I went to Autonation 385 with every intention to NOT buy a car that day. I had a terrible experience with Landers Nissan a few months prior which had squashed my hopes of being able to afford a new car anytime soon. The men there (manager and salesman) were very sour and disinterested in selling a kid a car. They wasted two hours trying to talk me into a used 2016 Versa Note with over 50,000 miles, which out of desperation I almost let them do, until they threw a 30% interest rate at me along with numerous other fees. So I would be paying 400 a month for a used car before insurance, and even though the sticker price was around 17,000 (way too high for that car) I was gonna pay around 28,000 before it was over. I had never even heard of a rip off that was that bad. Thinking every dealership was going to be around the same, I walked out of there with no hope and four new hard inquiries on my credit report. However, me wrecking my ā96 Seville left me with no choice but to either buy another Craigslist car or try another dealership to see if I could get a better deal. So I went to Autonation just to get a broad estimate of what they could do for me without letting them even run my credit. Iām 21 with very little credit history and already 6 hard inquiries from one car dealership and Verizon. I didnāt need four new hard inquiries when I knew I wasnāt buying a car yet, and I made my objective clear when I made my appointment with them talk about a Civic. From the moment I arrived on the lot with my 19 year old sister we were both taken seriously and treated as equal adults, not as naive children or inconveniencing time wasters. It was very refreshing. Then I met Jason Tao, and he was amazing! He was extremely transparent, attentive, helpful, and determined to put me in the car I wanted that day. As a bonus, he was hilarious! I know that shouldnāt matter, but when youāve had a bad experience with terrible salesmen and youāre sitting in a dealership for 4 hours trying to negotiate payments and interest rates, it makes a world of difference to have a highly enjoyable salesman. He did all the muscle work for me as well; I simply told him a little bit about me and what I could reasonably afford, which is not a lot at all, and he went behind closed doors and made it happen. He brought me back several offers over the next couple of hours that I refused, but he was always confident, energetic, and happy to work with me a little more and then go back for another offer. Very little haggling was necessary on my part; he did it all for me. He finally got me the offer I couldnāt refuse, which was actually lower than the limit I had set. The 8% interest rate was also unexpected, since the only other car lot I had been to was so snakey. So he was able to put me in a brand new 2018 Civic LX for around 320 a month. Then he turned around and found me an insurance quote that was $100 cheaper than any of the ones I found for myself. That didnāt even have anything to do with his job! He completely redefined salesman for me. All in all Iām paying less than 500 a month for my brand new car including insurance. May be a lot for some people, but I know people older than me that drive 2008-2012 Civics and Accords that are paying the same or more than that. Then for paperwork and finalizing I worked with Finance Manager PT Burns, who made the most dreaded part of the experience the easiest part. He explained everything in the most comprehensible way from finance charges to maintenance packages and never tried to push me to buy anything he knew wasnāt necessary. He was actually able to get me a free maintenance appointment when I opted for gap insurance but not for the maintenance/gap insurance combo. He tried to get me a few free oil changes as well but couldnāt. Still tried though! After only 20 minutes in his office I was completely done. To top off the sundae my sister located a tiny tiny scratch by the door handle of the car right before we left, and Jason immediately took the car to maintenance to have it buffed out. We waited less than 10 minutes for it. For well established adults Iām sure the new car buying process is easier regardless of the dealership they choose, but dealerships are NOT all made equally and most donāt want to waste their time glancing at you if youāre not over thirty and ready to drop cash on their table. For a kid with low income and not-so-great credit I was only pleased, and could not be more pleased, with my experience at Autonation 385. A very honorable mention goes to Sales Manager Michelle Renfrow for helping make it an easy, enjoyable experience with her kindness, generosity, and professionalism. I am very grateful for my new car and I thank the entire team at Autonation 385 so much!
Caitlin Perrigo
May 12, 2018
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