Spirit Chrysler - Spirit Auto - Spirit Chrysler Plymouth Jeep, Switched purchase contract to a lease contract, lied about down payment, refused to solve problem, would not let me speak to the financing manager, added warranty when i did not want one, sold me a lemon, ripoff Lubbock Texas

Many car sales people (salesman, F&I, Sales Managers, etc.) are simply not nice people, and their entire auto sales business model will usually be intended to complicate the deal and thereby confuse any customer who is trusting enough to believe what they are told, rather than perform a careful reading that shows that the paperwork stipulates. If you don't understand the paperwork, LEAVE! There are many, many, many cars and dealers to choose from, and buying one next week is as good as buying one today. What's the rush?

I recently bought a new Toyota and the dealer I bought it from seemed to have a new "be honest and clear with the customer" selling strategy. They certainly are selling a lot of new Toyotas, so their new strategy seems to work very well for them.

My approach was as follows:

1. I decide what car I want. There are MANY sites where one can research ANY new or used auto. Edmunds comes to mind. Consumer Reports is must-reading!

1.1 It makes no sense (to me) to buy a used Toyota because they depreciate too slowly, and buying a new car is simply a LOT simpler than buying a used car: you can buy the SAME new Toyota an ANY Toyota dealer!

2. I found the web sites for all nearby dealers selling the Toyota auto I wished to buy, then I identified the General Sales Mgr and/or the Fleet Manager. I sent a snail mail letter to that person requesting their best DELIVERED price, including all options, for the auto I wished to buy. [FAXes can also be used in place of snail mail.]

2.1 Now this would be difficult to do for a USED car because CONDITION is very important when selecting a used car. But all new cars are in the SAME condition: they are NEW!

2.2 Some dealers will not deal this way. I forget about them.

3. When I get my quoted prices, I am ready to either forget about proceeding with a purchase or I will evaluate which 'deal' I will accept. If I proceed, I then meet with the person who signed the offer to complete the deal AS QUOTED. [My daughter got a $6000 discount on a new '07 Subaru this way.]

3.1 Edmunds will list the 'typical' selling price in your ZIP code area. I think Edmunds tends to be a bit high. Consumer Reports offers buyer-assistance guidance and information for $12 per auto.

3.2 Do note that most brands have about a 3% holdback in addition to the dealer's markup which is usually around 10%.

Next time, do your homework well in advance. And maybe sign your Letters "L. Smith" or "Larry Smith" rather than "Liz Smith". They don't need to read "Liz" which would suggest that you are a woman. Chavinism is a reality in auto sales.