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| - *Please read this before you go there!*
To start, the salesman I dealt with was very friendly and seemed very willing to help. The manager was very high pressure. He still seemed interested in helping, but he seemed a lot more interested in selling the car. It is possible we had some misunderstandings, but it is hard to tell.
I live in Utah. I was looking for an older Jeep Cherokee in good condition, and came across a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee that Truck Masters had in Phoenix. I checked the Car Fax and called and spoke to a salesman for a while.
Here is the posting from Autotrader:
Seller Comments
1999 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 4X4 SUV WITH LOW 71K MILES! CLEAN 1 OWNER CARFAX!! HIGH OUTPUT V6 MOTOR, HANKOOK TIRES ON PREMIUM ALLOY WHEELS, CENTER CONSOLE SHIFT, A/C, POWER WINDOWS, MIRRORS, LOCKS, TILT, CRUISE, TINT AND MORE! EXTREMELY CLEAN AND WELL MAINTAINED SUV! GREAT DEAL!!EVERY ASPECT OF THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN GONE THROUGH WITH AN 89 POINT INSPECTION BY OUR TEAM OF ASE CERTIFIED MASTER MECHANICS. ANYTHING THAT IS NOT UP TO OUR HIGH STANDARDS IS FIXED WITH THE BEST FACTORY OR AFTERMARKET PARTS AVAILABLE. WE TAKE GREAT MEASURES TO ENSURE WE ARE SELLING HIGH QUALITY VEHICLES THAT WILL LAST!PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CALL US WITH ANY QUESTIONS, WE LOVE ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND TALKING ABOUT OUR VEHICLES WITH OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS!
The Jeep seemed to be in order, so I made plans to fly from Utah to Phoenix to buy the Jeep. The salesman told me that he wanted a $1,000 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit to hold the car. I refused. I would never give a non-refundable deposit like that on an UNSEEN USED CAR. The night before my early morning flight they told me that they were selling the car to someone else. I was surprised that they would sell it after I bought the plane ticket, but I knew the risks when I refused to pay the deposit. An hour later they called me back insisting that I give them the deposit or else they would sell it. I still refused. Later still, they said they still had the jeep, it had not sold, but again insisted I pay them the deposit. I refused again.
The next morning I traveled to Phoenix and saw the Jeep. I was very disappointed. Contrary to what I had expected, the jeep was not is very good condition. Cracked windshield, dog fur inside, smoke smell inside, it was leaking oil from the head gasket, the transmission, and the transfer case. The 4-wheel drive linkage wasn't even hooked up. The paint was badly scratched all over, and someone had keyed the sides of the vehicle. It was in terrible shape. When I expressed my displeasure to the sales person, he got the manager involved. The manager was high pressure. He expressed that he was surprised that I refused to give the deposit the day before. He also said his mechanics did a thorough inspection of the jeep and that it was mechanically sound. He tried to negotiate the price of the vehicle to cover the cost of the repairs it may need. I was concerned that the issues I found were just scratching the surface of problems on this vehicle. I insisted that it go to a mechanic for a pre-buy inspection. He seemed dissatisfied with that idea and continued to pressure me to buy immediately. At this point I demanded a pre-buy inspection before negotiations could go any further.
At the mechanic shop they told me it would be an hour to complete the inspection. I went to grab food and came back 20 minutes later. To my surprise, the jeep was already out of the shop. I went in and spoke to the mechanic who took me outside to show me the vehicle. The rear end was out ($2,000+ repair), the head gasket was blown, the radiator hoses were impregnated and about to blow. They didn't complete the inspection because in 10 minutes they were certain that buying this vehicle would be a terrible idea.
When I got back to the dealership with the Jeep, the manager didn't speak to me. I gathered my things and called a cab and left. It was a very lame experience.
I strongly suggest you look elsewhere for a vehicle. If you elect to buy here, I strongly suggest that you refuse paying any deposits and I urge you to get a pre-buy inspection from a good mechanic.
I would also like to point out that I bought a different Jeep from a dealership that was 2 years newer, in far better condition and I paid $1,000 less than this one.
**The manager called me after I posted this review. We talked for an hour over the phone about what happened. I appreciate the time he took with me both in Phoenix and over the phone. He did try to work out a solution with me. Unfortunately for both of us, there is nothing to be done. I feel like they were dishonest and selling a bad vehicle. They think I had unrealistic preconceived ideas about the vehicle. We both lose in the deal.
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