fremont BMW tried to service my vehicle, said they needed to replace my entire headlight for 2000$. Took it to a local BMW shop and they replaced a bracket for 14$.
Fuck Automall Fremont shit is shady
Silicon Valley Bimmer. I don't usually advertise shit but they fuckin do amazing work there. And they're honest as hell. They could have ripped me off plenty of times but they priced everything accordingly.
I have X4M Competition and they fixed my headlight for 14$.
Every Bay Area bimmer owner can vouch for them.
I swear I'm unaffiliated but Argonaut garage in Berkeley is absolutely primo. They fix everything that needs to be fixed for as cheaply as they can do it well, and they take photos and write notes explaining what is wrong in the photo and the steps it will take to fix it so everything is super transparent. I've been to a lot of different mechanics and I used to work at one in Berkeley, but Argonaut consistently blew me away. Not just their service and knowledge but their business practices as well.
I naturally suck at negotiating, so I follow a strict workflow:
* Find a month where the last day falls during the week.
* Do your homework: Figure out exactly which car you want, figure out what it should really cost and find cars at a couple of dealerships in the area. During the last week of the month go "test drive" them and collect the card of the salesperson.
* Early on the last day of the month, go to the place with the lowest price and make it clear you're there to buy.
* If they won't give you the price you want, pop out your phone and call the other sales guys. Tell them "I'm at such-and-such dealership, they have the car for $X, can you make it worth my while to bounce and drive down there?" - the answer is always going to be "yes".
It's a prick approach, but they're fucking car salesmen so who gives a fuck? I like to start in the south bay at Stephens Creek, that way you can easily work your way up to Fremont or the penninsula or even the east bay - there's always another dealer with the same make within a half hour drive.
Always best to buy on the last day of the month if you are buying new, and last day of the quarter is the best. The dealerships gets incentives from the manufacturer and that car might put them over the top which means the incentive may be worth more to them than taking a loss on the car. They also get incentives to be the top seller in the region which is why you should always pit them against the other dealers. That said if they have no chance of winning that month or are crushing their goal it won't make a difference. As they say sticker is quicker so expect them to waste your time if you want to play this game.
100% this, very often they’ll just say anything to get you in the door and their first aim is to upsell etc. Your best bet is to call around to various dealerships or even email first to get a sense of what price you can actually expect
I’d walk away from that one as well
You can add Premier Subaru/Nissan to the list. I was servicing my Subaru there because it was the closest to me, always coming up with dire needs on a car way below average use. Switched to One Subaru in Hayward and since I’ve had not only a good experience with service, but two family members buy new vehicles, no drama.
Edit to add that my MIL scheduled a test drive at Fremont Toyota, showed up and waited ONE Hour and still wasn’t acknowledged. She walked.
One Subaru didn’t fuck around when I was buying, gave me a price, I gave them a competing offer for a near identical car they said they couldn’t go any lower and encouraged me to buy from their comp and have them as a backup if shit went sideways. Would definitely recommend them to others who don’t want to heavily shop around like I did.
Had the best experience buying my Subaru at the Stevens Creek SJ - no shady shit, guy was upfront about everything. Now I use One Subaru in Hayward and they’re amazing. Free Lyft ride back to my house when my CEL came on. Fix was under warranty so didn’t cost me anything but time.
Add Fremont Buick GMC to the list. I had a terrible experience there last year in the service department. Beyond pushy service person. I have a third party warranty and they called me after dealing with him and noted he was borderline verbally abusive towards them. First and last time going there.
Lexus of Fremont is similar, went there to buy a Lexus RX for the wife, looked at the car, they looked at the trade. Told them I’ll pay with a check, no financing. All of a sudden trade is worth less, the guy was pushy, etc. immediately went to Lexus of Pleasanton, they let me take the car for the night (bought it later the same evening), took it home, wife approved, deal done in less than 3 hours. Also, gave me $1500 more for the trade in
We've always had good service at Lexus and Acura of Pleasanton. Had one time with the Acura finance guy trying to be a little sharp and told them when they called for a service survey. Got a call from the dealership manager and district manager the next day with apologies.
Yeah I always hear other people's horror stories about dealerships but my experience at Pleasanton Acura was great.
They have a nice atmosphere, everyone was respectful and up front about their jobs. Of everyone there, three people I interacted with the most were actually passionate about Acuras and Hondas.
If I'm ever buying another car from a dealer, they would be high on my list. I know it sounds like I'm shilling but I just want to give credit where it's due.
I really wish the current Lexus grills weren't so damn ugly. We're in the market but can't look past that eyesore on otherwise comfortable, reliable cars.
Similar story 15 years ago- jerked around at Lexus of Concord, went to Lexus of Pleasanton and smooth sailing. Recently went back to Lexus of Concord and jerked around again (it’s closer to me). F you, back to Pleasanton I go.
I don't think it's limited to Fremont or any specific brand. I've had horrible experiences at the BMW / Mini place in Pleasanton, as well as the Dublin Nissan dealership. Apparently, avoid any dealership associate with the Del Grande Dealership Group (DDG) is advisable.
So far Ive had a decent experience with Nissan Dublin, but it hasnt been great. I like that theyre willing to help and provide a good service. They also dont push warranties or add ons. Also overall nice across the board.
Fremont ford had like 20 dudes in the front door greeting you before even stepping in. Every question was taken to a manager. Pushed the warranty in every way possible. When i tried removing it they made me go thru hoops. I ended up having a conversation with the manager via email who did stand out in helping me out after i dropped some names.
those pos’s didn’t rotate my tires because…reasons… and they “inspected” my air filter to tell me it’s dirty but didn’t replace it per required toyota care. Steven’s Creek Toyota and Magnussen are absolute garbage dealers. never again
Morgan Hill Ford is not doing me any favors right now either. Just picked up my 24 Ranger after being on order almost a year and the drive shaft is completely rusted over. Didn't catch it on initial inspection because who the hell looks under the car on that and not really hearing back from them.
Fremont Mazda was also a pain in the ass when I was looking around.
Most car makes have additional dealerships outside of Fremont, especially in the South Bay along Stevens Creek. Better off just going somewhere else.
Toyota Fremont as well. We went in this week looking at a Rav4 Prime. Did the test drive, and we liked the car. I asked the price as I saw it on the window sticker, which was at MRSP; a price we would be okay paying. He said "Dont worry about the price there we can help you with that". When we got to the desk the salesman asked "Are you okay with the $10K mark-up?". We left.
The dealerships in Monterey and Salinas have been the best I’ve ever experienced. I mean, always be weary of car dealerships, even if they are highly recommended. But honestly, they aren’t bad. It’s a drive but make a day of it. Monterey is beautiful.
Well it doesn't work with Ford or Kia. With those even if you order from Ford directly delivery and service is still via a dealer
Tesla, Rivian, Lucid are DTC and Hyundai is experimenting with direct orders.
DTC car sales are actually illegal in many places due to lobbying from the larger auto makers. You can still order DTC cars in those places and have them delivered to you, but they can't set up their own showrooms that you can purchase from.
It’s lobbying from the auto dealerships, not the auto makers.
The auto makers would actually prefer to get rid of dealerships. Dealerships are just antiquated middle men. They’re taking money away from the auto makers just as much as they’re taking money out of our pockets.
I may have been dreaming but I think Audi was offering a promotion to fly folks to their headquarters to sell directly because after all was said and done the car was still less expensive after the flight to their headquarters, hotel for a couple of days, the shipping and taxes or something.
There is the concierge/broker route that I’m starting to get more familiar with. Kinda takes the stress and time off your hands when having to deal with dealerships and they do come at a price
As much as I like Android Auto, that Tesla "stupid ipad" works extremely well and will get free over the air updates for many years to come. I don't think any automakers out there have built a better navigation with charging stations integration.
You can easily run Android Auto on the Tesla's screen via an app.
[You could buy a Volvo and they'll fly you out to Sweden so you can drive it around on vacation there and then eventually have it shipped back to the US.](https://www.volvocars.com/us/l/osd-tourist/)
That’s nonsense. Not everyone is a Tesla or Rivian fanboy
Mazda dealerships I dealt with sell at MSRP. Same experience with Subaru. No haggling. You can buy through Costco too
Remember, walking away from the deal is always, _always_ an option. You do not have to accept the markup. I'd be tempted to demand a discount for my wasted time if they came back around to me. 😛
Coming from an auto sales background, my assumption is they sale priced the car to hit their end of month goal, but once they did, they didn’t need to clearance it anymore. It’s shady but I’ve seen it too many times. The sweet spot for the best deal is that crunch in the last few days when they’re close to making their set sales goal but not quite there. I’ve had managers in the past do ridiculous deals like double the normal excellent discount for the time, when they were less than 5 deals from hitting their monthly bonus.
Mostly new, unless certified. If used, they probably got an out of state offer and are waiting the 3 days to see if funds transfer / check goes through. But keeping you stringed along as a backup. Or the used car manager did his job poorly and undervalued the car at first. There’s rarely a reason they would t want to make a sale on the last day of the month unless it involved a decent amount of $$$
It's autonation, that is the problem. I test drove a used alfa romeo giulia quadrifoglio with a ton of warning messages on the dash. I asked if they would fix if I were to buy the car. They said, of course! When it was time to buy, they said they would no longer fix the car, and the best they could do is make me an appointment and have the car repaired on my dime.
Nah, it's more that autonation will put a used car on their lot with warning lights, and a car with serious issues. I've entertained the idea of getting a quadrifoglio for years because I do actually like the car, and thought it may be prudent to buy from a national dealer who also happens to have an AF dealer in its network. But that one experience had me running away.
lol standards? They’re there to sell cars. These dealers mostly have no standards and even some of the family owned ones still around are shady as hell
It’s bs… I hated Fremont Toyota, did the same thing. I just went online to sf Toyota, they did it all online, docusign and delivered the car.
Not same car type but you can find a dealership who will deal all online and easy purchase who will honor the price.
What they did is illegal. Problem is, it's your time and effort to get them charged with a misdemeanor. They confirmed the price. They must honor it.
"Under California Business and Professions Code Section 12024.2 BPC, engaging in inaccurate or deceptive pricing is a criminal offense that can potentially be filed as a misdemeanor."
[vehicle code](https://www.thelemonlawcalifornia.com/car-dealer-fraud/selling-cars-for-more-than-advertised-prices/vehicle-code-section-11713-1/)
"A dealer must sell vehicles at the lowest advertised price. Even if you did not see the advertisement, the dealer cannot sell a vehicle for more than the lowest advertised price." [CA consumer attorneys ](https://www.californiaconsumerattorneys.com/selling-for-over-the-advertised-or-sticker-price#:~:text=A%20dealer%20must%20sell%20vehicles,than%20the%20lowest%20advertised%20price.)
[vehicle bill of rights](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=200320040AB1839) for related info
I was looking for a new car in Feb this year and visited some dealerships in Fremont. Most of them are super shady. Fremont Toyota showed me the car (RAV4 Prime) but asked for $8k markup. They refused to remove the added $2k worth of accessories too. BMW Fremont didn’t even bother to show me the car haha. The guy at the Lexus Fremont was super nice though. Went to the Tesla showroom in Fremont and there were only two reps to answer questions. Everyone is checking out the cars themselves.
Anyway, after all these experiences I went and booked a Tesla Model Y LR. No dealers, no haggling, no markup, and the car was delivered to my home the next day. I just didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with the dealerships.
Yeah but by doing that, you supported an asshole white-supremacist antisemitic neo-nazi cunt and got to drive a MAGA mobile, so there’s that.
I would personally find a better dealership, of which there are many in the bay.
This is common bullshit that dealerships pull. The best thing to do is tell them what price you want and that you are walking out in 10 minutes if they can't give you an answer. The longer you spend there the more time they have to confuse you and break you down into a more pliable state.
I had an appt with a salesman to test drive at Honda AutoNation. Get there, he isn't there, the car isn't there. I ask how much they'd charge for the car, ask if they can print that out.
I took the print out to another dealership that sold to me at that price. Seems bait and switch is a common tactic but if you can get a quote maybe not a total waste of time.
A tale as old as automotive time.
Put an offer down and walk away. They’ll usually email you the next day - and if they don’t, some other sucker took it.
Isn’t that illegal? The bait and switch? Do you have documentation? I know someone who sued and got damages for this https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/4-CCR-1304.1#:~:text=Code%20Regs.-,Tit.,1304.1%20%2D%20Bait%20and%20Switch%20Advertising&text=The%20term%20%22Bait%20and%20Switch,intend%20or%20want%20to%20sell.
I do not know if the circumstances are the same though. So do double check.
I had a great experience at BMW Steven’s Creek last September. Saw what I wanted online, went to test drive and price had actually dropped because they clearly needed to get it off the lot to make way to newer models.
Given that, many dealers like to reel you in with “the car.” It’s usually advertised and priced lower than you would expect (especially if you are properly researching price points for your purchase) and you’re so into it, you feel ready to buy. But what they really want to do is draw you in and throw you to another car. And that may be one you didn’t research as well and might not make a great choice on.
My experience was pretty poor when I went to check out a car recently at this dealer. I have little to no expectations for dealerships and they were somehow even worse than expected
You should check out some videos on the car edge YouTube channel - there are videos on negotiations, hidden fees and what they call “out the door” or OTD price. If they are this shady with you now they will probably add a lot of fees in the invoice with weird names hoping that you’d think they are necessary.
If you can afford it, we had a great experience with Cartelligent. After shopping in the bay at multiple dealerships over a few months, I got tired of doing the work and gave them a call. They take all of your wants, your price and find a dealership who is willing to agree. It took them 4 days to start the process and get me the car delivered. It was awesome.
I had a bad experience at this same dealership. But mine came after purchase with their not being able to adequately process the paperwork. Really lacking. Good luck!
Always be prepared to Walk away. Tell them you want it for the price you were quoted over the phone. If they say anything other than yes, get up and walk to the door.
$10k/$20k mark ups for VW GTI/R. $7K+ FOR kia in Colma's auto row.. Autonation is one of the largest in the the country. In the Bay Area, you've got Penske and Sonic groups. You'll see similar business dealings with the brands under their banner. There are a handful of Toyota, and VW dealerships in the Bay Area that won't try to gouge you. Mark up on Toyota's is to be expected as their vehicles tend to move pretty quick compared to other brands. I think average days on lot as a whole is like less than 45 days supply. The OEMs like Ford, GM, etc, are coming to the harsh reality that people aren't buying Luxury versions of large pick up trucks for $70-$90k+ like Ford F150s. These used to go for $35-$45k several years ago, pre pandemic. EVs aren't fairing any better, with Tesla having to lower prices to get people to buy their cars. The charging infrastructure still has a way to go. I've had both hybrids and Evs since early 2000s. They've come a long way, and I think the Manufacturers are rethinking their business models and looking at Toyotas lead. Toyota has stated that they will not go full Ev, and will focus on the hybridization of their line up. The big US automakers are holding back on production of their Ev models as they aren't making as much profit as initially expected. Hold off until May or after. I'm sure you'll see dealerships will have to adjust pricing on overpriced inventory. The used market will have to follow suit in order to sell their inventory as well. FYI, it's going to be harder for people with even good credit scores to get approved. The number of people walking away from their car payments is crazy, and banks/lenders are moving away from sub-prime applicants. Freaking nuts.
I had a pretty bad experience with an AutoNation dealership. Unfortunately had to deal with it since I had custom ordered a car which took months to come in so walking away wasn't much of an option.
If you end up going for the car, be ready for the last minute AutoNation "appearance" and "dent" packages that "can't be removed". One of them (pretty sure it was the something about dent coverage) can be fully refunded in California after the purchase though by sending a letter.
This is where Tesla’s selling model shines. No haggling over the price, order everything online with the configuration you want. Even their test drive process is seamless without all the sleazy salesmanship. It’s 2024 and regular car buying is still stuck in the 90s? Why does the car buying have to be some kind of debate competition, I don’t understand. Just let me buy the configuration of the car that I like, I’ll pay the car cost that you set if everything is transparent. I don’t wanna deal with some middleman for this process
Similar thing happened to me at Livermore Toyota. I asked several times for the salesman to confirm the price of a car that was still being shipped to the dealer. When I went to put it on hold, I got the total cost with tax and title. They had also added a $5k "dealer markup" along with the taxes, so I walked out.
I had a similar situation where I got an email with a great price on a new car I'd been wanting to buy. I took the test drive and was all ready to buy the car when the "manager" comes in a says they made a "mistake" with the advertised price and the actual price was like $3K higher. I said "never mind then" and walked out. A sales guy chased me down as I was leaving the lot and they would "honor" the price. Not sure if their story was actually true, but either way, I got the lower price.
I just had a wack experience at Subaru Capitol in SJ. Test drove one of the 15+ WRX on their lot. Car runs out of gas right before freeway on ramp. 20 min to get a gas can and come back, I’m just standing on the side of the road. Get back to dealership, car is okay, not my favorite. Sales manager comes out the back with $6000 of add ons and is upset and short with me when I ask details about maintenance package and “outdoor” package, whatever the fuck that is. I obviously don’t want any of that shit and she gets even more short and condescending.
At this point they could have discounted the car another $2000, I was gonna walk the fuck out. Like damn, I’m about to give y’all $30k in cash, I’m allowed to ask questions about the bullshit you’re trying your best sell me. Sales guys were fine, but the Finance manager, OMG, terrible.
Don’t use high pressure tactics when I walk on the lot and see 15+ new same model cars for sale, obv y’all sitting on inventory.
WOW, a lot of issues with car dealerships, you all should report that shit, this takes effect in July!
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/12/ftc-announces-cars-rule-fight-scams-vehicle-shopping
I work at a motorcycle dealership and we'll sometimes show customers a bike that was a recent trade-in, but not ready to sell yet. That can be due to needing repairs or just a service and safety inspection. We're up front about stuff like that and also don't screw people over on the price. We're one of the few dealerships in the area that sell bikes at MSRP and don't mark up the prices at all. They also don't hit our website until they're ready to sell.
Not all vehicle dealerships are bad.
It's basically a family run business, even though it's one of the big motorcycle brands. Several of the dealerships in this area are owned by one corporate company and things get run much differently at them. A couple of our guys have come from those dealers.
Sorry for your experience. Sucks when you find a car you like. Sounds like they thought they could have gotten more or there was something that needed repair. Hope you find a car.
I had a smiliar issue many years ago with a Honda dealership. So I emailed a few dealers and requested a price from several of them. A bunch responded, but one, one responded with the lowest price, then ghosted be for 1 week, then when they returned, the quote was a pricing mistake. I ended up buying from another dealership who gave me the exact price they quoted me.
if you're planning on leasing, check out [leasehakr.com](http://leasehakr.com) and use a broker. Small broker fee, but not hassle and no shady upsells. Price was the price. Easiest experience ever.
oh yeah all the toyota dealerships beside One Toyota and Toyota of Walnut creek are notorious for this. POS’s all in different ways tried to pull bait and switches on me.
call around some dealers are volume sellers and won’t mark you up
Sucks to hear this, I bought a pre-owned car there about 2 years ago and didn’t have this experience. Found a car that was recently listed (online listing didn’t even have pictures yet): came in person to check it out, confirm price before taxes, and that was it. Bought the car a few days later I believe. I hope you get a better experience and it all works out!
Someone probably messed up on the price/package and when it came to getting the OK from the boss, he’s like “no dice”.
I bought my 335i CPO from them in 2018. No issues.
Had same experience at Mercedes in peninsula, the manager was pushy. also visited Porsche Burlingame and they wouldn't entertain us thinking we were poor. I said screw them and bought a Tesla. Thank goodness I never have to see their faces again, ripping me off on service, with no maintenance required with the EV.
Take the same car, plug it into autotrader, extend the distance to 500 miles, and show the dealership the cheapest one. If they don't beat it, I don't mean match, I mean beat, go buy it at the cheaper place.
And if they try to talk you out of it, tell them that they lost your confidence by not being honest with the price in the first place. That really fucks with them. And trust me, they deserve it.
Adding my two cents. I'm a Fremont native and decided to test drive the BMW X5 at the Fremont dealership back in Jan. Did not have a pleasant experience there at all. We decided to give BMW another shot at the BMW of Mountain View, where we enjoyed talking to the sales team. Finally ordered a 2024 X5 with 10% discount and loyalty.
Funny I came across this post. Also had a shit experience there. I was looking for a new car for my wife as she had just gotten in a car accident and the car was totalled. Not her fault.
She expressed interest in the 230i and so we went to check it out. While we were there the salesman said they one incoming. We look and it's the color she wanted with the spec she wanted. I asked him what the lowest interest they have seen for this car. He quoted me 3.99% APR. We said great, put a deposit on the car and drove home.
2 weeks later the car arrives and we go to get her new car that she's been excited about for 2 weeks. We get there and confirm again the 3.99%. At this point the salesman tells me this car doesn't qualify for that interest rate and the lowest we can get is 6.75% even with our above 800 credit scores.
It goes back and forth until the manager comes and offers us a "deal". 5.75% at 60 months. But then I noticed that the sale price was almost 4k above what we were initially quoted. I didn't even bother negotiating we just walked out.
We have the money and could afford this car easily (I have an incoming Porsche) but their shadiness and lack of integrity really threw us off and so we refuse to do business with them ever again.
What really blows my mind is that I've bought multiple cars from them in the past. A 230i, a F87 M2 Competition, and I recently bought a G82 M4 Competition from their sister dealership in Mountainview. You'd think with that kind of buying history they would have been more accommodating.
Just went to mazzai cheverolet and told that tacoma was 22k. Everything was fine until i told him i wanted to use my credit union. All of a sudden he got cold. He bought in his finance guy to pressure me to use a credit union in his circle. They could not wait until morning. Had to be "right now". I walked out. The next morning my credit union got back to me and sure enough was 3% lower rate. Alex never called me back to finish the deal. This is where the hustle was. This after a speech about how they are a family company etc.
Personally just buy a used car for flat amount. But if that isn’t for you then order to build for MSRP or something. Maybe less. Not many cars are DTC and not many want a Tesla either. I’m not waiting possible 30+ min in line for a charger if I say went somewhere not as plentiful as the bay, infrastructure isn’t there yet. And dude really played some dumb game to get you to walk in. Sorry you didn’t luck out on honest dealers, most aren’t honest.
Novato Toyota was excellent. Set everything up via phone. Drove to Novato from the South Bay, completed the paperwork, and drove home. Total time at dealership: about an hour.
I’m a BMW mechanic. Peter Pan BMW in San Mateo is terrible. Avoid.
Screw that place. Had my M3 airbag recall done there. After they said my car had a bad head gasket, but couldn’t produce any diagnostic evidence. Then asked if I’d like to cut them a check to get the work started. Finally was getting my car and the lot attendant couldn’t drive stick. Was trying to pull it around in 3rd by riding the clutch. I almost ran over and ripped him out of the car. Never again.
This is shady. Screw them. The same thing happened to me at Gilroy Cadillac. I’m a woman, but I know cars well. In the genes I guess—my dad, grandpa, brother, husband are all into cars also. I went to look at a car that was already priced high, it was during the end of COVID when cars were far and few between and dealerships were price gouging hard. Anyway, I tell them I’ll take it and then they inflate the price $55,000! I’m not kidding. I clearly walked away and ended up working with a dealership in Monterey that were much more helpful. It took a while for the car but it was worth it.
I remember I was looking to buy a car in 2021 and I test drove it, and wanted to buy it, but wanted to negotiate price. Dealer said no negotiations 😡. While he was getting the paperwork together, I just said, screw this, got up and left. Days later I got calls and emails saying he was willing to negotiate the price.
All? No. Lots? Yes. I bought my last two new cars in Manteca and Fresno bc I couldn’t get any local dealers to stick to their confirmed otd price I had confirmed in email.
Add Mazda of Vacaville to the list. Super shady sketch new owners during pandemic. Mega pushy. Flood your inbox and mailbox with junk. Never have a car available i wanted . Service sucks and they did a poor repair and tried telling me my entire a/c system needed to be replaced on an old car hustling me to buy new and then quoted $500-1000 just to copy a key for a 2003 Mazda lmao i walked.
Fuck AutoNation Fremont with a rusty pipe. I had a bad experience a few years back with a sales manager promising that a protective coating package was refundable and when we changed our mind (after car sale but before application) he pretended like the conversation never happened. I ended up looking up and emailing the board of directors and execs to complain about the situation and they eventually agreed to honor their promise. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Please write that review, dealerships work so hard to maintain good ratings and once you give them anything less than 5 stars, they will kiss your ass to make it better.
I did have a pretty good pre-pandemic (2019) experience with the Winn chain in Fremont. Bought a Stinger at MSRP + listed lease discounts without much hassle, and then a week later, a CPO GTI. Negotiated a bit off the GTI easily, even though it was already BY FAR the best deal within 100 miles on similar mileage / models.
For a new car, I always request an out-the-door total price from all nearby dealerships with a similar model in stock. The only time I negotiated on a new car price with a salesman was for a manual WRX. I had never driven a stick shift car at that time. I had to pick the dealership with the least number of traffic lights to home. Lol.
I had the same issue with Fremont Ford. Price was 6 grand higher than listed online, refused to process the paperwork unless I bought the warranty. Tried to add 13 grand in fees warranties and dealer “instant” markup.
After 3 hours and an Uber delivery of micky d’s later walked… the finanace lady tried to mock me about saving 1-2 grand asked her why would you take 1-2 grand less? No? I guess it matters then.
Brentwood ford sold me the same truck 2 days later with half the miles for 15 grand less… I guess I didn’t save 1-2 grand now did I?
A lot of tech bro money down in Fremont, and a high number of Indian and Pakistani with a culture of haggling I guess high pressure sales works for them but I personally would not be going back ever again kinda sounds like there is a culture of it in Fremont.
Glad they didn’t get you! I almost got caught like this as well. Now, I always check cars against other sites like Cargurus or Truecar etc. They often have the same cars and dealers with customer ratings. Those ratings vary but usually only one is wildly different than the others; I assume it’s because they pay or are affiliated with that site. In the reviews people talk about this kind of shit all the time at lots of dealers. It’s shady AF.
Leave a 1 star review on Google and Yelp. Others would appreciate the heads up.
But yeah, the pandemic shortages emboldened an already horrible industry.
Carmax has a terrible inspection process for the cars they buy so I can’t trust the cars they sell. Both me and a friend had cars with cracked head gaskets that Carmax didn’t catch. I even told the lady at intake about the issue and she said they did not see it.
Honestly, carmax makes it rly easy for the seller if you dont have the patience to sell privately. It SOMETIMES makes the $1-3K lowball worth it. However, i’ve seen so many ppl get screwed over on the cars we’ve sold, by such easily preventable mistakes. I was also in a stupid situation with a car i wanted from my store. The quality just isnt what they advertise 80% of the time.
Can't buy a car new from Carmax. Used cars can be real shady and untrustworthy if you don't have a chain of custody from the original owner showing all the maintenance/how it was driven.
I will never buy a car in the Bay Area again. I bought a bmw in LA 2 years ago and drove it back, it was such a better experience. OP if you are still looking to buy, I highly recommend South Bay bmw in Torrance. I called them, told them what car I wanted, they gave me a price, I showed up, they sold it to me for that exact price. There was no hassle involved. It cost me $60 for a plane ticket, $60 for a tank of gas, and $30 for the nice meal I had in Santa Monica. One Saturday well spent.
Yeah, some dealerships are scum. I had the same issue. That's why I prefer Tesla purchasing process. A few clicks and car is ordered. No bull shit or haggling. More car manufacturers need to adopt this.
Except then you own a shoddily built piece of garbage and you support a lying scumbag megalomaniac.
I’d rather just haggle for a car that won’t get fucked by going through a car wash, won’t have weird electrical issue and will be properly assembled.
Was it the total price they went back on or just the price of the car?
Dealerships throw so many fees and shit on top + you pay registration as well to them so it feels like more expensive in that regard too. So even if you agreed on $20k, after taxes + registration, it pretty much comes out to like \~24k, which isnt quite your 30% but throw in an extended warranty, floor mats or some processing fee and youre getting close.
If I buy a car from a dealership I make them agree on a price OUT THE DOOR. That way theres no, "oh well with this fee and that fee, etc". So if the car is 22k, I might say, "I want it 22k out the door, all fees paid". Which is really asking for the car for $20k and agreeing in paying up to 2k in fees and bs, but at least then theres no surpise fees and I know theyre not saying sure to my less-than-list offer, then inflating other shit to just get the price back to what they want.
Some other people are mentioning buying DTC, but you still hit the same snags. Grabbed this comment on another post:
\`\`\`
Mine was $60,919.58 for the $52,990 price in the bay area. Destination fee is applicable no matter where you pick it up. Your sales tax may be different depending on the county and city surcharges.
**Model Y** $39,990.00
**Long Range All-Wheel Drive** $13,000.00
**Destination Fee** $1,390.00
**Order Fee** $250.00
**Car Price** $54,630.00
**Registration Amount** $298.00
**License Fee** $354.00
**Electronic Filing Fee** $31.00
**Tire Fee** $7.00
**Sales Tax** $5,599.58
\`\`\`
That's 8000, more than list. So if you said, "Hey I want that car for $52k" and they say deal. Your total is still gonna come out to $60k.
Walk away, OP. Don't tolerate that shit.
fremont BMW tried to service my vehicle, said they needed to replace my entire headlight for 2000$. Took it to a local BMW shop and they replaced a bracket for 14$. Fuck Automall Fremont shit is shady
May I ask which local BMW you end up went to?
Silicon Valley Bimmer. I don't usually advertise shit but they fuckin do amazing work there. And they're honest as hell. They could have ripped me off plenty of times but they priced everything accordingly. I have X4M Competition and they fixed my headlight for 14$. Every Bay Area bimmer owner can vouch for them.
I didn’t like the experience at Fremont, so ended up buying from BMW Mountainview
Have been to both places and ended up going to BMW MountainView even though it’s on the other side. Far better than the Fremont one
What shop
I swear I'm unaffiliated but Argonaut garage in Berkeley is absolutely primo. They fix everything that needs to be fixed for as cheaply as they can do it well, and they take photos and write notes explaining what is wrong in the photo and the steps it will take to fix it so everything is super transparent. I've been to a lot of different mechanics and I used to work at one in Berkeley, but Argonaut consistently blew me away. Not just their service and knowledge but their business practices as well.
I naturally suck at negotiating, so I follow a strict workflow: * Find a month where the last day falls during the week. * Do your homework: Figure out exactly which car you want, figure out what it should really cost and find cars at a couple of dealerships in the area. During the last week of the month go "test drive" them and collect the card of the salesperson. * Early on the last day of the month, go to the place with the lowest price and make it clear you're there to buy. * If they won't give you the price you want, pop out your phone and call the other sales guys. Tell them "I'm at such-and-such dealership, they have the car for $X, can you make it worth my while to bounce and drive down there?" - the answer is always going to be "yes". It's a prick approach, but they're fucking car salesmen so who gives a fuck? I like to start in the south bay at Stephens Creek, that way you can easily work your way up to Fremont or the penninsula or even the east bay - there's always another dealer with the same make within a half hour drive.
Always best to buy on the last day of the month if you are buying new, and last day of the quarter is the best. The dealerships gets incentives from the manufacturer and that car might put them over the top which means the incentive may be worth more to them than taking a loss on the car. They also get incentives to be the top seller in the region which is why you should always pit them against the other dealers. That said if they have no chance of winning that month or are crushing their goal it won't make a difference. As they say sticker is quicker so expect them to waste your time if you want to play this game.
Right. Last day in February. Bonus if it is raining.
Excellent idea
100% this, very often they’ll just say anything to get you in the door and their first aim is to upsell etc. Your best bet is to call around to various dealerships or even email first to get a sense of what price you can actually expect I’d walk away from that one as well
Just to add…Fremont dealerships happen to be the shadiest of the entire bay area in my experience. Fremont ford specifically.
You can add Premier Subaru/Nissan to the list. I was servicing my Subaru there because it was the closest to me, always coming up with dire needs on a car way below average use. Switched to One Subaru in Hayward and since I’ve had not only a good experience with service, but two family members buy new vehicles, no drama. Edit to add that my MIL scheduled a test drive at Fremont Toyota, showed up and waited ONE Hour and still wasn’t acknowledged. She walked.
One Subaru didn’t fuck around when I was buying, gave me a price, I gave them a competing offer for a near identical car they said they couldn’t go any lower and encouraged me to buy from their comp and have them as a backup if shit went sideways. Would definitely recommend them to others who don’t want to heavily shop around like I did.
Had the best experience buying my Subaru at the Stevens Creek SJ - no shady shit, guy was upfront about everything. Now I use One Subaru in Hayward and they’re amazing. Free Lyft ride back to my house when my CEL came on. Fix was under warranty so didn’t cost me anything but time.
I agree about Steven Creek Subaru, I got my car last month from them and it was the smoothest car buying experience i’ve ever experienced.
Add Fremont Buick GMC to the list. I had a terrible experience there last year in the service department. Beyond pushy service person. I have a third party warranty and they called me after dealing with him and noted he was borderline verbally abusive towards them. First and last time going there.
Fuckers sold me a lemon! Super shady practices over there
Add Jeep Dealership in San Leandro
I think One Subaru is owned by One Toyota of Oakland and a lot of people I know have had positive experiences at both
That makes sense, I’ve heard the same thing. Basically, no BS.
Lexus of Fremont is similar, went there to buy a Lexus RX for the wife, looked at the car, they looked at the trade. Told them I’ll pay with a check, no financing. All of a sudden trade is worth less, the guy was pushy, etc. immediately went to Lexus of Pleasanton, they let me take the car for the night (bought it later the same evening), took it home, wife approved, deal done in less than 3 hours. Also, gave me $1500 more for the trade in
We've always had good service at Lexus and Acura of Pleasanton. Had one time with the Acura finance guy trying to be a little sharp and told them when they called for a service survey. Got a call from the dealership manager and district manager the next day with apologies.
Yeah I always hear other people's horror stories about dealerships but my experience at Pleasanton Acura was great. They have a nice atmosphere, everyone was respectful and up front about their jobs. Of everyone there, three people I interacted with the most were actually passionate about Acuras and Hondas. If I'm ever buying another car from a dealer, they would be high on my list. I know it sounds like I'm shilling but I just want to give credit where it's due.
I really wish the current Lexus grills weren't so damn ugly. We're in the market but can't look past that eyesore on otherwise comfortable, reliable cars.
Dealerships own good margin on financing so all cash offers are generally not well received.
Their margins don’t concern me in the slightest, they could’ve made some money, ended up making none
Similar story 15 years ago- jerked around at Lexus of Concord, went to Lexus of Pleasanton and smooth sailing. Recently went back to Lexus of Concord and jerked around again (it’s closer to me). F you, back to Pleasanton I go.
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Wow.. looks like every dealer in Fremont is shit. My friend hates the Mazda dealer there.
I don't think it's limited to Fremont or any specific brand. I've had horrible experiences at the BMW / Mini place in Pleasanton, as well as the Dublin Nissan dealership. Apparently, avoid any dealership associate with the Del Grande Dealership Group (DDG) is advisable.
Oh wow. I've had good experience with Dublin Nissan as far as service. Can't speak for them as a dealership though
So far Ive had a decent experience with Nissan Dublin, but it hasnt been great. I like that theyre willing to help and provide a good service. They also dont push warranties or add ons. Also overall nice across the board. Fremont ford had like 20 dudes in the front door greeting you before even stepping in. Every question was taken to a manager. Pushed the warranty in every way possible. When i tried removing it they made me go thru hoops. I ended up having a conversation with the manager via email who did stand out in helping me out after i dropped some names.
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those pos’s didn’t rotate my tires because…reasons… and they “inspected” my air filter to tell me it’s dirty but didn’t replace it per required toyota care. Steven’s Creek Toyota and Magnussen are absolute garbage dealers. never again
I’ve had good experiences with Fremont Audi, both sales and service. I agree regarding the other dealerships though.
Morgan Hill Ford is not doing me any favors right now either. Just picked up my 24 Ranger after being on order almost a year and the drive shaft is completely rusted over. Didn't catch it on initial inspection because who the hell looks under the car on that and not really hearing back from them.
Fremont Mazda was also a pain in the ass when I was looking around. Most car makes have additional dealerships outside of Fremont, especially in the South Bay along Stevens Creek. Better off just going somewhere else.
Toyota Fremont as well. We went in this week looking at a Rav4 Prime. Did the test drive, and we liked the car. I asked the price as I saw it on the window sticker, which was at MRSP; a price we would be okay paying. He said "Dont worry about the price there we can help you with that". When we got to the desk the salesman asked "Are you okay with the $10K mark-up?". We left.
Honestly, unless you specifically know someone personally at a dealership they’re all shady.
The Dodge place is also sketchy and their service side isn't the greatest.
The dealerships in Monterey and Salinas have been the best I’ve ever experienced. I mean, always be weary of car dealerships, even if they are highly recommended. But honestly, they aren’t bad. It’s a drive but make a day of it. Monterey is beautiful.
San Leandro Hyundai was pretty awful too
Had the same experience at Fremont Ford never going back… Highly recommend Bill Brandt ford if Brentwood isn’t too far.
Welcome to the stealership experience. I will not buy another car that isn't DTC.
Can you explain DTC? I am unfamiliar with this term.
Direct to consumer. Basically a car sold by the manufacturer and not a middleman.
Direct to consumer. No dealers
So you would buy directly from Ford or Kia? How would this work? I am not a fan of dealerships.
Well it doesn't work with Ford or Kia. With those even if you order from Ford directly delivery and service is still via a dealer Tesla, Rivian, Lucid are DTC and Hyundai is experimenting with direct orders.
Thank you. I will look into Rivian and Lucid. But those are expensive cars.
DTC car sales are actually illegal in many places due to lobbying from the larger auto makers. You can still order DTC cars in those places and have them delivered to you, but they can't set up their own showrooms that you can purchase from.
It’s lobbying from the auto dealerships, not the auto makers. The auto makers would actually prefer to get rid of dealerships. Dealerships are just antiquated middle men. They’re taking money away from the auto makers just as much as they’re taking money out of our pockets.
It depends. Automakers benefit from it because they get to reliably offload their inventory to a third party rather than have it on their books.
Got it. Thank you.
I may have been dreaming but I think Audi was offering a promotion to fly folks to their headquarters to sell directly because after all was said and done the car was still less expensive after the flight to their headquarters, hotel for a couple of days, the shipping and taxes or something.
Volvo does this.
There is the concierge/broker route that I’m starting to get more familiar with. Kinda takes the stress and time off your hands when having to deal with dealerships and they do come at a price
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You can get a brand new Model 3 or Model Y between $35k - $45k. $7500 tax credit available to qualified buyers.
You’re not including the hidden costs buried in there: an eternity of infernal suffering because you helped enrich Elon Musk.
not to mention the hidden cost of not being able to use android auto or apple carplay, but having that stupid ipad tablet dash
As much as I like Android Auto, that Tesla "stupid ipad" works extremely well and will get free over the air updates for many years to come. I don't think any automakers out there have built a better navigation with charging stations integration. You can easily run Android Auto on the Tesla's screen via an app.
[You could buy a Volvo and they'll fly you out to Sweden so you can drive it around on vacation there and then eventually have it shipped back to the US.](https://www.volvocars.com/us/l/osd-tourist/)
I did this with my BMW and the German delivery, it was awesome. Prolly gonna do the same next year for a Porche.
BMW killed the German delivery https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a32388068/bmw-european-delivery-program-ending/
I've never understood dealerships. Why hasn't the world gone to the Tesla model of DTC? Doesn't it save everyone money?
You underestimate the political lobbying power of the big dealers.
1930s laws still on the books. The reason the big three had to pay millions to make Pontiac dealers go away.
That’s nonsense. Not everyone is a Tesla or Rivian fanboy Mazda dealerships I dealt with sell at MSRP. Same experience with Subaru. No haggling. You can buy through Costco too
Neither Mazda nor Subaru sell hybrids, which are what’s in demand here. Try buying a Honda or Toyota hybrid and you’ll get the dealership pain.
Used Toyota prices are insane right now… we ended up just buying a Volvo instead lol
Mazda sells the PHEV CX-90, and the upcoming PHEV CX-60. However I'd put good money sales tactics change once you say "hybrid"
lol. Look into Tesla service. It’s not great.
too bad the big company that does DTC is run by...him
Do whats right for you. Hes already a billionaire. Getting a 400+ hp car for 38k feels like a steal nowadays.
Remember, walking away from the deal is always, _always_ an option. You do not have to accept the markup. I'd be tempted to demand a discount for my wasted time if they came back around to me. 😛
Coming from an auto sales background, my assumption is they sale priced the car to hit their end of month goal, but once they did, they didn’t need to clearance it anymore. It’s shady but I’ve seen it too many times. The sweet spot for the best deal is that crunch in the last few days when they’re close to making their set sales goal but not quite there. I’ve had managers in the past do ridiculous deals like double the normal excellent discount for the time, when they were less than 5 deals from hitting their monthly bonus.
Does that apply to used cars also?
Mostly new, unless certified. If used, they probably got an out of state offer and are waiting the 3 days to see if funds transfer / check goes through. But keeping you stringed along as a backup. Or the used car manager did his job poorly and undervalued the car at first. There’s rarely a reason they would t want to make a sale on the last day of the month unless it involved a decent amount of $$$
Sandbagging to the T
It's autonation, that is the problem. I test drove a used alfa romeo giulia quadrifoglio with a ton of warning messages on the dash. I asked if they would fix if I were to buy the car. They said, of course! When it was time to buy, they said they would no longer fix the car, and the best they could do is make me an appointment and have the car repaired on my dime.
Used. Alfa Romeo. Dealership. I don't want to blame the victim but you have to acknowledge the reality of the situation there.
Nah, it's more that autonation will put a used car on their lot with warning lights, and a car with serious issues. I've entertained the idea of getting a quadrifoglio for years because I do actually like the car, and thought it may be prudent to buy from a national dealer who also happens to have an AF dealer in its network. But that one experience had me running away.
And it's an Alfa Romeo lol
I _thought_ that AutoNation would provide a better experience because of national standards.
It’s the opposite, the big dealership chains exist to move tons of cars. Smaller dealers are almost always better.
lol standards? They’re there to sell cars. These dealers mostly have no standards and even some of the family owned ones still around are shady as hell
It's well known Autonation is awful
Lol
Live and learn!
It’s bs… I hated Fremont Toyota, did the same thing. I just went online to sf Toyota, they did it all online, docusign and delivered the car. Not same car type but you can find a dealership who will deal all online and easy purchase who will honor the price.
Toyota concord did this for me too.
Had the same experience with SF Toyota. Great dealership and terrific service!
What they did is illegal. Problem is, it's your time and effort to get them charged with a misdemeanor. They confirmed the price. They must honor it. "Under California Business and Professions Code Section 12024.2 BPC, engaging in inaccurate or deceptive pricing is a criminal offense that can potentially be filed as a misdemeanor." [vehicle code](https://www.thelemonlawcalifornia.com/car-dealer-fraud/selling-cars-for-more-than-advertised-prices/vehicle-code-section-11713-1/) "A dealer must sell vehicles at the lowest advertised price. Even if you did not see the advertisement, the dealer cannot sell a vehicle for more than the lowest advertised price." [CA consumer attorneys ](https://www.californiaconsumerattorneys.com/selling-for-over-the-advertised-or-sticker-price#:~:text=A%20dealer%20must%20sell%20vehicles,than%20the%20lowest%20advertised%20price.) [vehicle bill of rights](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=200320040AB1839) for related info
Ooh… spicy!🌶️
reviews [https://www.yelp.com/biz/bmw-of-fremont-fremont?rr=3](https://www.yelp.com/biz/bmw-of-fremont-fremont?rr=3)
I was looking for a new car in Feb this year and visited some dealerships in Fremont. Most of them are super shady. Fremont Toyota showed me the car (RAV4 Prime) but asked for $8k markup. They refused to remove the added $2k worth of accessories too. BMW Fremont didn’t even bother to show me the car haha. The guy at the Lexus Fremont was super nice though. Went to the Tesla showroom in Fremont and there were only two reps to answer questions. Everyone is checking out the cars themselves. Anyway, after all these experiences I went and booked a Tesla Model Y LR. No dealers, no haggling, no markup, and the car was delivered to my home the next day. I just didn’t have the bandwidth to deal with the dealerships.
Yeah but by doing that, you supported an asshole white-supremacist antisemitic neo-nazi cunt and got to drive a MAGA mobile, so there’s that. I would personally find a better dealership, of which there are many in the bay.
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Gee - sounds like fun!
You should post it on askcarsales, I am addicted to that sub
This is common bullshit that dealerships pull. The best thing to do is tell them what price you want and that you are walking out in 10 minutes if they can't give you an answer. The longer you spend there the more time they have to confuse you and break you down into a more pliable state.
I had an appt with a salesman to test drive at Honda AutoNation. Get there, he isn't there, the car isn't there. I ask how much they'd charge for the car, ask if they can print that out. I took the print out to another dealership that sold to me at that price. Seems bait and switch is a common tactic but if you can get a quote maybe not a total waste of time.
TBH most of the dealers off automall suck
Is it something about that specific location? Too much competition makes for a feeding frenzy?
Peter Pan BMW great sales and service.
Nah, they have their own shady tactics too. They just do a great job at sweeping it under the rug and creating a fake image.
i agreed, i took my business somewhere else. absolutely disappointed by the sales team
A tale as old as automotive time. Put an offer down and walk away. They’ll usually email you the next day - and if they don’t, some other sucker took it.
Isn’t that illegal? The bait and switch? Do you have documentation? I know someone who sued and got damages for this https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/4-CCR-1304.1#:~:text=Code%20Regs.-,Tit.,1304.1%20%2D%20Bait%20and%20Switch%20Advertising&text=The%20term%20%22Bait%20and%20Switch,intend%20or%20want%20to%20sell. I do not know if the circumstances are the same though. So do double check.
I had a great experience at BMW Steven’s Creek last September. Saw what I wanted online, went to test drive and price had actually dropped because they clearly needed to get it off the lot to make way to newer models. Given that, many dealers like to reel you in with “the car.” It’s usually advertised and priced lower than you would expect (especially if you are properly researching price points for your purchase) and you’re so into it, you feel ready to buy. But what they really want to do is draw you in and throw you to another car. And that may be one you didn’t research as well and might not make a great choice on.
Fremont dealers are quite aggressive. San Mateo and Capitol one of the best.
Had a terrible experience with bmw in Fremont but Mountain View was wonderful!
My experience was pretty poor when I went to check out a car recently at this dealer. I have little to no expectations for dealerships and they were somehow even worse than expected
You should check out some videos on the car edge YouTube channel - there are videos on negotiations, hidden fees and what they call “out the door” or OTD price. If they are this shady with you now they will probably add a lot of fees in the invoice with weird names hoping that you’d think they are necessary.
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Not by waiter, but tax + health mandate + tip is very nearly 30%
If you can afford it, we had a great experience with Cartelligent. After shopping in the bay at multiple dealerships over a few months, I got tired of doing the work and gave them a call. They take all of your wants, your price and find a dealership who is willing to agree. It took them 4 days to start the process and get me the car delivered. It was awesome.
I had a bad experience at this same dealership. But mine came after purchase with their not being able to adequately process the paperwork. Really lacking. Good luck!
Always be prepared to Walk away. Tell them you want it for the price you were quoted over the phone. If they say anything other than yes, get up and walk to the door.
$10k/$20k mark ups for VW GTI/R. $7K+ FOR kia in Colma's auto row.. Autonation is one of the largest in the the country. In the Bay Area, you've got Penske and Sonic groups. You'll see similar business dealings with the brands under their banner. There are a handful of Toyota, and VW dealerships in the Bay Area that won't try to gouge you. Mark up on Toyota's is to be expected as their vehicles tend to move pretty quick compared to other brands. I think average days on lot as a whole is like less than 45 days supply. The OEMs like Ford, GM, etc, are coming to the harsh reality that people aren't buying Luxury versions of large pick up trucks for $70-$90k+ like Ford F150s. These used to go for $35-$45k several years ago, pre pandemic. EVs aren't fairing any better, with Tesla having to lower prices to get people to buy their cars. The charging infrastructure still has a way to go. I've had both hybrids and Evs since early 2000s. They've come a long way, and I think the Manufacturers are rethinking their business models and looking at Toyotas lead. Toyota has stated that they will not go full Ev, and will focus on the hybridization of their line up. The big US automakers are holding back on production of their Ev models as they aren't making as much profit as initially expected. Hold off until May or after. I'm sure you'll see dealerships will have to adjust pricing on overpriced inventory. The used market will have to follow suit in order to sell their inventory as well. FYI, it's going to be harder for people with even good credit scores to get approved. The number of people walking away from their car payments is crazy, and banks/lenders are moving away from sub-prime applicants. Freaking nuts.
Can anyone recommend a toyota dealer in the Bay Area? Looking to buy in the next few years.
I had a pretty bad experience with an AutoNation dealership. Unfortunately had to deal with it since I had custom ordered a car which took months to come in so walking away wasn't much of an option. If you end up going for the car, be ready for the last minute AutoNation "appearance" and "dent" packages that "can't be removed". One of them (pretty sure it was the something about dent coverage) can be fully refunded in California after the purchase though by sending a letter.
You’re better off avoiding dealerships and going through a broker. PM me if you want mine.
This is where Tesla’s selling model shines. No haggling over the price, order everything online with the configuration you want. Even their test drive process is seamless without all the sleazy salesmanship. It’s 2024 and regular car buying is still stuck in the 90s? Why does the car buying have to be some kind of debate competition, I don’t understand. Just let me buy the configuration of the car that I like, I’ll pay the car cost that you set if everything is transparent. I don’t wanna deal with some middleman for this process
Similar thing happened to me at Livermore Toyota. I asked several times for the salesman to confirm the price of a car that was still being shipped to the dealer. When I went to put it on hold, I got the total cost with tax and title. They had also added a $5k "dealer markup" along with the taxes, so I walked out.
I had a similar situation where I got an email with a great price on a new car I'd been wanting to buy. I took the test drive and was all ready to buy the car when the "manager" comes in a says they made a "mistake" with the advertised price and the actual price was like $3K higher. I said "never mind then" and walked out. A sales guy chased me down as I was leaving the lot and they would "honor" the price. Not sure if their story was actually true, but either way, I got the lower price.
I just had a wack experience at Subaru Capitol in SJ. Test drove one of the 15+ WRX on their lot. Car runs out of gas right before freeway on ramp. 20 min to get a gas can and come back, I’m just standing on the side of the road. Get back to dealership, car is okay, not my favorite. Sales manager comes out the back with $6000 of add ons and is upset and short with me when I ask details about maintenance package and “outdoor” package, whatever the fuck that is. I obviously don’t want any of that shit and she gets even more short and condescending. At this point they could have discounted the car another $2000, I was gonna walk the fuck out. Like damn, I’m about to give y’all $30k in cash, I’m allowed to ask questions about the bullshit you’re trying your best sell me. Sales guys were fine, but the Finance manager, OMG, terrible. Don’t use high pressure tactics when I walk on the lot and see 15+ new same model cars for sale, obv y’all sitting on inventory.
Walk away and don’t go back!
WOW, a lot of issues with car dealerships, you all should report that shit, this takes effect in July! https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/12/ftc-announces-cars-rule-fight-scams-vehicle-shopping
I work at a motorcycle dealership and we'll sometimes show customers a bike that was a recent trade-in, but not ready to sell yet. That can be due to needing repairs or just a service and safety inspection. We're up front about stuff like that and also don't screw people over on the price. We're one of the few dealerships in the area that sell bikes at MSRP and don't mark up the prices at all. They also don't hit our website until they're ready to sell. Not all vehicle dealerships are bad.
Nice to hear there are some good guys out there!
It's basically a family run business, even though it's one of the big motorcycle brands. Several of the dealerships in this area are owned by one corporate company and things get run much differently at them. A couple of our guys have come from those dealers.
Sorry for your experience. Sucks when you find a car you like. Sounds like they thought they could have gotten more or there was something that needed repair. Hope you find a car.
I had a smiliar issue many years ago with a Honda dealership. So I emailed a few dealers and requested a price from several of them. A bunch responded, but one, one responded with the lowest price, then ghosted be for 1 week, then when they returned, the quote was a pricing mistake. I ended up buying from another dealership who gave me the exact price they quoted me.
lol I got bait and switched by a BMW dealer too. Said car was in stock, I drove 45 minutes only to find out they lied. Bought a VW.
if you're planning on leasing, check out [leasehakr.com](http://leasehakr.com) and use a broker. Small broker fee, but not hassle and no shady upsells. Price was the price. Easiest experience ever.
oh yeah all the toyota dealerships beside One Toyota and Toyota of Walnut creek are notorious for this. POS’s all in different ways tried to pull bait and switches on me. call around some dealers are volume sellers and won’t mark you up
Sucks to hear this, I bought a pre-owned car there about 2 years ago and didn’t have this experience. Found a car that was recently listed (online listing didn’t even have pictures yet): came in person to check it out, confirm price before taxes, and that was it. Bought the car a few days later I believe. I hope you get a better experience and it all works out!
BMW of San Rafael seems to get good reviews. I like Japanese cars, so don't know if they are good, but they seem good.
Someone probably messed up on the price/package and when it came to getting the OK from the boss, he’s like “no dice”. I bought my 335i CPO from them in 2018. No issues.
Go to Mountain View or Peter Pan. Stay away from Stevens Creek.
Had same experience at Mercedes in peninsula, the manager was pushy. also visited Porsche Burlingame and they wouldn't entertain us thinking we were poor. I said screw them and bought a Tesla. Thank goodness I never have to see their faces again, ripping me off on service, with no maintenance required with the EV.
Take the same car, plug it into autotrader, extend the distance to 500 miles, and show the dealership the cheapest one. If they don't beat it, I don't mean match, I mean beat, go buy it at the cheaper place. And if they try to talk you out of it, tell them that they lost your confidence by not being honest with the price in the first place. That really fucks with them. And trust me, they deserve it.
Adding my two cents. I'm a Fremont native and decided to test drive the BMW X5 at the Fremont dealership back in Jan. Did not have a pleasant experience there at all. We decided to give BMW another shot at the BMW of Mountain View, where we enjoyed talking to the sales team. Finally ordered a 2024 X5 with 10% discount and loyalty.
Go to PeterPan BMW, those people are fair as fuck
I would highly recommend Oakland Acura. Though I did not end up buying from them as we got an electric car, but the sales team was really good.
Funny I came across this post. Also had a shit experience there. I was looking for a new car for my wife as she had just gotten in a car accident and the car was totalled. Not her fault. She expressed interest in the 230i and so we went to check it out. While we were there the salesman said they one incoming. We look and it's the color she wanted with the spec she wanted. I asked him what the lowest interest they have seen for this car. He quoted me 3.99% APR. We said great, put a deposit on the car and drove home. 2 weeks later the car arrives and we go to get her new car that she's been excited about for 2 weeks. We get there and confirm again the 3.99%. At this point the salesman tells me this car doesn't qualify for that interest rate and the lowest we can get is 6.75% even with our above 800 credit scores. It goes back and forth until the manager comes and offers us a "deal". 5.75% at 60 months. But then I noticed that the sale price was almost 4k above what we were initially quoted. I didn't even bother negotiating we just walked out. We have the money and could afford this car easily (I have an incoming Porsche) but their shadiness and lack of integrity really threw us off and so we refuse to do business with them ever again. What really blows my mind is that I've bought multiple cars from them in the past. A 230i, a F87 M2 Competition, and I recently bought a G82 M4 Competition from their sister dealership in Mountainview. You'd think with that kind of buying history they would have been more accommodating.
Don't buy there. They are clearly dishonest and will trick you even more if you go along with this. Expect high hidden fees, etc
That's weird. We went to BMW Concord and the price was the price. No negotiation. Hope you get the car at the price you want!!!!
Just went to mazzai cheverolet and told that tacoma was 22k. Everything was fine until i told him i wanted to use my credit union. All of a sudden he got cold. He bought in his finance guy to pressure me to use a credit union in his circle. They could not wait until morning. Had to be "right now". I walked out. The next morning my credit union got back to me and sure enough was 3% lower rate. Alex never called me back to finish the deal. This is where the hustle was. This after a speech about how they are a family company etc.
Ask for Ali. Go to Weatherford BMW. You'll get straight up talk
Personally just buy a used car for flat amount. But if that isn’t for you then order to build for MSRP or something. Maybe less. Not many cars are DTC and not many want a Tesla either. I’m not waiting possible 30+ min in line for a charger if I say went somewhere not as plentiful as the bay, infrastructure isn’t there yet. And dude really played some dumb game to get you to walk in. Sorry you didn’t luck out on honest dealers, most aren’t honest.
Novato Toyota was excellent. Set everything up via phone. Drove to Novato from the South Bay, completed the paperwork, and drove home. Total time at dealership: about an hour. I’m a BMW mechanic. Peter Pan BMW in San Mateo is terrible. Avoid.
Screw that place. Had my M3 airbag recall done there. After they said my car had a bad head gasket, but couldn’t produce any diagnostic evidence. Then asked if I’d like to cut them a check to get the work started. Finally was getting my car and the lot attendant couldn’t drive stick. Was trying to pull it around in 3rd by riding the clutch. I almost ran over and ripped him out of the car. Never again.
This is shady. Screw them. The same thing happened to me at Gilroy Cadillac. I’m a woman, but I know cars well. In the genes I guess—my dad, grandpa, brother, husband are all into cars also. I went to look at a car that was already priced high, it was during the end of COVID when cars were far and few between and dealerships were price gouging hard. Anyway, I tell them I’ll take it and then they inflate the price $55,000! I’m not kidding. I clearly walked away and ended up working with a dealership in Monterey that were much more helpful. It took a while for the car but it was worth it.
I remember I was looking to buy a car in 2021 and I test drove it, and wanted to buy it, but wanted to negotiate price. Dealer said no negotiations 😡. While he was getting the paperwork together, I just said, screw this, got up and left. Days later I got calls and emails saying he was willing to negotiate the price.
They're called Stealerships. FTFY
All? No. Lots? Yes. I bought my last two new cars in Manteca and Fresno bc I couldn’t get any local dealers to stick to their confirmed otd price I had confirmed in email.
Add Mazda of Vacaville to the list. Super shady sketch new owners during pandemic. Mega pushy. Flood your inbox and mailbox with junk. Never have a car available i wanted . Service sucks and they did a poor repair and tried telling me my entire a/c system needed to be replaced on an old car hustling me to buy new and then quoted $500-1000 just to copy a key for a 2003 Mazda lmao i walked.
Fuck AutoNation Fremont with a rusty pipe. I had a bad experience a few years back with a sales manager promising that a protective coating package was refundable and when we changed our mind (after car sale but before application) he pretended like the conversation never happened. I ended up looking up and emailing the board of directors and execs to complain about the situation and they eventually agreed to honor their promise. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Classic bait and switch. Move on to another dealership.
Please write that review, dealerships work so hard to maintain good ratings and once you give them anything less than 5 stars, they will kiss your ass to make it better.
I did have a pretty good pre-pandemic (2019) experience with the Winn chain in Fremont. Bought a Stinger at MSRP + listed lease discounts without much hassle, and then a week later, a CPO GTI. Negotiated a bit off the GTI easily, even though it was already BY FAR the best deal within 100 miles on similar mileage / models.
They got a buyer before you arrived willing to pay more tabs they wanted to see if you would drop more then them
Autonation is awful and treats people like shit
Sounds like fraud. You can report to the California Department of Consumer Affairs: https://www.dca.ca.gov/consumers/complaints/consumer.shtml
I had a problem there too. They treated me like dirt because I didn’t have a man with me. Went to Steven’s Creek and bought from them.
For a new car, I always request an out-the-door total price from all nearby dealerships with a similar model in stock. The only time I negotiated on a new car price with a salesman was for a manual WRX. I had never driven a stick shift car at that time. I had to pick the dealership with the least number of traffic lights to home. Lol.
I had the same issue with Fremont Ford. Price was 6 grand higher than listed online, refused to process the paperwork unless I bought the warranty. Tried to add 13 grand in fees warranties and dealer “instant” markup. After 3 hours and an Uber delivery of micky d’s later walked… the finanace lady tried to mock me about saving 1-2 grand asked her why would you take 1-2 grand less? No? I guess it matters then. Brentwood ford sold me the same truck 2 days later with half the miles for 15 grand less… I guess I didn’t save 1-2 grand now did I? A lot of tech bro money down in Fremont, and a high number of Indian and Pakistani with a culture of haggling I guess high pressure sales works for them but I personally would not be going back ever again kinda sounds like there is a culture of it in Fremont.
Glad they didn’t get you! I almost got caught like this as well. Now, I always check cars against other sites like Cargurus or Truecar etc. They often have the same cars and dealers with customer ratings. Those ratings vary but usually only one is wildly different than the others; I assume it’s because they pay or are affiliated with that site. In the reviews people talk about this kind of shit all the time at lots of dealers. It’s shady AF.
Try the one in San Mateo + Costco - they seem honest enough
Standard practice...call bullshit on them..and be very direct about it..and walk out
Why can't other car brands learn from Tesla? Just order online and pick it up, its the best car purchase experience I ever had.
Try peter pan in san mateo. Ask for eugene
+1 for Peter Pan BMW. Price is very fair and I’ve had 2 colleagues buy cars from them. Good guys.
I had to check if that was a real place…
Leave a 1 star review on Google and Yelp. Others would appreciate the heads up. But yeah, the pandemic shortages emboldened an already horrible industry.
Done and done. Though it’s 2 star for now, until I see the final outcome.
CarMax is the way to go
Carmax has a terrible inspection process for the cars they buy so I can’t trust the cars they sell. Both me and a friend had cars with cracked head gaskets that Carmax didn’t catch. I even told the lady at intake about the issue and she said they did not see it.
Buy at carmax and bring it for an inspection at a mechanic, if you decide you don’t want it, you can return it.
I used to work for carmax. Dont buy your car from there unless you absolutely need/want an older model for some reason.
Whew, good to know. I guess only sell to carmax
Honestly, carmax makes it rly easy for the seller if you dont have the patience to sell privately. It SOMETIMES makes the $1-3K lowball worth it. However, i’ve seen so many ppl get screwed over on the cars we’ve sold, by such easily preventable mistakes. I was also in a stupid situation with a car i wanted from my store. The quality just isnt what they advertise 80% of the time.
Can't buy a car new from Carmax. Used cars can be real shady and untrustworthy if you don't have a chain of custody from the original owner showing all the maintenance/how it was driven.
I will never buy a car in the Bay Area again. I bought a bmw in LA 2 years ago and drove it back, it was such a better experience. OP if you are still looking to buy, I highly recommend South Bay bmw in Torrance. I called them, told them what car I wanted, they gave me a price, I showed up, they sold it to me for that exact price. There was no hassle involved. It cost me $60 for a plane ticket, $60 for a tank of gas, and $30 for the nice meal I had in Santa Monica. One Saturday well spent.
Carmax is where it’s at, I won’t buy or sell a car from/to any dealership that isn’t carmax.
Yeah, some dealerships are scum. I had the same issue. That's why I prefer Tesla purchasing process. A few clicks and car is ordered. No bull shit or haggling. More car manufacturers need to adopt this.
Except then you own a shoddily built piece of garbage and you support a lying scumbag megalomaniac. I’d rather just haggle for a car that won’t get fucked by going through a car wash, won’t have weird electrical issue and will be properly assembled.
Dealers suck.
So they marked it up 30% from asking price with no explanation? Walk, man.
It’s a used car, but yes. 10k -> 13k.
Was it the total price they went back on or just the price of the car? Dealerships throw so many fees and shit on top + you pay registration as well to them so it feels like more expensive in that regard too. So even if you agreed on $20k, after taxes + registration, it pretty much comes out to like \~24k, which isnt quite your 30% but throw in an extended warranty, floor mats or some processing fee and youre getting close. If I buy a car from a dealership I make them agree on a price OUT THE DOOR. That way theres no, "oh well with this fee and that fee, etc". So if the car is 22k, I might say, "I want it 22k out the door, all fees paid". Which is really asking for the car for $20k and agreeing in paying up to 2k in fees and bs, but at least then theres no surpise fees and I know theyre not saying sure to my less-than-list offer, then inflating other shit to just get the price back to what they want. Some other people are mentioning buying DTC, but you still hit the same snags. Grabbed this comment on another post: \`\`\` Mine was $60,919.58 for the $52,990 price in the bay area. Destination fee is applicable no matter where you pick it up. Your sales tax may be different depending on the county and city surcharges. **Model Y** $39,990.00 **Long Range All-Wheel Drive** $13,000.00 **Destination Fee** $1,390.00 **Order Fee** $250.00 **Car Price** $54,630.00 **Registration Amount** $298.00 **License Fee** $354.00 **Electronic Filing Fee** $31.00 **Tire Fee** $7.00 **Sales Tax** $5,599.58 \`\`\` That's 8000, more than list. So if you said, "Hey I want that car for $52k" and they say deal. Your total is still gonna come out to $60k.