Has anybody heard of something like this before?
We are stuck with one dealer in town, Lexus of Memphis. I was already wary of their sales department due to a shady deal they tried to pull on us in the past, so I bought our 2013 RWD GS350 out of town at another dealer. We have been happy with their maintenance department so far.
Well, the other day, we get a call out of the blue from them...a salesman said he had a client that was looking for our exact car, color, and options. He wanted us to bring it in ASAP so they could make an offer on it becuase they were very anxious to get the car. Well, this sounded intriguing. We called Lexus for the payoff for our car, $38K. Interestingly, corporate must have notified the dealer because we immediately got another call from them wanting to set up an appt. So the next morning, my wife brings the car in for their inspection. They offer to take the car off our hands for our payoff amount AND get us into a newer car for less per month. DEAL OF THE CENTURY, right? Uh, no.
Black book value for our car was just about $38K...but our car also had a $2000 service contract with it! We had done all our maintenance at the dealer, so they knew how cherry it was...with only 20K miles, they would have certified it in just a few minutes. Similar certified cars are going for $46-48K at other dealers...cha-ching$$$
He wanted to put us into a 2014 GS350, same colors, for $300 less per month. Oh, it also does not have the Luxury package...but it is cheaper! Of course, our car is financed and he was offering a lease, but details details. Perusal of the contract also revealed that they were giving us a whole $1000 off MSRP! Wow! Did I mention I got $5500 off MSRP on our car? Oh, and their price included a $2200 manufacturer's rebate on leases for the 2014. Hmm...could that be because the 2015s were coming out and they needed to clear out their old models? Yes indeedee.
Rather than give him a piece of my mind for wasting our time, I egged him on. I wouldn't be interested in a 2014, but rather a 2015 with AWD and only if they were able to offer something close to the deal I had on our car. The saleman said the 2015s weren't due for a few weeks, but he was sure his GM could work something out. Yeah right. I wonder what happened to the anxious clients?
Can you say waste of time? So they wanted us to bend over on our car, and bend over again to take a car they were trying to get rid of. How f-ing stupid do they think we are? Just the nerve of them trying to pull that kind of BS gets my blood boiling. In a way, it's a brilliant way to take advantage of clueless people...wow, get into a newer car for a lower monthly payment! I wonder how many suckers they reeled in like this?