Annapolis Subaru

So I bought an '05 LGT there a week ago, it was used with about 18k miles. I love the car and feel like I got a decent deal on it, but I'm not 100% happy with my buying experience. I won't recommend against the dealership, since the salesman I worked with was good, as was the girl who did my financing.

 

I will, however, recommend that anybody who goes there not deal with JP (or at least take what he tells you with a grain of salt). I think his name was Jerome Perens or something like that, but everybody just called him JP, and he was the guy I "got" to talk prices with after checking out the car and test driving it. He wouldn't budge on the internet price of the LGT (and yes, I had left after refusing to deal at the initial price and come back a few days later), but I was mostly ok with that. For my trade, he printed off the KBB sheet and gave it to me. I told him I wanted at least that number and he refused to give me anything more than that minus 70 bucks (you read that right, he wouldn't give me 70 dollars). I then told him I'd do the deal as they had written it up if they filled the gas tank before I left and, after 10 minutes of arguing with him, he wouldn't do that either. He told me my trade would be going to the wholesaler because it wasn't a Subaru and they didn't want to deal with making sure it'd pass MD inspection and so forth.

 

So imagine my surprise that my car is now listed on the Annapolis Subaru used section for twice what they gave me. The cheap ass couldn't give me the extra 70 bucks I asked for my trade OR $30 worth of gas, and lied to me about where the car was going/why he "couldn't" give me more for it because the dealership stood to make a few grand off it. It wouldn't have taken much more for me to have left there completely happy, and he managed to prevent that. If I go back, I'll ask to deal with somebody else, I suggest others do the same.

I've NEVER bought a car from a dealer that didn't have a full tank of gas in it. I guess high gas prices are really starting to take their toll on customer service too.

He told me their policy is a full tank on new cars and half a tank (or whatever's in it) for used cars. Which may or may not be BS based on the rest of my experience with him.

Dude, that sucks to hear man. I would be pissed too if I saw the car I traded in going for double of what they gave me! I cannot belive that they are listing it for that and wouldn't even give you a full tank of gas.

Well I knew the car would have been "worth" more than they were giving me as a private party sale at least, but I didn't really want the hassle of selling it myself, and I was certainly willing to take less for it because of that. But now I see they could have probably given me another thousand bucks (and certainly that $70 cash and $30 worth of gas). The guy thought he was losing money on the LGT, which is part of why he wouldn't do any better for me. In reality, he may have paid too much to acquire the car but the price he wanted for it was right in line and maybe a little high based on what other people here have been paying.

 

So nothing I can do now except warn people who go to Annapolis to be careful and try not to deal with this guy if you can help it.

A.Dealers are in business to make money,used or new.

B.When you trade in a car you are not dealing with the hassle of private sale ,inspection etc. The dealer is,or he will wholesale the car or take it to auction..

C.What the dealer does with your car after he buys it from you is really not your concern.You signed the deal/contract and agreed with the terms.If you dont like the deal you walk.

D.Dealers/salesman don't always tell the truth:icon_wink

 

Annapolis Subaru isn't alone in this,most dealers practice this.

 

I'm not bangin on ya,but if the saleman had argued with me about $70 or a tank of gas I would have ask the sales mngr if he agreed,if he did I would walk and not go back.

You're mostly right on those points, although I like to give people the benefit of the doubt (even sleazy car dealers and...well ok, maybe not lawyers ). I figured the request for a full tank of gas was small enough that when he wouldn't do it, he really COULDN'T do any better for me on the deal. This was a sales manager, btw, the salesman I dealt with didn't really do anything as far as numbers.

 

I wasn't about to walk over 100 bucks, because that's silly. But it's also silly they wouldn't do something that small without the threat of losing the sale. /shrug

 

I'm not complaining about the deal I got or the dealership in general, I consider the $70 and gas to be customer service and satisfaction issues. But for now, I think I'll go for a drive and enjoy the nice weather. Plus, I need groceries

Thats why I always sell cars to carmax now.

Thats why I always sell cars to carmax now.

 

I've had success there as well.

Thats why I always sell cars to carmax now.

 

Maybe Carmax is different out East. I've checked with them on the last two cars I was selling and their buy offers were WAY under the market price. On the last car I sold (a 1999 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro Wagon with 60K miles- 14 months ago) the Carmax final offer was $ 6,100. Edmunds and Bluebook retail range was $10,500 to 11,900. I sold it on eBay for $11,000 or 80% more than Carmax offered!! eBay selling cost was $84 and it was a painless deal.

 

It (Carmax) is an easy way to get rid of a car you really want to dump fast, but IMHO it certainly is not the way to recover your investment.

Maybe I sold them the right cars at the right time but I got exc Kelly BB/Edmunds from them both times. 96 Subaru L Wagon,98 Legacy GT sedan.

Maybe I was lucky.

The typical carmax buying price is between trade in and private sale. Usually closer to the former. It always seems to be better than what the dealer will give on a trade in so thats why i said. Of course if you SELL your car then you can get more, but some of us are lazy. =P

+1 for lazy!

 

I just didn't feel like advertising my car and taking the time to show it to people and let them drive it and so on. In my case, the gap between trade in and private sale was a little bigger because the car had rather low mileage for its age.

 

I'll keep Carmax in mind for the future (though I hope to keep the LGT for a good long time)

You wouldn't walk for $100 bucks? I recently walked for 26 cents per month payment differential. The sales guy says to me "You are going to leave over 26 cents?" I say " I can't believe you are going to let me walk over 26 cents"

In the end, I bought the same Suby at a different dealership at 500 below the arguing price.

You are the customer, He had you by the N$#t's because of your interest level. One has to be able to walk away if the deal gos bad.

 

my 2 cents and now I jumo off of my soap box

Nah, I would have walked over a few hundred bucks (and in fact I did the first time), but not $70 and a full tank of gas. I would have liked to have that hundred bucks, but it's really not a significant enough amount for me to have driven home, and then possibly driven back to Annapolis and wasted more time that way on another day.

 

He had me by nothing, since my trade was paid for and I could have gone home and kept driving it another 10 years. $100 is not a deal breaker for me. But the real point is that it would have taken so little for him to give me exactly the deal I asked for and a full tank of gas (and the price they relisted my trade at suggests to me they could have done it). And I would have come home and told everyone how great the dealership was. But he wanted to make an extra $100, and he did, and now I get to come home and tell people that Annapolis Subaru will lie about where your trade is headed to justify offering you less and doesn't care enough about sales and customer service to find $70 for you or fill the gas tank on your request before you take a (used) car home. See how that works?

But he wanted to make an extra $100, and he did, and now I get to come home and tell people that Annapolis Subaru will lie about where your trade is headed to justify offering you less and doesn't care enough about sales and customer service to find $70 for you or fill the gas tank on your request before you take a (used) car home. See how that works?

 

Well said,,I understand your 1st post better now

Just thought I'd post a little update here. I got one of those customer satisfaction survey cards in the mail, so I filled it out and sent it back in along with a short letter basically saying what I said here (and that I was otherwise happy with the car, the dealership facility, my salesman, and the girl who did my financing).

 

I got a phone call today from someone at the dealership while I was at work. He'd read my letter and wanted to apologize about what happened, said it wasn't the way they do business, that JP was fairly new, and that he'd talk to him about it and how his actions didn't fit into the dealership's culture. I was impressed. He also said he had credited my account the $70 I asked for and didn't get on my trade towards future service (which is a very nice gesture, even though it probably only cost them half that amount to do it).

 

So I'm changing my bottom line opinion on the dealership. Annapolis Subaru good. They do actually appear to be fair and care about customer satisfaction, even after the sale. I'll still recommend against dealing with JP, if you can help it.

I wonder if every dealership has "JP" or like him. I have a Subaru dealership close to me, and a few bad apples at this dealership make it easy for me never to go back to them again. I will drive further if it means service and fair and flexible sales practices warrant it. I think Subaru tries hard to keep its fans and owners happy. Just a few jerks out there who forget customer sat is number one.

 

By the way, I have been in the car business and a full tank of gas, and a clean car whether new or used is automatic and without fail.

Keep the Subaru faith. Most places do a great job.

Just thought I'd post a little update here. I got one of those customer satisfaction survey cards in the mail, so I filled it out and sent it back in along with a short letter basically saying what I said here (and that I was otherwise happy with the car, the dealership facility, my salesman, and the girl who did my financing).

 

I got a phone call today from someone at the dealership while I was at work. He'd read my letter and wanted to apologize about what happened, said it wasn't the way they do business, that JP was fairly new, and that he'd talk to him about it and how his actions didn't fit into the dealership's culture. I was impressed. He also said he had credited my account the $70 I asked for and didn't get on my trade towards future service (which is a very nice gesture, even though it probably only cost them half that amount to do it).

 

So I'm changing my bottom line opinion on the dealership. Annapolis Subaru good. They do actually appear to be fair and care about customer satisfaction, even after the sale. I'll still recommend against dealing with JP, if you can help it.

 

 

Well, at any rate its reassuring to hear that Annapolis tried to make amends with you. You've really got to give some credit for a willingness to make things better. I'm glad that your situation worked itself out a bit. There can be hope for the future...it's good to know someone cares.

 

Joe

Well all is clear to come back to Annapolis Subrau as there is a new sheriff in town. He is no longer at Annapolis Subaru!!!

I Bought My '06 Na Sedan New From Them And I Drove By Another Subie Dealer To Do It. The Dealer Closer To Me Wanted To Sell Me The Same Car For $2000 More, And Wanted To Double My Apr. So Far As Trade-ins Go, I Sold Gm's, Hondas And Mazdas In Wash State And When It Came Down To Brass Tacks, Dealers---any Of Them----just Will Not Offer A Fair Price For Any Trade No Matter The Condition. You'll Always Feel The Burn To Your Snappy Bacon Ring As They Ream You. I Had A Gm I Wanted To Trade, New It Was $25,000 And Trade In As Per Kbb Was $5900. It Was An '03 With Low Mileage And Excellent Condition; That's Serious Depriciation. And If I Had Traded It, They Would Have Done The Same Thing--low Ball The Trade And Then Double The Retail On The Lot----so I Sold It Outright And Used It For Down Payment And Even With The Long Drive, It Was Still Worth It To Me.......so I Would Have To Agree, They Are A Pretty Decent Dealership To Deal With; Better Than The One I Used To Work For Anyway......

Well all is clear to come back to Annapolis Subrau as there is a new sheriff in town. He is no longer at Annapolis Subaru!!!

 

 

Heh, can't really say it makes me sad to hear that! (though it may be a little while before I'm in the market for another car).

 

I was actually there for service last Saturday, came in for ye olde 22,500 mile service. It was fast and painless, came out to $140 all said and done though, which is a little high for what seemed to basically be an oil change and minor inspection. My next visit will probably be Summer '07 at 30k miles, which was $600 according to the big board.

yea, I know the service prices are a little steep. I wish I had some control over that but sales and service are like two seperate businesses. Its really all due to the labor rate, and the fact that subaru makes a book that says how many hours each service should take, and that is how many hours of labor the dealership charges. Stop up in sales department next time you come in, my name is Will.

I Bought My '06 Na Sedan New From Them And I Drove By Another Subie Dealer To Do It. The Dealer Closer To Me Wanted To Sell Me The Same Car For $2000 More, And Wanted To Double My Apr. So Far As Trade-ins Go, I Sold Gm's, Hondas And Mazdas In Wash State And When It Came Down To Brass Tacks, Dealers---any Of Them----just Will Not Offer A Fair Price For Any Trade No Matter The Condition. You'll Always Feel The Burn To Your Snappy Bacon Ring As They Ream You. I Had A Gm I Wanted To Trade, New It Was $25,000 And Trade In As Per Kbb Was $5900. It Was An '03 With Low Mileage And Excellent Condition; That's Serious Depriciation. And If I Had Traded It, They Would Have Done The Same Thing--low Ball The Trade And Then Double The Retail On The Lot----so I Sold It Outright And Used It For Down Payment And Even With The Long Drive, It Was Still Worth It To Me.......so I Would Have To Agree, They Are A Pretty Decent Dealership To Deal With; Better Than The One I Used To Work For Anyway......

 

That /.\ gave me a headache:lol:

yea, I know the service prices are a little steep. I wish I had some control over that but sales and service are like two seperate businesses. Its really all due to the labor rate, and the fact that subaru makes a book that says how many hours each service should take, and that is how many hours of labor the dealership charges. Stop up in sales department next time you come in, my name is Will.

 

 

Heh, yeah it was like $40 for parts, $11 for shop supplies, and $90 for labor, and it looks on the receipt like they used Motorcraft Super Premium 5W30, which I don't think is even a synthetic oil. I can't do my own oil changes because I live in an apartment complex and they've got rules against it, but I think even a Mobil 1 oil change at a Jiffy Lube type place is maybe half what I paid.

 

At least this time, I didn't mind paying a little more to have them look over everything, since I still have warranty and haven't really had the car looked at since I bought it. But in the future I may go someplace cheaper for the minor maintenance intervals at least. I'll look for you to say hi next time I'm in