Huh. I woulda figured after all that he would have gone to Honda. Sounds like Vincent has a hard head :)

I'm glad Vincent got the car he was told he'd get. It doesn't make the dealership look any less shady, they still used deceptive sales practices. Why is it that you need a friend of a friend, or a distant relative to work for an auto dealership in order to be treated fairly?

I can't really consider this a victory. It's good for Vinny, but what about anyone who doesn't have a sleazy cousin working at a nearby dealership. That just means his cousin will doubly screw the next person to walk into his showroom to make up for not ripping off family. Note: I think it's safe to assume his cousin is a sleazeball if he's working at a car dealership.

Not really a victory for consumerism if you have to have an inside contact to get the result you were entitled to in the first place.

I can't understand the last two "Car dealer screwed me" Posts. Why on earth would anyone want a chevy, even more so a chrysler? Take that money and buy a good toyota or honda. The notion that buying American is patriotic is BS. Buying the best car is patriotic, if the big three cannot put forward quality cars that we want, then they don't deserve to be in business.

@Canino: Agreed. Can we get the contact info of Vincent's brother-in-law's cousin for others who are having similar problems with Chevrolet dealers?

Seriously? His brother-in-law's cousin? Why not his brother's cousin's aunt's sister-in-law? Was she not good enough?

... and will get him the car he wanted.

So the fat lady hasn't sung yet, huh?

@Jonathan Quinn: "Verboten: 'Why is this on Consumerist?', 'tldr', 'Why did they even shop there in the first place?' ... '"People still ______' (use dialup, eat fast food, breathe air, and so forth)"

@Segador: With a name like Vincent we should have known it was going to go down this road.

@Jonathan Quinn:

This may be a shock, but some people want to buy certain American cars. And not just for "patriotic" reasons. My wife's Grand Cherokee is a great car, and when it dies it will be replaced by another one.

My Pontiac has had a couple bad moments, but I would replace it with any of these (depending on price and options): Chevy Impala, Malibu, or Dodge Charger.

Not all American cars are bad. And not all Toyotas and Hondas are "good".

@Jonathan Quinn: Um, because some people like Chevys? I have a Chevy Malibu -- which gets high ratings -- and I love it. It gets great 30mpg, it's roomy, and it's tough.

@starrion: I LOVE my Malibu!

So basically you need family connections to get what you are entitled to. Gotcha.

@Jonathan Quinn: The guy drove a Malibu, the guy wanted a Malibu. He just couldn't find someone to sell it to him without ripping him off.

@Jonathan Quinn: If I wanted a new car, the Malibu would be above the Camry and Accord on my list. That 2.4 L Ecotec is a real gem of an engine, and with the 6 spd automatic, it's rated at 33 mpg highway. The car also looks nicer, and I really like the 2-tone interior, although it sounds like Vincent finds it hideous somehow... (from previous story). Anyway, it's a great car, but the new car dealership experience is enough to keep me from buying anything new, be it Honda or Chevy.

@starrion: My wife's Grand Cherokee is a great car, and when it dies it will be replaced by another one.

I take it you have not yet received your copy of this month's Consumer Reports?

@nataku83: Of course, you have to pay extra for the 6 speed auto, which makes it a $25,000 car. The Malibu is not worth 25 grand, IMO. Knock it down to around $18K, and we'll talk.

@Jonathan Quinn: The 2008 Chevy Malibu was the North American Car of the Year, beating the Cadillac CTS, Accord, and Camry. The year before the Saturn Aura won the award. These are good cars.
[en.wikipedia.org]

@techstar25: OH BUT THEY ARE AMERICAN! That means they are shitty cars, right?! (sarcasm)

Jonathan Quinn, the notion that all American cars are shitty cars is BS.

@Jonathan Quinn: Buy American!*

*Mexico is part of North America, after all

@Jonathan Quinn: Ringing in from "Toyota Country" (Central Kentucky): Some of the most popular "Japanese" cars are American-made. Moreover, those "Japanese" carmakers' stock are largely owned by Americans.
So... what exactly IS an American car, nu?
Just wonderin'.

I guess the only people that buy American cars are people with family and friends who work for the Big 3. Kind of sad...

@Segador: No, she works at Ford.

Before you die, there is something you should know about us, Lone Starr. I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate.

I sell VWs. I really try to shoot straight, be honest, and work with customers in the confines of making a enough to eat.

Sales positions are tough. You have "managers" (and I use that word laughingly) who you have to appease, and customers who don't want to be treated like chumps.

It's a daily struggle to be happy about coming into work.

@Segador: No, she's Dark Helmet.

@nakedscience: You are not entitled to a Chevy. You must buy one.

Only reason I won't ever buy an import is when something breaks, it will be something small, and something INCREDIBLY expensive. A guy that works for me had the Drive By Wire throttle pedal on his Camry fail (car would idle, but would not rev-up) and to repair that item cost $1000. That's two thirds what my Crown Vic cost me at Auction.

My F250 Diesel has drive by wire in it, and it's throttle pedal assembly costs a mere $80.

The amount I spend on average a year on repairs for my "POS" Fords won't even pay the interest on a car loan for a Honda or a Toyota.

@starrion: I'll drive my Grand Cherokee until it falls apart. 10 years old and about to roll over 100k this year. Never given me a moment's trouble.

@PencilSharp: Excellent point. The country of origin for many cars is way blurred now.

@PencilSharp:

Subaru does have a plant in Indiana, btw.

@HurtsSoGood: Pricing is such a dicy issue with American cars... Yes, sticker on the car probably would be about 25 grand, but then take the almost automatic 1-2k dealer markdown, the current 2750 factory markdown, and the 1.5k I have sitting on my GM card waiting to get used (which it won't be, unfortunately), and you're talking 19-20k + ttl. I hate how they do this, since it makes the car seem like it's priced fairly equally with a Toyota or Honda, when in reality it's significantly cheaper.

While I would agree with you that the Malibu isn't worth 25 grand, I would also argue that neither is the Accord of Camry, or really any new car for that matter.

@nakedscience: Who says you're intitled to anything? This guy was an idiot.

Here's my point to back that up... I bought a new car on a friday, after hours.

1) I signed all the paper work and drove out with the car.
2) I did all the insurance stuff, it was pretty easy, I just called them and gave them the relevant info on the car.

@tc4b: Uh. That's not what I said. He was entitled to the Chevy he was PROMISED for purchase. Is that better, or do I need to break it down more so you understand?

@HurtsSoGood: Actually, just went ahead and priced it, with delivery, 6 spd auto, 4 cylinder Ecotec engine and all the options I want, the price is 24k including delivery fee. I was wrong before, I can only use 1k GM card earnings at the moment, so if I went to the dealer today to buy one, I could probably get it for 24k - 1k - 2.75k - (1-2)k = 18.25k - 19.25k, and they're not even running one of their GM card promotions right now. If they made a wagon version, I would seriously consider it.

Why would someone put a deposit on a Malibu or any new car for that matter? Isn't there a massive overstock of cars at the moment?

@failurate: Erm, I'm thinking he put the deposit down because he wanted THAT specific car and THAT specific color.

@Jonathan Quinn: @Jonathan Quinn: Instead of just buy from failing American brands with most of their production in Mexico and Canada, people should buy from companies that are building cars in the US - and unlike American car companies - actually employing Americans in stable jobs that aren't going to shipped abroad next month.

If you're interested in a particular brand or model look to see where they actually build their cars. A lot of the models you can buy are more "American" and do more to support both local economies and the national economy than any one from the "big three". And as an added bonus, your car might actually be well-made and less expensive.

@Segador: Because that's his cousin's aunt's sister-in law.

@nakedscience: @nataku83: I have a 2005 Malibu, and I like it a lot. It seemed to have a decent rep, which is one reason I went for it. Trying to find a dealership that didn't want to screw us over was a pain, but it's a good car.

@lalaland13: I have a 2005, too! Is it the 4 cyl? That's what mine is. It's a good, solid car, and it'll be easy to repair if needed.

@lalaland13: I really liked that generation of Malibu (assuming you did not have a Malibu Classic) but they're still fairly expensive. I'm waiting for a nice Maxx to come down into my price range.

@tangent4: I don't really believe in buying cars based on ideology, but I certainly don't believe in buying cars based on flawed ideology. While American car companies may be increasing global production of their vehicles while Japanese car companies are increasing domestic production, American companies still employ considerably more Americans than Japanese companies do. In addition, they are supporting a generation of auto worker retirees and their families, while the import companies are not. So yes, the Aveo is designed in Korea, and many cars are manufactured in Mexico, etc... That doesn't mean that American car companies don't support Americans, while imports do.

My personal criteria for buying a car is the vehicle's reliability, maintenance requirements, ease of repair, initial cost, safety and efficiency (not necessarily in that order). I don't give a crap about re-sale value since I drive my cars until the wheels fall off, or to the point where resale value is moot anyway ($1500 or less). GM's Ecotec engine is really a winner when it comes to these criteria, getting me over 30 mpg in my midsize Saturn, spark plugs take about 10-20 minutes to do, the oil filter is easily accessible without getting underneath the vehicle, and it uses a timing chain rather than a belt, which should last at least 200-300 k miles. I've never seen a consumer reports test where they look at the difficulty of performing basic maintenance or repairs, so all of this general market perception stuff is BS to me.

@Canino: I second that.

@Shadowman615: I've seen Spaceballs about 10 times, but I've never sat through an entire Star Wars movie. Is that strange?

@nakedscience: Then why not just walk in and buy that specific car?

When I bought our F-150 I was in and out in less than an hour: Locate desired vehicle on lot, get keys. take test drive, walk back in, "I will write you a check for $X for this truck right now". Salesman sputters at the price, unsurprisingly. Let salesman save face by paying $X+500 which is what I expected in the first place. (do your research in advance, kids) "Oh, and no dealer stickers and crap I'll just take it now, KTHXBYE"
(doing this late in the day at the end of the month helps).

I was hoping for a well read to the end? :(

@j-o-h-n: If you read the original article, you'd know that he walked in and tried to buy the car he wanted, and the dealership claimed it had just been sold.

@nakedscience: Nope, this one is 6 cyl. Great for passing slow-moving truckers on the highway. If I'm not careful, I'll go 80 in it and get a ticket.

@nataku83: Nope, it's not a Classic. After I got it, I went to Wiki and looked up the generations of Malibus, and I like my sixth generation a lot better than the prior one, I have to say.