I ordered my Ody around a month ago. I was told that it would take around 3 months. Last week I got a call from my dealer telling me that it would be only another week or two. When he called me on Monday, he told me it would be in by Friday (today). I was very excited. He later called back and told me that it might even be here by Wednesday. We talked about financing vs leasing, and I told him I would get back to him. Well, I decided to pay cash, and when I let him know, he got a strange sound in his voice. Anyway, I was waiting to hear from him, and had to call him on Wednesday. It wasn't in, but was expected on Friday. Called him Thursday and he said that the carrier broke down and now they weren't expecting it until Monday the 25th. He said it could still show up on Friday, though. So, today I called and he said that he would let me know if it arrived today, but either way he would call. Never called. Called early evening and he was out to dinner. Asked the person who answered the phone if the new Ody's had come in. He said that one truck had come in, but my salesperson would have to tell me if mine was on it. Never called me back. Called again later, got my salesperson, and he told me that the truck didn't come in. I told him that the other salesperson said it had. He said that it was a truck that didn't have any Ody's - just used cars or something. I don't know if I'm being paranoid, but I'm worried he's not being honest. Could it be that he is not happy that I'm not financing with them? Could he just be jerking me around because he would rather sell it to somebody else that is financing? Is there anything I can do, considering I have a VIN number, to check it out? I am very concerned because I made an appointment to turn my lease in today, and I got it extended until Monday. If I don't turn it in by Monday, I'm paying for another month. What would you do? Thanks. Michelle
Is my dealer telling me the truth???
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I made sure to visit the dealer in person instead of calling. I can tell much better if someone is honest if I look him in the eye.
You might go in there and talk with him. He has a report showing the status of all his on-order vehicles. He should be able to show you your VIN on that report. It won't tell you exactly where it is in transit, but at least it shows whether or not it has truly been shipped and when it left the factory.
I do belive that shipping is quite variable and uncertain, and there really can be delays.
I'd let the dealer know about your lease situation. He might be able to provide a loaner.
You don't want to be at his mercy.
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Regards,
Maugham
_ ________________________ _
"I plan to live forever. So far, so good"
'02 RP EX-L
'85 Prelude
'01 Ninja folding aluminum scooter
'00 New Balance Model 658 Shoes w/ Green grass stains and '01 White Laces
Rockport MW351 Brown Boots (for winter) and '00 Brown Laces
You might go in there and talk with him. He has a report showing the status of all his on-order vehicles. He should be able to show you your VIN on that report. It won't tell you exactly where it is in transit, but at least it shows whether or not it has truly been shipped and when it left the factory.
I do belive that shipping is quite variable and uncertain, and there really can be delays.
I'd let the dealer know about your lease situation. He might be able to provide a loaner.
You don't want to be at his mercy.
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Regards,
Maugham
_ ________________________ _
"I plan to live forever. So far, so good"
'02 RP EX-L
'85 Prelude
'01 Ninja folding aluminum scooter
'00 New Balance Model 658 Shoes w/ Green grass stains and '01 White Laces
Rockport MW351 Brown Boots (for winter) and '00 Brown Laces
Thanks for writing back. Unfortunately, the dealership is too far away to drop by. I bought it from a dealer that is an hour away because he gave me $200 off msrp, and he was the only one who guaranteed that it would be in by the end of April. He did offer me a rental, but once again, it's not convenient. I am thrilled that it is coming in so much earlier, and I can hold my lease another two months, but I don't want to pay another month and then get it the next day. My major concern is that he doesn't want to sell it to me anymore because I'm not financing. Is that ridiculous of me to think such a thing? Is there any way that you can check online with your VIN number, where your vehicle is? Doubt it. Thanks for writing.
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There used to be a way to check delivery, via the www.bnsf.com website, but that capability was restricted about 10 days after 9/11. For a while after that, there were a couple of offers here by Odyclub members to trace VINs from their work locations. I haven't heard anyone offer that lately. Also, there were a couple of reports by people who said they phoned BNSF, got a sympathetic customer service rep, and got the tracing info that way.
Can you be very direct the dealer? Of course dealers want buyers to finance with them, but once they have provided a VIN, it doesn't seem to me like there is a lot the dealer can do without putting himself at risk.
Best of luck!
Regards,
Maugham
Can you be very direct the dealer? Of course dealers want buyers to finance with them, but once they have provided a VIN, it doesn't seem to me like there is a lot the dealer can do without putting himself at risk.
Best of luck!
Regards,
Maugham
I think that you're being lied to and manipulated, and you should return in kind. I suggest that you innocently tell the salesguy that your accountant recommended that you put your money into a mutual fund, and that you will finance everything but $5,000. Ask him to please arrange the best interest rates for you, etc. Don't sign anything, of course, until you're ready to take delivery. That's perfectly reasonable -- nobody would start a loan and make payments before having the vehicle. While you're at it, ask him all about a service contract, and agree when he suggests that 18% interest and a $2,500 service contract seems so reasonable, etc. Make him think you're a sucker!
Then, when you come in to pick up the vehicle, tell him you want to see it, etc., and when they put all the paperwork together for you to sign, just casually say, "You know, I might as well write you a check for the whole thing, oh, and I don't want the service contract." And that's that. They simply won't be able to say that you can't buy the car, if they do, start cursing at the top of your lungs so that every customer in the place hears you, ask for the owner and district manager's name, and demand to speak to them on the phone immediately.
Also, if possible, bring along a friend -- somebody who could care less if he or she needs to yell at a bunch of salespeople.
There are plenty of car salespeople who are honest, but it sounds like you've got a greedy one. That's my opinion, anyway.
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...all because<ul>[*]"he got a strange sound in his voice. "[*]There is uncertainty over the exact delivery date[*]The van appears to be coming in a month or two EARLIER than originally committed[*]She couldn't reach her salesman right away[/list]
She has a VIN. When the reps play games (one did to me), do they give out VINs?
He gave her a firm date of the 25th. If I were doing the deal, I'd chill on the games until after that.
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Regards,
Maugham
_ ________________________ _
"I plan to live forever. So far, so good"
'02 RP EX-L
'85 Prelude
'01 Ninja folding aluminum scooter
'00 New Balance Model 658 Shoes w/ Green grass stains and '01 White Laces
Rockport MW351 Brown Boots (for winter) and '00 Brown Laces
[This message has been edited by Maugham (edited 02-23-2002).]
Thanks for the advice, but since I have no real proof that the salesperson is being dishonest, I will wait until Monday and see what he says. If the car doesn't come in, I'll have to make a decision on what to do. I guess it wasn't smart of me to tell him I was paying cash, huh? I just didn't want to do the credit app for no reason. Remember the old (old) days when you could get a better deal by paying cash? In his defense, he did offer us a loaner car until the new one gets here, but it is not convenient for me. I don't think he would have done that (for free) if the car wasn't going to arrive. So, maybe I am being a little paranoid. Thanks for your advice!!
Michelle
Michelle
Yes, you could well be right. I'm in the process of purchasing now, and just yesterday I went through a very bad experience with a dealer.
If it were me, I'd still let the dealer continue to think that I might use him to finance. The part that seems fishy to me is that here in Northern California, the vans are coming in weekly, so the only case I could see where you might need to wait two months is for a very specific color/feature combination.
The dealer is Wright Honda in Upper Darby. I went that far because he was giving $200.00 off of MSRP, and he was the only dealer around that could guarantee delivery before the end of April. The reason why it is taking longer is because I am getting the leather and entertainment system, and the dealers are only allocated around 3 per month. Did not even think to look in Lancaster, which is only around 40 minutes from us. Oh well.
Michelle
PS - Stupid question ...how do you reply to a note on this discussion board? The only way I can figure out is to hit the icon that says reply with quote and then delete the quote. I'm usually pretty computer savvy, but I'm so embarrased to say that I can't figure this out!! Thanks! :0
Michelle
PS - Stupid question ...how do you reply to a note on this discussion board? The only way I can figure out is to hit the icon that says reply with quote and then delete the quote. I'm usually pretty computer savvy, but I'm so embarrased to say that I can't figure this out!! Thanks! :0
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You are doing it right in using the reply button.
I prefer it when people include the message (or portion thereof) to which they are replying, unless the context is completely obvious.
Sometimes, particularly in a long thread, it gets hard to figure out who is answering which post, so quoting the original post can be helpful.
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Regards,
Maugham
_ _ ____________________ _ _
"I plan to live forever. So far, so good"
'02 RP EX-L (It's RP, not "RRP")
'85 Prelude
'01 Ninja folding aluminum scooter
'00 New Balance Model 658 Shoes w/ Green grass stains and '01 White Laces
Rockport MW351 Brown Boots (for winter) and '00 Brown Laces
Hi! Great news! My ODY arrived last night. I had gone down to the dealer on Monday, borrowed a 2002 Honda Accord, and was just waiting for it to arrive. Since they gave me this brand new loaner, I knew that he must be telling me the truth, and lo and behold, it finally arrived. Trying to find the time today to go get it, but if not, I have an appointment to pick it up tomorrow morning. Thanks for all of your help!!
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There is a "Post Reply" button at the very top of the page that does not include the text of the original message.
[This message has been edited by Steve P (edited 02-27-2002).]
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If posters include at least a snippet of the message to which they are replying, that makes it easier to follow the train of thought.
IMHO, it's frustrating in a thread where the 21st reply begins with "I agree" or something else that requires the reader to guess at the object of the agreement.
Regards,
Maugham
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