Reason for Visit: Sales (New)
I recommend this dealer: No
Employee(s) Dealt With: Scott MacDonald
My Review of Prime Toyota/Scion:
I made 3 visits to this dealership in hopes of purchasing a new car. My first visit was simply to see what was available on the lot. The second visit was to choose a car and establish a purchase price. A car was found on their lot and a price was agreed upon.
The third visit, I returned with a trade-in vehicle in hopes of completing the transaction. This is where the whole thing turned into one of the worst buying experiences I have ever had.
The salesperson said he had the car I had chosen ready out front so I went to take a look at it. The car was not the one I had previously selected the day before because I checked the VIN# and it did not match the one I had chosen. He had swapped cars without telling me. I sat in the car and it smelled of cigarette smoke and this was supposed to be a brand new car.
Well, I continued with the negotiations even though I should have walked out right then - bad idea. After sitting down and talking a few minutes about what the purchase price with the trade would be, I realized that he had decided not to honor the agreed upon price for the new car that we had established the day before.
He was repeatedly asked what the price of the new car was and he wouldn’t give a straight answer other than to say “don’t worry about it, we’ll work that out in the financing”. When repeatedly asked about the value of the trade. The same response came, so value on the trade could not be established either.
Then he proceeds to explain to me (as if he is doing me a big favor) how he can finance the whole thing for so much per month and I should accept the offer. Keep in mind that he still refused to tell me what the purchase price was and that he actually believes I’m stupid enough to sign a purchase agreement without knowing a purchase price. I couldn’t help wondering how many previous customers he must have succeeded in getting to sign an “open” purchase agreement? I think it is very sad, especially in these times when it is so difficult for many people, that there are businesses that try to profit by deception.
What is even more amazing is that I had no wish to discuss financing at all and yet he would go on and on about financing. It was quite apparent to me with his “razzle-dazzle” financing plan that he raised the price of the new car and was trying to get the trade almost free. Although he made several of the “mandatory” visits to confer with his boss, I never actually saw the 2 of them speaking so I’m not sure to what extent management had in all the lies and deception that was going on continuously from start to finish.
I know from past experiences with other dealerships around Maine, that unfortunately, these tactics are more the norm than the exception but I rarely encounter them used so blatantly and with such intensity as I did at Prime Toyota in Saco.
If you want to be treated nice and with some respect, don't bother going to this dealership.
I left and most definitely will never go to this place again.
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