So I Go To A Dealership...

[skitzo_inc]

Today I went to a local used car dealership in Lovington, NM. They had a GTPT sitting on their lot and I decided to take a looksie. I pulled up in the company truck and within two minutes a guy was out there with the keys to it. He unlocked it, I sat down, and he told me to take it for a test drive. Never asked for license, insurance, nothing. So I took it for a test drive. (Auto, but these burn out with no problem :D) I bring it back and he comes out and asks me what I think. I pop the hook and check the oil. Black with chunks. Not good. I tell him that the front end is wobbly, windshield is cracked, leather seats are cracked a bit, and the oil has not been changed in what seems like forever. They have it priced at 11K. Now, the car has 39K miles on it, 2003, leather seats (all auto seats), automatic tranny, sun roof, same color as my car, and no body damage. It's a pretty nice little car.
I enjoy messing with car salesmen. I have no intention of buying this, none at all. But...I tell him all that's wrong with it, and offer my car and 4K. He jumps at it, has me come inside, goes to tell his manager, and the manager looks pissed. He comes out to me and asked what I was offering again. I say 4K and my car. He asks what I have, yadda yadda yadda. I tell him what's wrong with it, and then tell him the offer again. He tells me to find another car, and starts walking off. Now, to get him more pissed (cause I'm evil) I tell him to check the tranny too, it smelled burnt (it didn't) and he turns around, with customers in the store, tells me to F*** off and leave. So I leave.
It gets better.
The salesman calls me back and gives me a counter offer. He said my car and 4500. I tell him no, the manager was super rude to me, and that it needs work. He said for that price he would fix the windshield and that's it. I refuse again, tell him what's wrong with it ( I must sound like a broken record) and give him a lower offer than I did originally, stating that the manager has ruined me ever doing business with him. He tells me that he cannot do that, but he does want my business. I tell him 8K total (my car is 4K) and that he has to fix EVERYTHING and take it to MY mechanic to get it fixed.
He said he would call me back.

If he will do that, I think I'll own a PTGT. :D

[black86glhs]

Today I went to a local used car dealership in Lovington, NM. They had a GTPT sitting on their lot and I decided to take a looksie. I pulled up in the company truck and within two minutes a guy was out there with the keys to it. He unlocked it, I sat down, and he told me to take it for a test drive. Never asked for license, insurance, nothing. So I took it for a test drive. (Auto, but these burn out with no problem :D) I bring it back and he comes out and asks me what I think. I pop the hook and check the oil. Black with chunks. Not good. I tell him that the front end is wobbly, windshield is cracked, leather seats are cracked a bit, and the oil has not been changed in what seems like forever. They have it priced at 11K. Now, the car has 39K miles on it, 2003, leather seats (all auto seats), automatic tranny, sun roof, same color as my car, and no body damage. It's a pretty nice little car.
I enjoy messing with car salesmen. I have no intention of buying this, none at all. But...I tell him all that's wrong with it, and offer my car and 4K. He jumps at it, has me come inside, goes to tell his manager, and the manager looks pissed. He comes out to me and asked what I was offering again. I say 4K and my car. He asks what I have, yadda yadda yadda. I tell him what's wrong with it, and then tell him the offer again. He tells me to find another car, and starts walking off. Now, to get him more pissed (cause I'm evil) I tell him to check the tranny too, it smelled burnt (it didn't) and he turns around, with customers in the store, tells me to F*** off and leave. So I leave.
It gets better.
The salesman calls me back and gives me a counter offer. He said my car and 4500. I tell him no, the manager was super rude to me, and that it needs work. He said for that price he would fix the windshield and that's it. I refuse again, tell him what's wrong with it ( I must sound like a broken record) and give him a lower offer than I did originally, stating that the manager has ruined me ever doing business with him. He tells me that he cannot do that, but he does want my business. I tell him 8K total (my car is 4K) and that he has to fix EVERYTHING and take it to MY mechanic to get it fixed.
He said he would call me back.

If he will do that, I think I'll own a PTGT. :D
Now that is funny.:D
I too love to mess with stealerships. Worked for them for 10 yrs and saw things like sending a Wrangler with no 5th gear to the auto auction(and not say a word). I have no sympathy for them.

[bgbmxer]

i have seen the same things and also been on the reciving side of those bad things. wait it out and keep low balling him they are basically giving cars away right now so wait it out

[spoolinhard]

I'll say it again Paul, thats some funny Sh!t

[SoCalCSX]

$30 motor mount inserts will take care of the front end wobble. PT's and SRT4's are notorious for tearing up mounts. I just did mine in the PT today and it's honestly the best $30 I've ever spend on any mod. Only took about an hour too:thumb:

[rich tideswell]

Could be the verticle control arm bushings that have gone bad.

What car would you be trading in?

Seriously though, now is THE time to buy a car. Dealerships are starving for business, as eveidence by the persistance and willingness to deal.

[skitzo_inc]

They called me back, lol.
They said that they would take my car and 4000. I told them no. They asked why, so I shot them another low ball offer of 7K. Then I laughed and hung up on the guy when he tried telling me why the car was worth more.

[skitzo_inc]

My NEon.

[Clay]

you realize the PTGT, though cool, wont get nearly as good MPG as your neon, right?

[skitzo_inc]

Yeah, I know. I'm just tired of my neon and want something quicker.

[contraption22]

What kind of warranty are they offering?

[skitzo_inc]

No warranty at all. Just as it is.

[1984rampage]

How bout keeping you neon and dropping the 4 grand on your shelby and have it blow the doors off any GTPT out there?

[contraption22]

No warranty at all. Just as it is.

There is no way I would get anything with an A604 trans without a warranty. Especially when you have no idea of the car's service history. Walk away man, walk away!

[skitzo_inc]

I have already walked away. I just kept giving them lower prices on everything until they didn't call me back. They took the offer of 8K, then the offer of 6.5K and then didn't call me back on a straight trade. :) I got this!

[skitzo_inc]

...and they called me back again. Offered me 6500 on my Neon, sight unseen. They would still take 8 total for the car, so 1500 bucks and my neon. :S I'm not sure. I don't want to do it, but I have a feeling I'll go look again. :(

[black86glhs]

Paul, don't without a warranty man. I've been in the auto business since I was 17, it will backfire on you. They know it has problems and that is another reason they want to do it(other than needing the business). Sorry for sounding like an adult, I just don't want you to end up in a worse situation.:clap:

[JDAWG]

If you do get a CHrysler Service Contract, the best one you can. Done be suprised if it needs some module for $600 or a ac compressor for $400, just for parts.

[skitzo_inc]

I don't have a warrenty on my neon right now...

[black86glhs]

I don't have a warrenty on my neon right now...Yeah, but your neon seems to be in better shape.:D

[skitzo_inc]

This is true.

[skitzo_inc]

I went up there today after they called me back. They told me that they had fixed everything, and they had. New Tires, new rims, alignment done, everything they said. I took it for another test drive and really enjoyed it. I went back to them and talked to them some more, and they accepted my offer on the car. 6000 for my car and 2000 cash. They said that was fine, and I told them I had to put some numbers together and left. After thinking it over, I have a really bad feeling about it. They didn't really argue with the price at all, just said ok. That makes me think that something else is wrong with it, just laying underneath the surface and they were not going to tell me. I called them back and told them no, and the guy was heartbroken, I think I ruined his entire check.
So, I'm keeping the neon, I'll keep making my payments, I'll fix the A/C and get the water pump and timing belt changed, new rear tires, the works. I'll keep saving my pennies and get an SRT4 like I want. :D

[minigts]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this. You have a car that runs, gets good gas mileage and you don't OWE anything on. And you were honestly considering paying someone $2000 for another vehicle that has no warranty, somewhat apparently not good in terms of reliable transmissions (or at the very least recommendations from others it's not a good idea), gets worse MPG all for the sake of having a new car? Yeah I don't think I will understand that ever.

I can say this: I make enough money to go out and buy a car outright (similar in price) and just really feel the "belt" get snug. However, I drive a 1985 Dodge Charger with over 200K miles, no car note, gets about 30mpg and save what I can. Not to mention I have an awesome set of front AND rear disk brakes to put on the car, but I don't want to spend the excess money to make it all happen. Why? Because tomorrow I could lose my job and have bills start stacking up.

If there is any advice I can give or can be collected by NUMEROUS people on this site, that would be to SAVE YOUR MONEY. It's one thing to allocate your money so you can spend it on a hobby, but quite another to just up and buy a car you (generically) don't need.

[neongary]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this. You have a car that runs, gets good gas mileage and you don't OWE anything on. And you were honestly considering paying someone $2000 for another vehicle that has no warranty, somewhat apparently not good in terms of reliable transmissions (or at the very least recommendations from others it's not a good idea), gets worse MPG all for the sake of having a new car? Yeah I don't think I will understand that ever.

I can say this: I make enough money to go out and buy a car outright (similar in price) and just really feel the "belt" get snug. However, I drive a 1985 Dodge Charger with over 200K miles, no car note, gets about 30mpg and save what I can. Not to mention I have an awesome set of front AND rear disk brakes to put on the car, but I don't want to spend the excess money to make it all happen. Why? Because tomorrow I could lose my job and have bills start stacking up.

If there is any advice I can give or can be collected by NUMEROUS people on this site, that would be to SAVE YOUR MONEY. It's one thing to allocate your money so you can spend it on a hobby, but quite another to just up and buy a car you (generically) don't need.

+1 on that. We have a few vehicles that I wouldn't mind selling to get something newer/nicer, but with no car payments and the prospect of one of us losing a job, we are just sticking with what we have for now. Both are under 79K for mileage, so we just keep up on the maintenance and maybe later we will get something else.

[skitzo_inc]

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this. You have a car that runs, gets good gas mileage and you don't OWE anything on. And you were honestly considering paying someone $2000 for another vehicle that has no warranty, somewhat apparently not good in terms of reliable transmissions (or at the very least recommendations from others it's not a good idea), gets worse MPG all for the sake of having a new car? Yeah I don't think I will understand that ever.

I can say this: I make enough money to go out and buy a car outright (similar in price) and just really feel the "belt" get snug. However, I drive a 1985 Dodge Charger with over 200K miles, no car note, gets about 30mpg and save what I can. Not to mention I have an awesome set of front AND rear disk brakes to put on the car, but I don't want to spend the excess money to make it all happen. Why? Because tomorrow I could lose my job and have bills start stacking up.

If there is any advice I can give or can be collected by NUMEROUS people on this site, that would be to SAVE YOUR MONEY. It's one thing to allocate your money so you can spend it on a hobby, but quite another to just up and buy a car you (generically) don't need.

...I do owe money on my Neon. I finally paid off the Charger, but still owe my bank about 8K for my neon. I wanted something else...because that's what I do. I'm 21, had my license since I was 18, and have gone through more cars than most the people I know who have been driving for twenty years. I just like getting new things. The only problem is that I now owe money on my car. If I didn't owe any money on my car, the hell yes I would trade it in. The way I look at it, what's the point in driving something you don't really like, if you can get something that you do like? I do think that saving money is a good idea, I believe in it whole heartedly. I have a decent sum in my bank right now, I wouldn't even have to add money to my loan to get it. I just am not going to. I have better things to spend my money on, and I don't like the fact that I owe money to someone. I just like new things, that's all. And I have not gotten anything for myself in a very long time.
Hope that kinda clears it up, but all ended well, I still have my neon.

[black86glhs]

I agree with you Paul. If you didn't owe on the Neon and the PT was in good shape, why not. I do like to save money too. Heck all my cars have over 120K on them. Only one I have issues with is my Olds and I'm gonna fix it not trade it in or get something new. Don't want to owe anybody else $$$$$.

[minigts]

...I do owe money on my Neon. I finally paid off the Charger, but still owe my bank about 8K for my neon. I wanted something else...because that's what I do. I'm 21, had my license since I was 18, and have gone through more cars than most the people I know who have been driving for twenty years. I just like getting new things. The only problem is that I now owe money on my car. If I didn't owe any money on my car, the hell yes I would trade it in. The way I look at it, what's the point in driving something you don't really like, if you can get something that you do like? I do think that saving money is a good idea, I believe in it whole heartedly. I have a decent sum in my bank right now, I wouldn't even have to add money to my loan to get it. I just am not going to. I have better things to spend my money on, and I don't like the fact that I owe money to someone. I just like new things, that's all. And I have not gotten anything for myself in a very long time.
Hope that kinda clears it up, but all ended well, I still have my neon.

Well that does change the scenario. My advice is get something reliable, pocket some cash into savings and go low budget till you can afford it. Don't you still have the Charger? What's the story on that? Get the Charger running and you'll realize you don't need those other cars. :D

Sorry for coming off as a jerk, but it sounded like you were going to be making a trade that really wasn't a payoff. I can tell you I have made TONS of financial mistakes in the past and I am learning somewhat from them. Save money while you can is all I would ever advise someone.

[skitzo_inc]

I still have the Charger, however it is in Iowa with Kaleb. It's gonna be there for a while, I wanna get my own place where I can park two cars. I'll save money, as you said, and that will help with almsot everything

[Aries_Turbo]

wait a min...... you owe 8k on the neon, youd get 6k for the neon (IE owe 2k still) and pick up a PT turbo for 2k more? (IE now owe 4k total)

if my math is correct, that sounds like a decent deal. you could sell the PT if you wanted to and profit rather than be in 8k debt.

am i missing something?

Brian

[LaserXT1986]

There is no way I would get anything with an A604 trans without a warranty. Especially when you have no idea of the car's service history. Walk away man, walk away!

Are you referring to the GT Cruiser's automatic trans?

I have to disagree here....me and Joe beat the ever-loving sh!t out of a GT vert turbo with auto, at SDAC 15. I would venture to guess we did no less then 70 VERY hard burnouts, plus we both raced it (2 passes per run), and were doing burnouts in the box before every pass. And Joe went all the way to first place, meaning the car made that many MORE passes on it with abuse (we truly did not give a damn about the car). At the time, it had approx. 14,000 miles on it *before* it left for SDAC 15 (before we tried to deep-six it!)

Afterwards, it was rented out again for close to a years time before the dealership sold it, still running with no problems.

Plus, I recall both Steve Menegon, and Tim Petijohn telling me and Joe NOT to worry about that trans, as it could VERY easily handle the abuse (we were concerned about it breaking out there with all the abuse we were doing to it).

I highly doubt that the car saw anywhere as much abuse as me and Joe put on our rental (and in a heavier car no less, due to the fact it was a vert). Just curious why you would be so worried about that trans? I agree a warranty is a good thing, but I took your message as if we were talking about the same trans in a 91 Lebaron V-6.

[JDAWG]

wait a min...... you owe 8k on the neon, youd get 6k for the neon (IE owe 2k still) and pick up a PT turbo for 2k more? (IE now owe 4k total)

if my math is correct, that sounds like a decent deal. you could sell the PT if you wanted to and profit rather than be in 8k debt.

am i missing something?

Brian

normally I would say if you owe on something then no way. But this makes sense. Do you have 2K cash? No financing from the dealership? If so do it. You owe 8k on the neon, the give you 6 for it, and you pay 2k. You have 4k in it. Well wait, you trade it in are they gonna pay off you old loan? Or are you gonna keep paying on it. If you trade in your car and get another and still pay on a old loan you are dumber than ----. Sorry not tryin to be an ---. Explain these finances.

[JDAWG]

Are you referring to the GT Cruiser's automatic trans?

I have to disagree here....me and Joe beat the ever-loving sh!t out of a GT vert turbo with auto, at SDAC 15. I would venture to guess we did no less then 70 VERY hard burnouts, plus we both raced it (2 passes per run), and were doing burnouts in the box before every pass. And Joe went all the way to first place, meaning the car made that many MORE passes on it with abuse (we truly did not give a damn about the car). At the time, it had approx. 14,000 miles on it *before* it left for SDAC 15 (before we tried to deep-six it!)

Afterwards, it was rented out again for close to a years time before the dealership sold it, still running with no problems.

Plus, I recall both Steve Menegon, and Tim Petijohn telling me and Joe NOT to worry about that trans, as it could VERY easily handle the abuse (we were concerned about it breaking out there with all the abuse we were doing to it).

I highly doubt that the car saw anywhere as much abuse as me and Joe put on our rental (and in a heavier car no less, due to the fact it was a vert). Just curious why you would be so worried about that trans? I agree a warranty is a good thing, but I took your message as if we were talking about the same trans in a 91 Lebaron V-6.

I agree, the newer 604's have the 'bugs' worked out, even the older ones werent so bad internally if you took care of them. Maintnence is the key. The newer ones are pretty bullet proof, dont see alot of rebuilds on them. Only problems are funny shifting and that usaully involves some speed sensors or a solenoid pack.

[skitzo_inc]

Neon=8K
Trade in=6K
Cash=2K
I would still owe 8K on the PT at this point.
Basically a straight trade across as far as my bank is concerned.

[JDAWG]

bah, I wouldnt mess with it. Keep your neon. If it was paid off that would be another story. How the F do you owe 8k on a neon, werent they close to that brand new? You took it with lube on that deal.

[Aries_Turbo]

Neon=8K
Trade in=6K
Cash=2K
I would still owe 8K on the PT at this point.
Basically a straight trade across as far as my bank is concerned.

how would you still owe 8k? that doesnt add up.

Brian

[88_pacifica]

Neon=8K
Trade in=6K
Cash=2K
PT Cruiser=8K(they are willing to sell it for this even though they originally were asking $11K originally)
I would still owe 8K on the PT at this point.
Basically a straight trade across as far as my bank is concerned.


how would you still owe 8k? that doesnt add up.

Brian

Fixed...

[Aries_Turbo]

oh ok......so when you turn in the neon they hand you 6k cash. you put in 2k of your own cash plus that 6k to buy the pt and still have the loan for the neon then.

so youd be out 10k then. youd have to come up with 2k and have 8k loan still.

i liked my first math better ;)

just sell the neon and buy a beater. new cars are always a cash losing situation.

Brian

[skitzo_inc]

I owe 8K on the neon because...
I owed 3K on my Charger, but they checked it for some reason and said it was only worth 2000. I had paid off the 2K, took out a loan for 6K for the neon, then added another 1000 when I went on vacation.
So...The original loan had 9K on it, paid off a 1000, added another thousand, paid off that, back down to eight.

[moparfwdsleeper]

I owe 8K on the neon because...
I owed 3K on my Charger, but they checked it for some reason and said it was only worth 2000. I had paid off the 2K, took out a loan for 6K for the neon, then added another 1000 when I went on vacation.
So...The original loan had 9K on it, paid off a 1000, added another thousand, paid off that, back down to eight.

Stop doing that.

[skitzo_inc]

Stop doing what? Taking money out on my loan? Lesson learned, I have nothing to show for the thousand I took out.

[jb07]

i just bought a caliber R/T