Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:30:47 -0400
From: Rita Marley-McKenzie
Subject: Chevy Dealership
I’ve seen lots of negative press about the Chevy dealership in Pittsboro in the past few days. I purchased a car from them last fall, and I think I got one of the best deals ever.
Since I have had horrible luck with purchasing cars in the past, I had asked my mechanic to help me pick out a reliable vehicle. I had also researched vehicles on Edmunds.com, msn autos, and kbb.com for all the necessities (pricing, specs, reliability, safety, etc). I had narrowed down my choices to 4-5 different styles of cars and printed out information on specs and pricing from the above websites.
My mechanic went with me to the dealership and looked over the car on the spot. He even test drove it. He suggested a new cabin air filter and an alignment along with a few other minor details. We did have to haggle with the dealership on price, but since I had the print-outs from the website, I knew what was a fair price and was not going to settle for more than the value.. We ended up getting the price reduced by $3000.
Where dealerships really try to stick you is in the paper signing. They tried to sell me extra warranties, etc.. Also, check with your bank on interest rates before going to purchase a car. I knew that I could get 6.25 at the Credit Union. The dealership ended up beating that rate by another 1/4 percent through another Credit Union.
Make sure they write all the repairs you want word for word on the paperwork before you sign it, too.
It really pays to be prepared before walking in a dealership, no matter where you go. Having your mechanic look over and even test driving a vehicle is invaluable, too.
I hate purchasing vehicles due to all the dishonesty and song and dance you have to go through. I’ve been taken to the cleaners before with a new vehicle purchase, so I was wary at the thought of having to go through the whole process again. With proper planning, the experience wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been.
I know this is a Chathamcentric site, but I have to say that the best buying experience I have ever had was with Rice Toyota in Greensboro.
Keeping it in Chatham–My parents always go to Welford Harris Ford in Siler City first (and I did peruse their lot before ending up in Pittsboro). I’ve personally used them several times for vehicle rentals, and I have always been pleased with the service, price, and vehicle quality.
Oh, and if you purchase a new vehicle, get Gap insurance. It saved us thousands of dollars on that new vehicle purchase I mentioned above when someone pulled out in front of my hubby and totaled our van!
If you’re still with me, thanks for reading this far!
Rita.
PS – Read this article entitled “Confessions of a Car Salesman” http://www.edmunds.com/advice/buying/articles/42962/page001.html
It was eye-opening for me and really helped me to see the whole process of car sales and helped me to know what to expect.
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