| Buying Process |
|
25% |
| Sales Associate |
|
30% |
| Vehicle Selection |
|
20% |
| Finance Department |
|
70% |
| Trade-In Process |
|
46.7% |
| Service Department |
N/A |
| Sales Pressure |
LOW |
User: pdm
Date: 12/20/2006 12:09
Comment: Oh boy, a doozy.
We bought an 01 Beetle GLS, Certified Pre-Owned, from Ed Murphy in March of this year. We made the mistake of trusting that the car actually went through a certification process; Ed Murphy never produced documents stating so (instead played hot potato with VWoA) - "we have them around here somewhere...."
We started having problems with the car, discovered when the car was taken to our local dealer - Autobarn Evanston. Some items were covered under warranty but the more problematic ones weren't.
Everything wrong with the car should have been caught by the Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) process. Here's a list.
* CD changer magazine is on the “initial” check – we have none
* All keys with vehicle is on “initial” – we have one
* Paint touch-up is on “initial” – scrape on driver’s side bottom of fender
* Mirrors are on “interior” – “normal operation”, ours was broken (driver's side)
* Complete vehicle records on “initial” – we have none
* Maintenance record with vehicle on “initial” – we have none
* In “first class condition” on “initial” – interior rubber is being rubbed off throughout
* A/C condensor: “operation normal” on “after road test” – ours died
* “reasonably free of cosmetic damage” – this is arguable, but the rear bumper is gashed, there are pings on the hood and trunklid
* Tires: “all tires match” – nope, one (!) out of 4 didn't match
* Control arms: “ensure free of damage” – tie rod is bent
The CD changer magazine was given to us, the 2nd key was given to us as well. Autobarn took care of the A/C condenser and the mirror.
Once the Carfax was pulled we learned that this awesome car also failed its emissions testing, and we had no proof that it was fixed.
The sales manager was consistently short-tempered on the phone after being kind and receptive in person. They refused to put ANYTHING in writing, including an offer to allow the purchase price of our car as a trade-in (something we ultimately didn't do, in part because we didn't trust them.) Every time we wanted something in writing, he alternated between "No" and "Don't you trust me?"
During multiple phone calls we simply asked, nicely, for a copy of the certification.
Him: "I have it here, it's on the computer."
Me: "Great. Is there any way I can get a print out of that?"
Him: "No, you can't. It's certified! It's inspected! I have it on the computer in service. We have it."
Me: "Can you send it to me via fax?"
Him: "No. What, you don't trust me? It sounds like you don't trust me. Listen, I don't want to do business with you if you don't trust me..."
I'm not joking - that was the actual conversation.
We decided at that point that we needed to get rid of the car, and we ultimately did trade it in elsewhere. Avoid these guys like the plague. They ultimately soured our entire VW experience, and we went with a Honda instead.
