I bought a 2009 Jetta Sportwagen today… well, it’s almost bought. I couldn’t test drive it because there was something wrong with the manual gear shift. The dealership encouraged me to see the car and approve everything else, go through with paperwork up until the very final processing of the paperwork. They are repairing the “issue”, and the car will be ready for me to test drive on tuesday or so. this was the only way they would hold the car for me, and said that when I come in to drive it, if i don’t like the car no problem, the deal is off. The carfax report was clean, and everything else about the car was lovely. They think it is some kind of faulty cable in the gear shift.
I can’t help but be a bit apprehensive. I’m wondering if I may have just bought a lemon, or if maybe they won’t really fix the problem, or maybe despite what they say I am now legally bound to this car even if I don’t like it. Thoughts?
I almost walked away, but the deal was so sweet and everything else about the car was great, and they promised to fix it and it is a reputable dealership.
So they pressured you to sign most of the stuff, otherwise you will loose the deal. I have been there before. Every time I have walked and the car has been there the next day, sometimes for weeks.
I would be apprehensive about a 2009 car having something wrong with the shifter. Maybe the previous owner abused it, or did not know how to drive a stick. Either way, is not reassuring that you are getting a “clean and well treated” used car. I say have it checked thoroughly and even then talk the price down.
I find the sales tactics here questionable. But I’m not too concerned about the shifter repair, but I would ask for a 2 year warranty on the shifter repair in writing over and above whatever other warranty comes in the deal. If they won’t warranty the repair, then I’d pressure them to do so or as a buyer or you’ll walk. 2 can play the pressure game.
Really a car should be properly prepped by a dealer before they put it up for sale. Either the car had been traded in or arrived at the dealer like a day or 2 before the deal, or there are parts that are taking time to arrive.
You have to ask yourself what is so special about this particular car? The dealer has you over the barrel if you feel this is a “gem” that you couldn’t find anywhere else.
The ‘gem’ about this car was the price. But I don’t want to be played for a fool, either. I will ask for a warranty on the shifter when I go in to drive the car. I feel like I do have some power here, as I can just say forget it about the deal if I want to… right? I can do that, right?
Also, the car has a bumper to bumper warranty for 4 years, covering all but wear and tear. And powertrain warranty for the life of the car. Does this make a difference? I don’t know enough about cars. Oy, now I’m so nervous and feel foolish.
Emotions should never play a part in car buying; they’re trained to take advantage of that.
Read the fine print in the warranty, just to be sure there isn’t some kind of deductible for each warranty repair.
Personally I would wait and see whats going on when its fixed. When we bought the Prius there was a dealer that made it clear that if we didn’t buy that car in a timely manner it would be gone within a few days. Guess what, its still sitting on the lot as of yesterday.
“Also, the car has a bumper to bumper warranty for 4 years, covering all but wear and tear. And powertrain warranty for the life of the car.”
If those warranties are from the vehicle’s manufacturer, then I would say that this gives you a good degree of assurance regarding the car.
On the other hand, an extended warranty from anyone else is…questionable at best.
The percentage of these extended warranty companies that have disappeared after only a couple of years is nothing short of astounding. Of course, they disappeared after securing hundreds of thousands of $$ in premium payments, while paying out very, very little.
And, even if an aftermarket warranty company does stay in business, they have interesting ways of denying claims. Most folks who hold aftermarket extended warranties have collected little or nothing on their repair claims, due to unforeseen loopholes in the coverage.
As to buying a 4-year old car that already has a noticeable mechanical problem, I have to wonder…With the large number of available late model used cars that are defect-free, why would you focus on this flawed one?
Used cars are like commuter buses.
If you miss out on one, another one will be coming along shortly.
My late dad always would say to a dealer who would try to pressure him into buying on the spot “There will always be cars”. He said this even having gone through the immediate post WW II period where buyers lined up to purchase cars. My reaction would be to tell the dealer to let me know when you have the car ready for me to take a test drive. With the car not operable, I don’t think there will be purchasers jumping up and down to buy the car. The car will be there when you go back and if it isn’t, there will always be cars.
I had the opposite experiences with a couple of dealers. I had a 1965 Rambler that I needed to replace. The year was 1973. We were on the way to visit relatives fifty miles away and passed a Dodge dealer on the way. The dealer had an AMC Gremlin that my first wife, who is now deceased, thought she would like. We stopped to look at the car and when I asked the salesman about the car, his reply was “It’s a piece of junk. You don’t want it”. Keep in mind I had never set foot on this dealer’s lot before. He then asked, “What are you looking for?” I said we wanted a car with bucket seats, automatic transmission, power steering and I really wanted air conditioning. He said, "We have a car you might like. The car was a 1971 Ford Maverick Grabber–met all our specifications.
We agreed on a price. The asking price was $2495, but he would trade for $2200 or sell me the car straight out for $2000 if I promised not to leave my old Rambler on his lot. I asked if I could put a returnable amount on the car so that I could drive 50 miles back home and have my mechanic check it out. The dealer’s response was, “You don’t need to make a deposit. Drive it home and have your mechanic check it over”. I did just that and bought the car. I did take my old car home and sold it for $250.
My other experience was at a used car dealer. My present wife liked the idea of a minivan. We had looked at different minivans and decided we wanted a Ford Aerostar, and had made arrangements to rent one from the Ford dealer. We saw a 1990 Ford Aerostar Eddie Bauer model at a well-established used car dealer( this was in 1991). We took a quick test drive and we talked price with the dealer. This was on a Thursday. I told the dealer that I thought I would take it, but I would let him know the following Tuesday. He said, “Why next week?” I explained that we were taking a 500 mile round trip and I had rented an Aerostar to see how I would like it on a trip. He said, “Cancel your rental arrangement and drive mine. If you don’t like it , you don’t owe me anything”. We took his Aerostar, liked it and bought it.
I would expect an extended warranty for a used VW sold at a Ford dealership to be near worthless.
FWIW . . . Last year I bought a used Toyota from a Volvo dealership. It had very low mileage and the price was right. AND there was nothing wrong with it mechanically.
This VW most likely got traded in for a new Ford. Now the Ford dealer wants to flip it quickly, without sinking too much money into it. No offense to anyone, but I wouldn’t expect it to be in the same condition as a used Ford sold at the same place. After all, they know everything about Ford.
Not so with the VW, or any other non-Ford car that gets traded in.
. If we bought the 4 year bumper to bumper warranty, we were eligible gor a lower interest rate loan.
That right there is a dealer scam to get you to buy their overpriced warranty; you probably got the lower interest rate regardless if you bought the warranty or not, they just want to make more money off of you.
Get on cars.com and look at vehicles in your area in your budget and start emailing the sellers.
Give us a budget you’re looking to spend and we can recommend some cars to look at
I don’t like the sound of this deal either. The “bump to bumper” warranty being linked to a low interest rate? Just how does that work? Likely in favor of the dealer. I’d expect is hard to get any claims for work under the warranty, I bet the fine print rules out just about every thing. You pay more for the car to get the warranty, but get it back in a low interest rate - is that how it goes? See if you arrange financing at a bank of your choice, or even better a credit union. Then see what you negotiate for a cash deal on this car.
The dealer is going to make money on the warranty, and on the financing. You are in a better position to negotiate if you have pre-arranged your financing before you find the car of your dreams at a dealer. If the dealer feels they have your dream car, they will make you pay through the nose for it.
I walked from the deal. Wrote the manager an email about what a scam their whole operation was. Then, our salesman called (manager hadn’t bothered to tell him we were walking from the deal–insert eyeroll here). Salesman said they had to replace the whole transmission! Then he said not to worry, as the transmission is covered under the powertrain warranty. Unbelieveable!
On a positive, I’m happy to report I went home with a Certified pre-owned 2009 jetta sportwagen from a VW dealership yesterday. Had a great experience and got a great deal. And the kids got VW ballcaps to boot!