Buying new 2020 Si - They wanted to drive it 90 miles to me

[Miro]

Am I being unreasonable by throwing a fit that they wanted to drive my new 2020 Si 90 miles from another dealership to me instead of trailering it? I offered to go pick it up myself at the beginning of the process but now that everything is signed they said it's against their policy. If I had known this I would have just went to that dealership and dealt with them directly. The other thing is that it wasn't until after I signed everything that they told me the 'car isn't on the ground yet' at the origin dealership. This was after the salesman acted like he could get the car to me today. I told them I wouldn't buy it if they drive it because I want to be responsible for the complete break-in period and I'm not going to have one of their employees joy riding my brand new 25k expense. Am I being unreasonable?

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[gtman]

Not totally unreasonable, I get it. But 90 miles is not a big deal honestly, and on the plus side it's 90 miles closer to the end of your break-in period. If you desperately want it trailered, tell them you'll pay the cost of doing that. Otherwise, just relax and enjoy your car.

 

[Miro]

I appreciate the input. This is my first time buying a new car so I'm not sure how all of this usually goes.

 

[silverrascal]

10 miles? 20 miles? yeah okay. But 90 miles? I personally wouldn't let them drive it. There's enough mileage there for something to happen to it. I get it. Yeah it's not a Lambo but it's still your money and you gotta feel good about it when they hand you the keys. But otoh I understand the dealership's position, too. It's still technically their property until they do the pre-delivery inspection, submit the title documents, etc. So it doesn't make sense for them to let you drive it back. I think the best solution is to have it trailered and everyone is covered and happy, IMHO.

 

[PowerPerLiter]

I would absolutely refuse them do this. For a myriad of reasons. Just go pick it up and pitch a fit to get some free all season mats or something.

 

[Miro]

I guess I'd be more apt to let them drive it if they would have been upfront about me not being able to pick it up. I voiced wanting to pick it up multiple times through the process but was thwarted with "no no no, we'll roll out the red carpet for you here and deliver it to you this evening!" Even though the car isn't even at the other dealership yet.

 

[gtman]

I would absolutely refuse them do this. For a myriad of reasons. Just go pick it up and pitch a fit to get some free all season mats or something.

PPL, you need to read the first post again. The dealer said HE CAN'T pick it up at this point. What I would do if that's the exact car I want is ask if you can (if possible) be in the car with their driver on the ride. I 100% doubt they'd abuse it under those conditions. Break-in isn't complex. No WOT, vary your speeds and no slamming on the brakes.

 

[Miro]

PPL, you need to read the first post again. The dealer said HE CAN'T pick it up at this point. What I would do if that's the exact car I want is ask if you can at least be in the car with their driver on the ride. I 100% doubt they'd abuse it under those conditions. Break-in isn't complex. No WOT, vary your speeds and no slamming on the brakes.

Dude that's a really good idea. Now that you say that, I think that's what the dealer is shooting for now but I misunderstood. He said "Maybe you can ride up there with them or something" and I assumed he meant I would drive it back, but that sounded iffy. It would make way more sense if they let me ride up there with them and then back in the new car. I'd be totally okay with this.

He's supposed to call me back this evening or in the morning to let me know if he can do it. I may call and clarify to see if that's what he is thinking.

 

[boosted180sx]

so it's basically a dealer trade vehicle that your buying? They are not going to trailer your car.
although, you not being able to pick it up at the dealer is a bunch of bull. They should drive the car from another dealer to their dealer and you should be able to pick it up there.

I don't think your being unreasonable. however, a salesman delivering the car 90 miles is nothing new. Back when i worked at a dealer, i drove from LA to san diego to deliver a car to a customer and that was ~120 miles

 

[Miro]

so it's basically a dealer trade vehicle that your buying? They are not going to trailer your car.
although, you not being able to pick it up at the dealer is a bunch of bull. They should drive the car from another dealer to their dealer and you should be able to pick it up there.

I don't think your being unreasonable. however, a salesman delivering the car 90 miles is nothing new. Back when i worked at a dealer, i drove from LA to san diego to deliver a car to a customer and that was ~120 miles

Dealerships have the same name, just different locations. Not sure that's still considered a dealer trade or not. One is "JW" Louisville and the other is "JW" Florence.

 

[gtman]

When I bought my Integra years ago, the car I wanted was in PA (I'm in MD). It was a sister dealership of the dealer I dealt with in Maryland. I drove my trade-in to PA and finalized the paperwork there and drove my new Integra back to MD.

 

[SCOPESYS]

My take is "SAY NO" ..
You want to see the car you are buying & inspect it BEFORE you agree or sign anything.
And the other Dealership does not even have it yet.

Also, if your Dealer is getting it from another Dealer, they will be paying a premium to that other Dealer, (which they of course will pass on to you - with markup)

Best case is to find the car you want, at the Dealership you want, a car just come in from factory, with less than 10 miles on it, spend at least an Hour INSPECTING it, and then if you like it's condition, tell the how much you will pay for it.( with research paperwork) - out the door, and have your own financing already in place. If they say "NO", WALK -- no shortage of Dealers out there ready to dance.

"Bye Bye" .

 

[Miro]

Figured I'd update with what ended up happening. Dealer was supposed to call me the morning of Wednesday, 2/19/2020 on what they could do but I never heard anything from them. After sleeping on it I really didn't want to give them money after how I was treated (4 hours at dealership, no car, lies about getting it to me that night, etc...). I ended up just going and buying the used 2017 black one I test drove a couple of weeks ago. I don't even think anyone had driven it since I did because everything was exactly as I had set it. That gave me some extra dough to spend on some upgrades immediately and I am loving the car. This is the only pic I have so far.

Dealer with the new Si ended up calling me at 7PM that night. I wish I would have given him the chance to tell me what they worked out, but I ended up just telling him that I didn't want the car anymore and that I already made a purchase. The best thing was I talked to him through the car mic/audio while breaking the news to him. He handled it better than I expected him to based on how he treated me on Tuesday.

 

[MaTtKs]

Figured I'd update with what ended up happening. Dealer was supposed to call me the morning of Wednesday, 2/19/2020 on what they could do but I never heard anything from them. After sleeping on it I really didn't want to give them money after how I was treated (4 hours at dealership, no car, lies about getting it to me that night, etc...). I ended up just going and buying the used 2017 black one I test drove a couple of weeks ago. I don't even think anyone had driven it since I did because everything was exactly as I had set it. That gave me some extra dough to spend on some upgrades immediately and I am loving the car. This is the only pic I have so far.

Dealer with the new Si ended up calling me at 7PM that night. I wish I would have given him the chance to tell me what they worked out, but I ended up just telling him that I didn't want the car anymore and that I already made a purchase. The best thing was I talked to him through the car mic/audio while breaking the news to him. He handled it better than I expected him to based on how he treated me on Tuesday.

Good for you. Nice that you found a car you liked and came out with some extra cash compared to the new ride. Have fun and be safe!

 

[Civics4Ever]

You made the right move. If it had been me, i would've told them F off, ill find another dealer.

Edit: my car had 2 miles on it when i test drove it.

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