1 . A CAR SALESMAN
There isn't a more eerie story on the list today than right here. This one's about 2 guys who stopped at a local dealer to admire a used Mustang. One of the gentlemen had just returned from active duty and was lusting after a cool set of wheels. Looking at a sweet car wound up being an awkward situation when the two men deemed the salesman that night was an oddball. He sure was a weirdo; you could even say nuts.
One of the men reflects saying, "I should have listened to my brother. A few weeks later, I’m reading the local paper, and I come across a most interesting article. The salesman, John McElhinney, went home that Friday and kidnapped and murdered an 18-year-old who owed him a few hundred bucks."
2 . LET'S SEE SOME CASH!
Ever heard the story about a con man pretending to work at a car dealer? Not your typical employees but a real, modern-day thief? Carbuylabs.com has a good horror story for you.
"A young guy went to a local dealership to buy a pre-owned white Pontiac Grand Am turbo. One of the sales reps asked for $700 in cash to show the finance manager that he was serious. After waiting a few minutes that turned into 30, he begins to search for the sales rep. Who would think that someone could be that audacious? The so-called sales rep was really a thief pretending to work at the dealership. He stole one of their trucks and took the kid’s money. Nice way to end the story: the dealership did give the kid his money back."
3 . WHERE'S MY CAR?
This Reddit.com user's story is horrible–that's for sure. He recalls a dealership that lost his car. Well, presumably.
"They lost my car during an appraisal for over 3 hours. I think they thought I was going to buy, but they tried to tell me the sale was over on my vehicle and were trying to negotiate down from that price. I told them never mind and that I was leaving—no more negotiating because I am not doing business with liars. I asked for my car, and they said they were appraising it and would have it ready for me. After 20 minutes, I started getting mad. The manager was hiding from me, and the sale's guy just laughed and said there was nothing he could do. I actually called the cops after 2 hours but had gotten my car back before they showed up."
4 . MISLEADING ADS
Don't trust car-dealer ads. Always read between the lines like this customer did.
"A car shopper was looking for a nice pre-owned vehicle on Craigslist. Little did he know that some used-car dealerships actually list their cars as a private party so they don’t have to offer a dealer warranty. But when he saw an ad for a pre-owned Toyota being described as mint and then compared the photos, he was dumbstruck. He could swear that he saw dents on the front driver’s side tire and the back rear bumper. When he actually spoke to the Craigslist advertiser, he learned that he was a used-car dealer, not a private seller. The dealer, though, had no problem with the dents and didn’t deny that they were there. He didn’t even have a problem with listing the car as 'mint' even though it obviously wasn’t. Feeling misled, this consumer took his wallet elsewhere."
5 . A BRIGHT-RED PICKUP
Here's a dealer horror story for the ages about a pregnant woman looking to purchase a new car for her growing family. Only, this time, the salesperson didn't quite understand or want to understand her needs. This is a good way to finish off this list of stories about people who were ripped off at a car dealership—sure has been an eye-opener.
"When I was pregnant, we went car-shopping for a station wagon. A quite-young car salesman came over, listened (or so I thought) to our needs (I was visibly pregnant), and proceeded to tell us he knew EXACTLY what we needed. He showed us a small bright-red pickup. We left."