Subaru Dealer Blacklist (Surprise markups and other shady dealings)

[Longhorn248]

I guess they figure if they're the only one in Vegas they can get away with being ****s.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by Longhorn248

I guess they figure if they're the only one in Vegas they can get away with being ****s.

Competition vs. monopoly.

[DRACHENV6]

Awesome. I hope this thread continues to grow. Mods should make this thread a sticky.

[Longhorn248]

Originally Posted by DRACHENV6

Awesome. I hope this thread continues to grow. Mods should make this thread a sticky.

Already taken care of.

[bryan]

Stopped by Puente Hills Subaru earlier this week. Judging by all the bad reviews, I should've known better but decided to go anyways. Terrible Mistake. I walked in to try and get more information on the BRZ as well as to place a pre-order, instead, I got unnecessary attitude.
The sales manager kept interrupting my questions to rant on about how there's going to be a huge premium on the car. Then he proceeded to show me what he had on order. He said that he has a bunch of cars ordered and that only one of them was galaxy blue, the color I wanted. I pointed to the screen and said that the car was already sold to another customer. He then says that it didn't matter, that he makes up the price when the cars arrive to the dealership and that if I were to pay more than the guy who actually ordered it, he would sell it to me. Then he proceeds to give me, an economics major, a lecture about supply and demand. When I told him that the other dealerships in the state were charging no more than msrp, he told me they were all liars and that I should just go elsewhere.
It's absolutely unbelievable how people like this get hired. If you're the one with the pre-ordered galaxy blue BRZ at Puente Hills, I would advise you not to get attached to the car because it seems like the dealership's word is worthless.
Coming from the Bay Area, I would've made my pre-order with Capitol Subaru, who seem like they put customer service first, judging from the reps I've talked to there, but the dealership's allotted BRZs have all been accounted for. Page, a sales rep at Capitol knew everything about the car and even though he couldn't help me with a pre-order, he kept me in the loop and even emailed me a photo of a white BRZ that is coming to the dealership for the weekend. That's what customer service should be.
It's extremely rare that I ever write a bad review but Puente Hills Subaru deserves it. I wouldn't buy a BRZ there if they had the last one in the state, or the country for that matter.
Ended up stopping by a couple other southern california dealerships the same day while I was in the area. All dealerships were friendly and helpful. I did eventually get my pre-order and guess what? - It didn't have a huge dealer markup on it.

[Longhorn248]

Bryan, that sounds like a terrible experience. I know I've said it before, but I don't see how dealerships think they can do business like this when everyone has access to the Internet now. I added your comments to the front page.

[dookie11]

Sorry to hear that, Bryan Fortunately, even though today's visit to Toyota of Pasadena didn't get me a preorder for FRS, I did get to experience exceptional customer service. It's almost like shopping for anything else. You gotta drive a bit further to a nicer area to get better products and service. I always expect higher standards and service in Pasadena, and today that still held true Everything sucks in El Monte, which is why I'm not going to Longo Toyota.

[bryan]

Longhorn, you're absolutely right.
Besides, good customer service is good for business. Is that not common sense?

[bryan]

Originally Posted by dookie11

Sorry to hear that, Bryan Fortunately, even though today's visit to Toyota of Pasadena didn't get me a preorder for FRS, I did get to experience exceptional customer service. It's almost like shopping for anything else. You gotta drive a bit further to a nicer area to get better products and service. I always expect higher standards and service in Pasadena, and today that still held true Everything sucks in El Monte, which is why I'm not going to Longo Toyota.

I completely agree, dookie. Lots of car dealerships have horrible reputations for good reason, but that isn't to say that ALL dealerships are disrespectful crooks. I have had good car buying experiences in the past.
The good news is that if you ever have a problem with a dealership in Southern California, there's always another one right down the road.
Best of luck with the FRS pre-order. They should be more readily available once the first shipment comes in, which is soon. Pasadena's great, I love it, it's my hood.

[dookie11]

Originally Posted by bryan

I completely agree, dookie. Lots of car dealerships have horrible reputations for good reason, but that isn't to say that ALL dealerships are disrespectful crooks. I have had good car buying experiences in the past.
The good news is that if you ever have a problem with a dealership in Southern California, there's always another one right down the road.
Best of luck with the FRS pre-order. They should be more readily available once the first shipment comes in, which is soon. Pasadena's great, I love it, it's my hood.

That's good to know, thx!

By the sounds of it, I'll prolly be first on the list if there's a preorder list at Pasadena. However, if the BRZ comes first (I'm #10), then I'm going with BRZ I guess. TOUGH CHOICES!

[dookie11]

I emailed Sierra Subaru of Monrovia, CA today:


".... but I did come in last week to speak to Alvin about preordering the BRZ... he could not provide me with information on preorder guarantees, details, requirements, etc. Alvin said that he would call me the next day about it, so I left him my contact info. I have not received a call from him yet...
Please let me know if you can assist, otherwise I will probably go with Irvine Subaru. Thanks!"

----

Here's their response:

"In order to preorder the BRZ you will need to leave a $500 check with us. We will select the options you want int he BRZ and place the order. Currently all orders are on "HOLD". If anyone tells you anything otherwise they are lying to you. We will also run your credit at the time of placing the order to ensure your ability to pay for the vehicle.

If you have any other questions about ordering the BRZ let me know.

Regards,

Aaron Green
Internet Sales Manager
Sierra Subaru
626-765-1738 ".

-----

What do y'all think?

[OrbitalEllipses]

They shouldn't fuck around with looking into your credit. Walk away. It makes sense from their side obviously, but I'm not a fan of that.

[Zgrinch]

I'd say bye bye Aaron.

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by dookie11

I emailed Sierra Subaru of Monrovia, CA today:


".... but I did come in last week to speak to Alvin about preordering the BRZ... he could not provide me with information on preorder guarantees, details, requirements, etc. Alvin said that he would call me the next day about it, so I left him my contact info. I have not received a call from him yet...
Please let me know if you can assist, otherwise I will probably go with Irvine Subaru. Thanks!"

----

Here's their response:

"In order to preorder the BRZ you will need to leave a $500 check with us. We will select the options you want int he BRZ and place the order. Currently all orders are on "HOLD". If anyone tells you anything otherwise they are lying to you. We will also run your credit at the time of placing the order to ensure your ability to pay for the vehicle.

If you have any other questions about ordering the BRZ let me know.

Regards,

Aaron Green
Internet Sales Manager
Sierra Subaru
626-765-1738 ".

-----

What do y'all think?

The credit think is kinda iffy, but really, if the BRZ will be limited quantities at first, it makes sense that the people they order a car for will be able to buy it. So that wouldn't upset me all that much. Just ask if it will be a soft inquiry or hard inquiry. If it's a soft inquiry, don't worry about it, it won't hurt your credit.

The deposit is understandable. Just verify that you can get your check back or your deposit refunded. Point out that the price is unknown and you haven't test-driven one yet.

As for the orders, they are all on "hold". That doesn't mean they aren't being fullfilled. I don't think the status will be changed until they're on a boat headed for the US or later.