I usually feel like I need a shower after dealing with car salesmen. This was straight forward, no bullshit, no surprises, and no getting jerked around. It’s easily the best car buying experience I’ve ever had.

To be fair I haven’t actually done the financing part yet. The dealer just got the car in the last day or two and they haven’t had time to detail it or fix minor issues. We agreed on a price and I put down 1k to have first refusal rights after it’s cleaned up.

It’s a 2017 Honda Accord Touring. Unfortunately the kid put my 2013 Accord into a ditch last weekend and I’m pretty sure it’s a total loss. It’s the same everything except it’s 4 years newer and has remote start.

When I went to go look at the car, the Mrs. said that this dealership had good reviews online. What a crock of crap I thought. I was wrong. I’ve got no complaints. Muller Honda in Highland Park, Il. It was so smooth, I’ll be looking there first for my youngest kids first car.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 400m,

Its always nice to have a simple experience with a dealer.
I've had a few over the years. 3 Fords [2 different dealers] & a Mercedes.

The Mercedes dealer, hands down, surpassed any dealership experience I've ever had. This would've been 2018.

2 Fords at a very large dealer here in N Houston. 1 new [F150], 1 used [Expedition], 2016 & 2021. Went in with finance already sorted & didnt have to do too much of the numbers dance with either.

3rd Ford was last month. Another local dealer, no hassle, no superfluous fees & no back & forth on the 1 concession I asked for. Closest I've had to the above Mercedes experience.

Just bought the wife a used vehicle a week ago and it was a pleasure to deal with this Lincoln dealership.
We did nearly everything by email. Once we agreed on price which was almost immediately I called on the phone once. Then they sent me a credit app via email.
Filled it out we were done. Drove the 4 hours to get the vehicle. Found a couple small issues while on the test drive. Their service was closed so they gave me a form to take to my local dealer to have fixed on their dime.
Only hiccup at the moment it trying to get the sales manager to call me back to finalize the extended warranty. But my availability to the phone is not that great currently.

Had good experiences at local dealerships buying our used Suburban almost four years ago, my wife’s pre-owned Honda Passport about two years ago, and my daughter’s Jeep Patriot back in March.

I think that the internet has forced them to be more professional and transparent. There are still some out there that lean more towards ‘old school’.

Sounds like it worked out quite well for you. Hopefully the kiddo didn't suffer any injuries and got through it well.

If it is their financing, make sure you do a full colonoscopy on it.

It's been a minute, but this was one of the things I did with my troops under certain time in service, time in grade, to ensure they did not get into a "bad loan" situation.

The shenanigans they often do are often difficult to see.

If you brought your own financing, disregard, and congrats on a pleasant purchase.



"Yeah, but I'm sayin', that TruCoat, you don't get it and you get oxidation problems..."

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
To be fair I haven’t actually done the financing part yet.

A lot can happen here. Any bad experience I've had at a dealership, this is where things went south. At a Buick dealership long ago the F&I guy assumed that I'd want their financing because it was only 0.10% or something more than my credit union. He seemed really pissed when I asked him why I'd pay a dime more than I had to.

quote:

To be fair I haven’t actually done the financing part yet. The dealer just got the car in the last day or two and they haven’t had time to detail it or fix minor issues. We agreed on a price and I put down 1k to have first refusal rights after it’s cleaned up.

So you haven't actually bought (i.e., taken possession of) the car yet. The ball game isn't over until all nine innings have been played. Sometimes it's a tie and has to go into extra innings.

It’s true that the finance guy is where the bullshit usually starts. I’ve dealt with that more than once. We are bringing our own financing. Unless they refuse to sell me the car if I don’t finance with them, there shouldn’t be any issues.

We bought a 2011 Highlander with excellent mileage about 2.5 months ago. It had a few minor cosmetic issues here and there but overall appeared excellent. It drove flawlessly, had already had the recall for a known oil line issue on the otherwise excellent 3.5 V6. We opted for the $2500 3year or 36,000 drivetrain warranty and were ecstatic we did when the transfer case suddenly went south without warning a month after purchase. We paid the $200 deductible happily to Zurich on a $7300 repair bill… and still have about 2 years, 9 months left on coverage. The replacement transfer case was a brand new assembly from Toyota. Not a refurb or junkyard part.

I know folks think the add on is a scam, but on a used car that you know nothing of its real history it’s a solid investment. The mechanic that did the swap told us the transfer case fluid was pitch black. Probably the original fluid that was slated for replacement at 30,000 mile intervals. ALWAYS get the extended warranty on a used car from the dealer unless you have a rock solid maintenance history. Get it even then.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

It's been a minute, but this was one of the things I did with my troops under certain time in service, time in grade, to ensure they did not get into a "bad loan" situation.
[/b]

You’re a good man sigmonkey. Young men get stupid when it comes to women, cars, oh heck, just about anything that they spend money on.

I hope it concludes well, 400m. It's ben a long time since I've had a pleasant experience buying a new car.

A question for 400m: you bought the car in Illinois I see. Do Illinois cars come equipped with turn signals? Every touron I see from there evidently didn't select the turn signal option. I live in a tourist town and we're inundated by FIBs all summer. I just expect right turns from the left turn lane / travelling a half mile in the left turn lane and other amazing feats of creative driving...

I can't imagine how much fun it must be to drive there on a daily basis.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
If it is their financing, make sure you do a full colonoscopy on it.

It's been a minute, but this was one of the things I did with my troops under certain time in service, time in grade, to ensure they did not get into a "bad loan" situation.

The shenanigans they often do are often difficult to see.

If you brought your own financing, disregard, and congrats on a pleasant purchase.



"Yeah, but I'm sayin', that TruCoat, you don't get it and you get oxidation problems..."

Looks like Lieutenant Columbo walking up to inspect the crime scene...

Just bought two Equinox EV's at Starling Chevy in Orlando, the experience was nothing like others, no issues or last minute pushes.

Did it all online, they fixed up the finance and sale papers, trade on mine. Showed up did a few physical signatures, and got the keys, 20 minutes later I was gone.

Just bought a Subaru Legacy for the wife. Worked out a price (total cost) at the dealership and asked for a few minutes to think about it. I took the time to go to our credit union and brought back a certified check for the total cost of the car. They insisted that they still needed to run a credit check. Fuck that, I put the check in my pocket and started to walk out. Sales manager met me at the front door, apologized, personally helped me with the paper work. The only reason I bought the car was the price was right and it was Subaru certified. I would rate my experience as mediocre at best.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:

"Yeah, but I'm sayin', that TruCoat, you don't get it and you get oxidation problems..."

Well, he’s never done this before, being that it’s special circumstances and all, he said I can knock $100 off that TruCoat.

Well Highland Park is certainly upscale with wealthy residents and Ravinia. My first used car had a sticker that said it was serviced in Compton. No bullet holes and it ran ok.
..

quote:

posted September 26, 2025 02:46 PM Hide Post
A question for 400m: you bought the car in Illinois I see. Do Illinois cars come equipped with turn signals? Every touron I see from there evidently didn't select the turn signal option. I live in a tourist town and we're inundated by FIBs all summer. I just expect right turns from the left turn lane / travelling a half mile in the left turn lane and other amazing feats of creative driving...

I can't imagine how much fun it must be to drive there on a daily basis.

^^^^
You need to drive on the Dan Ryan at rush hour. If your car breaks down after dark it is stripped and up on blocks in seconds.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

posted September 26, 2025 02:46 PM Hide Post
A question for 400m: you bought the car in Illinois I see. Do Illinois cars come equipped with turn signals? Every touron I see from there evidently didn't select the turn signal option. I live in a tourist town and we're inundated by FIBs all summer. I just expect right turns from the left turn lane / travelling a half mile in the left turn lane and other amazing feats of creative driving...

I can't imagine how much fun it must be to drive there on a daily basis.

^^^^
You need to drive on the Dan Ryan at rush hour. If your car breaks down after dark it is stripped and up on blocks in seconds.

Frankly I won't drive around Chicago or Cook county without air support. I'm more than willing to drive across the Upper Peninsula or take the car ferry to go west.