertised price.
Erik then said to me that they do not consider Kelly Blue Book car values to be accurate. He also said that they spend $1,500 per used car to recondition them prior to sale. I informed Erik that the appraised price on Kelley Blue Book was for a car in excellent condition, and yet still priced over a $1,000 less than their sticker price. Erik informed me that they look to Autotrader for accurate market appraisals for cars. More on that later.
Erik would not budge on the firm one price. The Audi was overpriced, and possibly sold anyway, so I asked to look at the 2012 Camry I saw earlier. We took it for a test drive, where I learned that the car had 74,000 miles. Yikes! And only a 2012? They wanted nearly $16,000 for it. Still, I wanted to see what a more accurate price for the car would be.
After the test drive, I asked Erik of we could look at Autotrader to appraise the Camry. He agreed. While I was appraising the car, Erik excused himself to get some paperwork. When he returned, he presented me with a Kelley Blue Book appraisal of the car. Funny, he had told me earlier that they don't use those. And the paper had a higher appraised price for the Camry than their sticker price. Erik then tells me that they do look at KBB, but not most of the time.
How convenient. I called him on that, and that is when it went south. Erik then accused me by telling me that I have been trying to discredit his dealership all along. I informed him that I had done no such thing, that I was merely seeking the best possible deal for myself that was not unreasonable. One where both parties could benefit, but where I was not ripped off. I did tell Erik that I did not appreciate at all his accusation, and that he had omitted the fact that they do look to KBB for car values.
I left the car lot. I was not there to be accused, insulted, lied to and then spend thousands of my hard earned money with a business that has such deceitful practices. They like to present themselves as a no haggle, one price business model. The reality is they mark up their cars more than they should, then they stick to their one price, one person policy to give you a false sense of security. At the end of the day, they try to rip you off just like any other dealership. And they will if you let them.
Don't believe the hype!
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