Car Buying Experience

Hello All,

Earlier this week I had to get a new car. I leased my 2015 Ford Focus, and time was running up. I decided from the moment I leased that car, that I would get an SUV for my next car. Later that year, I got a job where we deal with emergency services. That means our office does not close even if it is snowing. I needed a car that has 4 Wheel Drive. Honestly, I was glad to get rid of my Focus. It shook every time I made a turn, and jolted every time I accelerated. There was even a lawsuit over the transmission for the 2015 models of the Ford Focus. It did not make me feel safe at all.

I went to my Ford dealership one morning after calling because I saw a sale. It was $1,000 off if you upgraded to an SUV. I explained to the sales person on the phone I was looking for an Escape and gave him my number to text me. And of course, he did. We texted quite a bit about a car he sent a picture of to me – it was not an Escape, which was Red Flag 1 and it did not have 4WD – Flag 2, but it did have some sort of function that makes it handle the snow. “It will handle whatever weather New Jersey can throw at it” as Kyle, the sales person, claimed.

I walked in. I am quite poor and on my own, but I negotiate for a living, so I wasn’t too worried. I test drove the brand new 2018 Ford Ecosport. I wasn’t feeling it 100%, but I decided it was indeed an upgrade. However, at one point during the test drive, I mentioned to Kyle that I was interested in the Honda CRV because it’s a safe car, which he responded that Honda would not give me the same technological features that Ford would. I looked him in the eye and said “Technology is great, but safety is even better.”

So we went into the showroom to discuss numbers. Keep in mind, I have no co-signer, no money to put down, and I am over my mileage allowed. I got my first car from this dealership in 2011 and my second in 2015. I haven’t owned anything other than a Ford.

The sales manager came over and gave me bad news. I either needed to pay a ridiculous amount per month for the car, get a co-signer, or put money down. I asked if they took credit card and he said no. Again, keep in mind, I wasn’t exactly in love with this car. I told him there was no way I could do any of those options. The sales manager then said “I am trying to meet you half way and you’re not really making it easy.” He then tried to sell me another Focus or Fusion, which I made clear that I was not going to go for either. I told him I would have to think things over and come back. At which time he said “Remember, the more you drive your car, the more you’ll owe when you come in again.”

I went home and took a nap. I woke up to a text message from Kyle asking my thoughts on the morning. I messaged him back saying I was disappointed, apologized for wasting his time, but reconfirmed I could not pay what they were asking and I wanted a 4WD. He came back with “Were you able to find a co-signer or money down?” It took me everything I had not to flip out on this man via text. I know he’s a sales person. I get it, but a little sympathy would be nice. Not asking for much. Just a “Sorry to hear that. Let me see what I can do.”

Instead, I told him that I did not, but I was going to look at other dealerships to see what they offer.I know I didn’t have the upper hand or wouldn’t get a better deal, but I sure acted like I did.

Kyle immediately texted back saying his manager had other options for me and asked if I could call or come in to view the vehicle. I asked what type of vehicle and he said he wasn’t sure because his manager didn’t tell him, but they could help me out. It was too late for that, in my opinion. You should have helped me out while I was on site earlier.

I took my fiance and we headed to Honda. I can’t explain to you how nice the sales person, Eric, was. We talked about Fantasy Football, his wife and kids, and the sales manager showed us his kids dressed up as Captain America and Jean Grey as the Phoenix (he saw my Captain America key chain). He even gave me discounts I didn’t qualify for. I met him half way and put down $1,000 on my credit card.

In the end I wound up signing for a Honda HRV, which Kyle from Ford had something to say along the lines of: Hope they aren’t taking it as a trade in, you’ll have to pay extra for breaking your lease, etc. Which, funny enough, if I had bought my car in September of 2016, I would have had to pay for breaking my lease, but since it was a 2015, I did not.

The HRV is bigger than the Ecosport, it has more room, and is much safer. Sure, it doesn’t have as much awesome technology as the Ecosport, but it has quite a good deal of the same stuff.

What made me feel even better is when I called my insurance company to update my policy, the representative said “Oh! That’s a nice little safe car.” When I called my dad, he told me that Honda was a safe company. I feel a lot better going to Honda and had a much better experience (although we were there for 5 hours – eek!).

I am paying $10 less a month than what I would be paying for the Ecosport, but it is worth it. I don’t mind paying money for a product I am happy with. The only thing I will miss, is the awesome blue color I had with my Focus.

Let’s just hope the HRV holds up for 3 years, unlike my last car!