Buyer beware. - Kwleaders
Buyer beware. I had a very disappointing experience at Payless Car Sales that felt like a bait-and-switch from start to finish. I went in to purchase a 2019 Kia Sorento that was listed online (on CarFax, CarGurus, and their own site) for $13,287. I was so excited that I secured bank financing in advance and made an appointment to test drive the car.
When I arrived at the dealership, there was no one at the front desk, so I asked someone in an office what to do. They told me to wait in the lounge and someone would help me. I sat there for over an hour. Eventually, when someone finally showed up, they didn't even know which car I had come to see — despite the fact that I had an appointment. Why take appointments at all if you're not going to prepare?
I finally got to test drive the car, which drove beautifully. I was ready to move forward — but then I noticed the check engine light was on. Red flag. The salesperson casually said it was just the O2 sensor and they were "waiting on the part." Interesting, because I had the CarFax report showing the vehicle had been sitting on their lot for 4 months. Yet the salesperson tried to tell me it had just arrived 2 weeks ago.
Even then, I didn’t walk away. I gave them a chance to be professional — big mistake. I let the salesperson run their dealer financing pitch (not knowing I had a bank check ready to go in my bag). That's when the shady tactics really began. They asked me about my credit and down payment, then had me sign some vague paper saying if they could meet my monthly payment, we had a deal. After that, it was a classic runaround:
They tried to force a $3,500 warranty on me — no details, just a faded photocopy with vague benefits.
They said if I paid cash, the "discount" would go away, and the price would go back up. How does that make sense?
Every time I asked a question, the salesperson had to walk back and forth between an office full of people laughing and goofing off. Completely unprofessional.
The final insult? The sales contract listed the car price as $17,960 — almost $5,000 higher than the advertised price. And that didn't even include tax, tags, or fees. After all was said and done, the out-the-door price was $19,108.41 with just a $1,000 down payment. And the monthly payment they "worked down" to? $436/month — way more than what I said I could afford.
Oh, and they offered me $300 for my 2011 Volvo XC60 in trade. Ridiculous.
Thank God I walked away. I never even told them I had a check in my bag ready to buy the car outright. If only they had been honest, transparent, or respectful in any way. This place plays games, manipulates numbers, and takes buyers for fools. Even if you have bad credit, you can do better than this.
This is exactly why people don’t trust car dealerships. Do yourself a favor and avoid Payless Car Sales.
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