I wanna sell you a Kia ! 0 - o

Kat and I wentto a "Brand Name" used car dealership to see what we might qualify for when we can afford a second car.

Here is the offer the salesman made on a car that Kat, in wonderful response to my evil grin communication with her, said that she liked most of all.

They took us back into the execution chamber... er... sales office and gave us the following proposal....


2004 Kia Optima 4C 2.4L
4D Sedan LX
Aluminum/Silver
Miles: 67,504
Sales Price: $14,157
APR: 21.44%


I grinned at him and told him that i will do my research and get back with him... and get back with him I did.

I was already well aware that I was dealing with a shark when the incredulous 21.44% interest came into play. That's a deal breaker right there.

But I also knew that $14K was about what those damn things cost BRAND NEW !!!

So, I decided to ride this bull a couple of more seconds and look it up in the Kelley Blue Book.

This is what I sent him, and what he sent back... Incredible.

Kevin,

After researching the proposal for the 2004 Kia Optima, the main problem I have right off is that Kelley Blue Book lists this vehicle at $9,085 in Excellent condition.

That is a far cry from $14,157.

When we do something about this, then we can proceed further.


Kevin replied by saying:

Here at DriveTime we do not price our cars off Kelly [Notice he spells Kelley wrong] Blue Book or NADA. We are able to use our own financing so [Notice the lack of usage of common punctuation marks, such as commas] that allows us to price our cars at the current market value of this area. In saying that we will not say we are the lowest place in town, but we are at the current market value. Unfortunately we are not able to negotiate on our prices. Our prices also reflect the reconditioning cost we put into our cars like maintenance, detail, warranty, ect. Other dealerships (including Kelly Blue Book) that show lower prices on car do not include warranty or a up to 53 point inspection. Those cars are "as is" type of cars.

Thanks,
Kevin Heatley

So, Basically, you are telling me that the rules don't apply to you, because you are able to itemize your excessive pricing?

Will Kevin get my business?

He could have, had he made his response more cordial rather than defensive.
You can say that you had to clean the fucking car to get the smell of weed out of it!!
It is a 3-year old car.... 60+K miles,,, uhm this camel has been ridden so hard, if it wasn't a rental, it doesn't have toes.

And the guy really felt like a jerk before he made the offer, when he had to Jump Start the fucking car because "Someone Left The HEadlights On.".... um, dude, one of the selling features of the standard features of that vehicle is that it turns the headlights off automatically after a few minutes.

He could have been a salesman and figured out what we could compromise on, even if it meant a different vehicle.
No, dumb as Kevin was to have lost the sale on his own, the sale was lost not because a guy is just being a corporate robot.
No, The lost sale was not because of Kevin, alone.
Dude's just doing his job.
But DriveTime, and this is entirely my opinion, takes advantage of the little guy.
They are no different from the rickety outfits you see that have 5 cars on the lot and police tape around the entrance.

I will let my big sister have the last word...

"You are what you make yourself, little brother."