PaulJK
Active LVC Member
I had a loaded up 2003 Mustang GT convertible on a lease with a year and a half to go. i really didn't want to go through until the end, and thought I'd see if I could get another car with lower payments. Since I had a lease, I'd have to pay calif sales tax if I bought out the lease and sold the car myself; if I traded it in, the sales tax didn't have to be paid. In my partcular case, this amounted to about $1400 !
So I went to look at a Jaguar sedan, but couldn't make a deal and ended up late in the evening at a Lincon Mercury dealer. The LM dealer gave me about $2000 more on trade on a very nice high mileage year 2000 LS 8 that was about the same price as the jaguar, so I took it (purchase, not lease). Four days after the deal, the finance manager calls me and says they found frame damage on my mustang trade-in, so I'd have to either pay them $2000 or cancel the dealand swap cars back. During the sale I had admitted that the car had been in a minor front end collision, but truly knew nothing about frame damage, so I suspected something fishy.
I read my contract and it said that they could cancel the deal if my financing fell through, but that was it and I relayed that to the guy, and in typical LA fashion, but I'd consider re-doing the deal if there was something in it for me
. During 8 more days of sporadic phone calls, the finance manager threatened not to pay off my trade, which would cause the mustang to be repossessed, and also to re-possess the 2000 LS. I finally quit talking to him and started dealing exclusively with the sales manager. We zeroed in on a 2003 LS 6 that was pretty much loaded - I searched autotrader.com and cars.com and found the average dealer asking price within 75 miles of LA for the about (25) 2003 LS 6 cars with similar miles was $18,700 - they had this one priced at $22,300 which was WAYYY to high, even considering all the extras.
After about three more days of talking about getting a better deal (including an x-plan on a new LS 8), I nicely told the sales manager (who was a very nice guy) that, if he put their concerns in writing, i would be glad to take it to my lawyer and maybe she would simply tell me to pay them the $2000 . He went silent for a split second or 2, and then got a little more flexible.
Tonight we finshed up (I'm convinced that they still made money but less than they make on most deals), and I got the LS 6 for $16,800 with a zero deductable bumper-to-bumper ESP to March 2010 or 75,000 miles (it now has 31,000 miles). I found all the original paperwork including an un-opened LS CD; window sticker shows $39k, including $1395 for the wood package !!. The car was sold new at this dealership, to a lady that supposedly traded it for a new one. This was all there was to get without getting ugly, and I'm not the kinda person who will go after every drop of blood anyway.
It was a happy ending and everybody smiled and we all shook hands - all these guys are 'fatherly-types" and decent people, with the exception of the yuppie finance manager who wasn't there.
I was pretty much against the 6 cylinder until I drove it. Actually the 2003 V6 is only 25 HP less than the 2000 V8 and seems to have just as good throttle response - feels good and I'm definitley not gonna turn down even a FEW MPG. The moonroof and heated / cooled seats are terrific, adjustable pedals are pretty cool and the car is just like new - but I told the salesman I'd give him the apparently new (4) Futura tires next week when I replace them with Yokohama AVS dBs.
Moral of the story - READ the contract and be flexible, I guess .
So I went to look at a Jaguar sedan, but couldn't make a deal and ended up late in the evening at a Lincon Mercury dealer. The LM dealer gave me about $2000 more on trade on a very nice high mileage year 2000 LS 8 that was about the same price as the jaguar, so I took it (purchase, not lease). Four days after the deal, the finance manager calls me and says they found frame damage on my mustang trade-in, so I'd have to either pay them $2000 or cancel the dealand swap cars back. During the sale I had admitted that the car had been in a minor front end collision, but truly knew nothing about frame damage, so I suspected something fishy.
I read my contract and it said that they could cancel the deal if my financing fell through, but that was it and I relayed that to the guy, and in typical LA fashion, but I'd consider re-doing the deal if there was something in it for me
. During 8 more days of sporadic phone calls, the finance manager threatened not to pay off my trade, which would cause the mustang to be repossessed, and also to re-possess the 2000 LS. I finally quit talking to him and started dealing exclusively with the sales manager. We zeroed in on a 2003 LS 6 that was pretty much loaded - I searched autotrader.com and cars.com and found the average dealer asking price within 75 miles of LA for the about (25) 2003 LS 6 cars with similar miles was $18,700 - they had this one priced at $22,300 which was WAYYY to high, even considering all the extras.After about three more days of talking about getting a better deal (including an x-plan on a new LS 8), I nicely told the sales manager (who was a very nice guy) that, if he put their concerns in writing, i would be glad to take it to my lawyer and maybe she would simply tell me to pay them the $2000
. He went silent for a split second or 2, and then got a little more flexible.Tonight we finshed up (I'm convinced that they still made money but less than they make on most deals), and I got the LS 6 for $16,800 with a zero deductable bumper-to-bumper ESP to March 2010 or 75,000 miles (it now has 31,000 miles). I found all the original paperwork including an un-opened LS CD; window sticker shows $39k, including $1395 for the wood package !!. The car was sold new at this dealership, to a lady that supposedly traded it for a new one. This was all there was to get without getting ugly, and I'm not the kinda person who will go after every drop of blood anyway.
It was a happy ending and everybody smiled and we all shook hands - all these guys are 'fatherly-types" and decent people, with the exception of the yuppie finance manager who wasn't there.
I was pretty much against the 6 cylinder until I drove it. Actually the 2003 V6 is only 25 HP less than the 2000 V8 and seems to have just as good throttle response - feels good and I'm definitley not gonna turn down even a FEW MPG. The moonroof and heated / cooled seats are terrific, adjustable pedals are pretty cool and the car is just like new - but I told the salesman I'd give him the apparently new (4) Futura tires next week when I replace them with Yokohama AVS dBs.
Moral of the story - READ the contract and be flexible, I guess
.