S
Shredrca
Guest
I just bought a used Range Rover from Seaside Motors in Santa Monica,
CA and I thought I'd post here my buying experience, and maybe someone
else might benefit from the lessons I learned.
The SUV was advertized as a "Callaway Edition" and it had "Calaway"
lettering below the "4.6 HSE" badge. Research told me 1999 Callaways
only came in red, silver and green. The SUV was dark blue. The
exterior trims were also wrong. I ran CarFax on the VIN and it checked
out fine--although it didn't list as a Callaway. Despite this, the SUV
was clean and it appeared that the previous owner treated it well. I
ran Edmunds and Kelly Blue book and the price was below trade-in.
When I test drove the SUV, the dealer installed a brand new spare tire
with matching rims as the truck. All four rims had logo disks in
place. The right signal lamp and one of the center brake lamps were
bad--the dealer promised to fix them. The owners manual was also
missing--the dealer claimed it was in storage. The CD Changer
cartridge was also missing. The "Service Engine Soon" light was lit,
and a "LH Window not set" warning appears when I turn off the engine.
After deciding on the SUV, I was able to get $995 off the price and I
had a purchase order printed.
I returned the next day after my credit union approved the sale and
called the dealership. To their credit, the CD Changer cartridge was
in place. I first checked the spare tire--it was replaced with a
generic tire! I insisted on the tire that was installed the day
before. Then I noticed one of the rim had a missing logo disk--I was
now suspicious that the tires may have been replaced. Finally, after
some arguing, the logo disk was installed. The brake lamps were still
bad; but at this point I just wanted to get the truck and replace
those myself. The SUV had a near empty tank--which I later found out
could cause the "Service Engine Soon" light to come on.
The next day, I remembered about the owners manual. When I called the
dealer about it, he insisted that he told me there was NO manual for
the car. I then knew the kind of people they were. The manual cost me
$155 from an authorized dealer! Resetting the "Service Engine Soon"
light cost me $75 from a local rover garage. (The authorized dealer
wanted $120 to diagnoze the light.) The lamps cost me about $8 in all.
The authorized dealer was able to print me a copy of the warranty log
record for the SUV, the security code for the sound system, as well as
order me a spare key. I have to save up to get the "super key" which
costs $250!
In retrospect, I count myself lucky I found the spare tire switch-scam
in time. But I hope this experience will help someone else out there
to be wary of this dealership. They have good prices, but very
questionable morals. Deal cautiously!
-Happy Owner of a dream SUV!
CA and I thought I'd post here my buying experience, and maybe someone
else might benefit from the lessons I learned.
The SUV was advertized as a "Callaway Edition" and it had "Calaway"
lettering below the "4.6 HSE" badge. Research told me 1999 Callaways
only came in red, silver and green. The SUV was dark blue. The
exterior trims were also wrong. I ran CarFax on the VIN and it checked
out fine--although it didn't list as a Callaway. Despite this, the SUV
was clean and it appeared that the previous owner treated it well. I
ran Edmunds and Kelly Blue book and the price was below trade-in.
When I test drove the SUV, the dealer installed a brand new spare tire
with matching rims as the truck. All four rims had logo disks in
place. The right signal lamp and one of the center brake lamps were
bad--the dealer promised to fix them. The owners manual was also
missing--the dealer claimed it was in storage. The CD Changer
cartridge was also missing. The "Service Engine Soon" light was lit,
and a "LH Window not set" warning appears when I turn off the engine.
After deciding on the SUV, I was able to get $995 off the price and I
had a purchase order printed.
I returned the next day after my credit union approved the sale and
called the dealership. To their credit, the CD Changer cartridge was
in place. I first checked the spare tire--it was replaced with a
generic tire! I insisted on the tire that was installed the day
before. Then I noticed one of the rim had a missing logo disk--I was
now suspicious that the tires may have been replaced. Finally, after
some arguing, the logo disk was installed. The brake lamps were still
bad; but at this point I just wanted to get the truck and replace
those myself. The SUV had a near empty tank--which I later found out
could cause the "Service Engine Soon" light to come on.
The next day, I remembered about the owners manual. When I called the
dealer about it, he insisted that he told me there was NO manual for
the car. I then knew the kind of people they were. The manual cost me
$155 from an authorized dealer! Resetting the "Service Engine Soon"
light cost me $75 from a local rover garage. (The authorized dealer
wanted $120 to diagnoze the light.) The lamps cost me about $8 in all.
The authorized dealer was able to print me a copy of the warranty log
record for the SUV, the security code for the sound system, as well as
order me a spare key. I have to save up to get the "super key" which
costs $250!
In retrospect, I count myself lucky I found the spare tire switch-scam
in time. But I hope this experience will help someone else out there
to be wary of this dealership. They have good prices, but very
questionable morals. Deal cautiously!
-Happy Owner of a dream SUV!
