New Si Owner: Horror Story Inside!!!!!!!!!!!

[cornerstrike]

Well, it's been a week now that I finally took delivery of my Si. If you only understood what I had to go through to get the bloody car.

I went on memorial day to a dealer to make a deal for an Si. I had called all the dealers in a 25 mile radius and only this dealer had one available. So I drove for about 30 minutes and finally arrived at the dealer. I asked for the gentleman who I spoke to on the phone. When I finally met him that first thing that he said was that he was selling the Si he had 2k over sticker. I told him that it did not matter to me because the important thing for me was the monthly payment. I explained that I had a trade and that I wanted x amount monthly payment. He said no way and I got up and left. The whole thing took about less then 2 minutes. I was not surprised but I was a little upset that he did not mention anything on the phone.

I had pretty given up the search for an Si since that was the only one available in the area. I was passing by a Honda dealer on the way home so I said to my self,"what the hell, let me see what's going on." I made a u-turn and went inside the dealer. I was standing around for about 5 minutes when finally someone asked me if I needed any help. I asked him if he was a salesman. He replied that he was a Sales Manager, which was even better for me. I sat down and told him that I was interested in a Si. He told me that they did not have any available, but that there was 2 on the way. I explained to him the deal I wanted and if he could not do it that it was ok. I did not want to be haggling on a price back and forth, so I told him firmly this is the price I wanted. I wanted a blue or silver with Navi, but he explained that they we getting 2 on black. I didn't want black, but I wanted an Si. he told me he could give me the deal I wanted and I agreed.

I was in the dealer for about 3 hours doing all the paperwork for the car. All the papers in the finance dept. was done. So the car was legally mine for the most part, but I had to wait for 2 weeks for the car to arrive. He told me that he would call me when the car arrived. So I went home and started the waiting game. I tried calling 4 days or so to check the status, but I was never able to reach anyone. Finally, after 2 weeks had passed and no one had given me a call, I decided to go to the dealer to see what was going on.

When I arrived at the dealer I saw the Sales Manager that I was dealing with. He looked me and then started walking towards me. He then said that he had some bad news. I figured he was going to tell me that the car was not here yet. Instead, this guy tells me that my car was sold to someone else. I was shocked!!!! I asked him how was that possible when I had a purchase order with the VIN# of the car that I was supposed to pick up? He told me that when the car arrived another salesman got to it before he did. He then followed that by asking me if I he can interest me in another car. I looked at him like he was crazy. He was calm like nothing had happened. I told him that I was not interested in another vehicle. That was the only car that I went to the dealer to get, not an accord. He said that there was nothing he can do. I asked him why he didn't call me when he found out that the vehicle was sold? He just said that it was his fault and that he was sorry. That's it.

I cannot describe how pissed I was. I was so upset that I almost flew my teenaged, delinquent brother up from Florida to come destroy all the windows from the parking lot. He would do just for fun. I tried to calm down. I left the dealer pissed. A few days later I told my wife and she sad. She was upset, but she said that she was sad that i had to go through that experience. Especially for something that I was waiting so much for.

The funny thing is that's not where the story ends. A few days after this incident I received a bill from Chase Bank. When I looked at it, it was a bill for a few hundred dollars. I was a little confused because I own a Chase credit card, but I did not remember purchasing anything lately. When I looked at it a little more carefully I noticed that it was a bill for the exact same amount that we had agreed for the car payment. It was my first bill payment for my car. The one the was sold. I could not believe this. Honestly, I felt royally screwed.

The next thing I did was go upstairs and speak with my landlord, who happens to be a lawyer. He was surprised himself and told me that he was going to wright a letter to the dealer threatening to take them to court. They received the letter and after a few days I called them. The sales manager explained that they would cancel the auto loan, but he did not apologize. I waited for a couple a days and the account was not closed. I called Honda of America and they contacted the dealer. The dealer was giving Honda the same runaround that they were giving me. They told Honda that they were working on closing the account. After a few day of waiting I called Chase and the account was still opened. I asked my wife to call Honda of Japan. She managed to speak to someone there and they contacted Honda of America and gave them a deadline for them to resolve this.

The next day I went to the dealer and asked if this was resolved. The sales manager was not there, so they called finance manager that was in the dealer at the time. This guy heard my story and apologized for what had happened. He called Chase in front of me and gave me a copy of the auto loan account. He also gave me copies of all the paper work I had done for the vehicle. After a day or two the account was closed and I was relived. This was such a bad experience.

It took me a few days for me to settle down before I could start searching for an Si again. I found one at a dealer in Blue, but it did not have Navi. At that point I just wanted to car and figured if I could get a deal cheaper then for one with Navi I would take it. This dealer was given me less for my trade and a higher monthly payment then the one with Navi that I got screwed for. I told them that I could not pay more for a car with less options. They understood and I left. On my way home, again, I passed by the same dealer that screwed me and asked to speak to the finance guy that helped me with my Chase problem. I just plainly asked him if he could get me the same deal I had before for an Si, and that I didn't mind waiting. We sat down in his office and after looking at my original purchase order he agreed to do so. We placed an order for an Si. He asked me what color I wanted. I was surprised and a little excited because this was unexpected. I told him blue, if not silver. He placed the order for blue. He introduced me to the sales rep that would handle the deal. Nice guy. He told me that he would call me once the car was on it's way.

A few weeks later I received a call telling that the car left the factory and gave me the Vin#. A week after that I received the call that my car was at the dealer ready for delivery. The next day I was the proud owner of a 2006 Honda Civic Si, Fiji Blue, with Navi and High Performance Tires. Better yet, the payed off my trade completely and I got an great deal for the car.

Let me tell you, these past 2 months were some of the most stressful I've had in a while. But when I look at my Fiji Si, strap in the seat and work those 6 gears, it was all worth it. I would do it all again if I had the choice.

P.S. sorry for the long post, but I felt that it was something that needed to be shared. I didn't post any pics because there's already tons of pics of Fiji Si Civics.

[larryd]

WOW.. and WOW. Seriously man I think I would have been ready to kill someone.

[ethlar]

wow thats messed up, i would have demanded all sorts of discounts from that dealer, or at least free accessories for the car if i was in your place. Glad it got worked out and you got your car.

[atruhondagrl]

You're a braver person than I. But then again, the dealership messing up like that paid off for you in the long run.

[TommyD]

Sounds like a pain in the arse for a car but just wait until you buy a house. The shit can get heaps thicker than that.

Glad you got your car, enjoy it.

[larryd]

No shit. I remember I couldnt even sleep at night when I was working out the details for our mortgage. What a PITA that was.

[K20Z3Si]

Man thats nuts. I'm glad it all worked out for you in the end.

[letsgoflyers81]

That's really crazy man. I'm glad it worked out in the end. However, buying a car and going by monthly payment has got to be the worst way to do it. When you only care about a monthly payment, you often wind up paying much more for the car than if you negotiate on price.

[BATANG CITY JAIL]

all that for an SI??.. demn.. when i didnt get my car on the same day they pomised me... i went and look for 350'z and evo's.. but while waitn on the deal, the SI arrive the following day, so what the hell...

[SiC17]

Originally Posted by cornerstrike

I didn't post any pics because there's already tons of pics of Fiji Si Civics.

Wow, I think I would have lost my mind and beat someone down. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm fired up that it worked out for you.

I'm pretty sure I speak for everyone on this forum when I say, just post some pics, please! We can never get enough pics. I don't care if your car is completely stock, I love pics of everyone's Si..... please.... I need my fix.

[thinkinblue613]

CRAZZYY!!! at least you got what wanted in the end..

Whats the pricing you got for the car?

[Mrdrinkle]

Wow when I saw the long post I was about to X you, but it was well written and interesting(sorry for taking interest in your pain). Sucks have the runaround from the dealership. I would have said F-that dealership for screwing me over!! And not give them the time of day, but I think you made a great decision by going back to that dealership and getting the deal you wanted on the car you wanted. Thumbs up to you!

[Yodums]

That was a very interesting morning read. I’m glad it worked out for you in the long run. I knew the finance guy would become key in your situation because well… my gut said so! But you’re right, the misery and pain that you went through seems all worth it now that you’re finally presented with the final product.

Have fun driving.

[cornerstrike]

Originally Posted by letsgoflyers81

That's really crazy man. I'm glad it worked out in the end. However, buying a car and going by monthly payment has got to be the worst way to do it. When you only care about a monthly payment, you often wind up paying much more for the car than if you negotiate on price.

Well, if you do your math before doing a deal at the dealing, working on a specific monthly payment will give some advantages. Let's say you wanted a payment of $500 dollars a month, just as an example. You have to factor in the selling price of the new car, what they give you for your trade, interest rate, term of the loan, state taxes and maybe $800 in dealer paperwork. This can give you a clear idea of what is possible from the dealer standpoint and what you might be able to get.

Without giving any numbers, my trade was completely paid, the Si was sold $200 under sticker, and I got the lowest interest rate that was available. There are many ways to negotiate a deal. For me doing some math before going into the dealer and working on specific monthly payment works the best for me.

P.S by the way, having decent credit always helps too.

[letsgoflyers81]

Originally Posted by cornerstrike

Well, if you do your math before doing a deal at the dealing, working on a specific monthly payment will give some advantages. Let's say you wanted a payment of $500 dollars a month, just as an example. You have to factor in the selling price of the new car, what they give you for your trade, interest rate, term of the loan, state taxes and maybe $800 in dealer paperwork. This can give you a clear idea of what is possible from the dealer standpoint and what you might be able to get.

Without giving any numbers, my trade was completely paid, the Si was sold $200 under sticker, and I got the lowest interest rate that was available. There are many ways to negotiate a deal. For me doing some math before going into the dealer and working on specific monthly payment works the best for me.

P.S by the way, having decent credit always helps too.

If you were able to pull that off, then you really made out. I was a bit skeptical because typically I hear stories about people going into a dealership and saying something like, "I want this car and I want $300 a month payments." (Or whatever the payment may be.) If you do that and don't bother talking about the price of the car, they can try stretching out the loan to six years or some other tricks to get the payments down. But when all is said and done and the car is paid off, you end up paying a lot more. But if you got a good price, good trade in value, and good interest rate, then that's awesome. It's just a shame the first dealership screwed up so bad.

[SIpimpin13]

I'm speechless

[skittleslegend]

Nobody's still got me beat for the worse story....


Glad you at least got it though :)

[letsgoflyers81]

Originally Posted by skittleslegend

Nobody's still got me beat for the worse story....


Glad you at least got it though :)

My memory must be going on my as I approach the ripe old age of 25. What happened with you?

[crazykid3437]

why would you bother going back to a dealer that trying screwing you over?

[Yodums]

Originally Posted by crazykid3437

why would you bother going back to a dealer that trying screwing you over?

One bad apple doesn't mean the whole batch is bad.

Sure, the original salesman was a jerk and didn't give a crap about him, but the finance guy was professional about it. He helped him closed the account and apologized. I bet most people would say something like, "You'll have to talk with the ______" and they'll keep kicking you around. The guy also recommended him to a good salesperson who got the job done.

Every dealership will have their quirks. Some people complain about the dealership I went to, but I had no problems because I knew who to speak to.