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1. k
   Member Profile

   I just want to share with West Seattle that we had a TERRIBLE experience when we went to test drive a car at Car Pros up on Aurora. I know we don't have car buying options in West Seattle so I just thought I would share a heads up. We went to TEST DRIVE a car on Sat. We were not planning on buying anything. We were given such a hard sell it was as if we were held hostage. The salesman refused to give us his biz card as he said it was our "ticket to leave". When he finally agreed to get his card, he sent back the General Manager of Sales for the hard sell. We walked out. He followed us to our car and wanted to argue. He actually stood right in our path as we were driving away. Unreal. I will do all possible to purchase through the internet. Foul experience!

   Posted 2 years ago #         

2. velo_nut
   Member Profile

   

   Uh... it's Car Pros. On Aurora. Were expecting something different?

   Posted 2 years ago #         

3. Sue
   Member Profile

   

   When we bought a car last year, we had the best experiences with Paul at Scion in Burien, and with Eric at University Mazda - both were respectful, not pushy, and easy to work with. We ended up buying a car from UMazda, and would highly recommend them.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

4. austin
   Member Profile

   

   The whole way used car salesmen operate is so bizarre. I wonder how that culture evolved over time, from the original car salesmen of yesteryear to the shifty greaseballs you encounter when shopping for cars today. Once when shopping for a new mattress I was confronted with used car salesmen technique, but at the mattress store. It was very strange. A lot less hostile than what you describe but caught me off guard still because I only expect to be treated like that by car salesmen. I guess there are enough people who respond to it by buying a car from them (as opposed to trying to smack some sense back into them) that it continues to this day.

   That said I think there's now a used car dealership at the alaska and fauntleroyish region which I know nothing about other than information at these links-

   http://www.automotivesolutionsofseattle.com/index.htm

   http://westseattleblog.com/2009/10/2-new-west-seattle-businesses-used-cars-furniture-consignment

   Posted 2 years ago #         

5. SarahScoot
   Member Profile

   

   Austin - I wonder where you were mattress shopping, because I encountered pushy salespeople as well at a Sleep Country location when all I wanted to buy was a basic bed frame. It was incredibly weird, but I suppose a lot of commission-based salespeople are like that.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

6. austin
   Member Profile

   

   I don't know the name of the place but it wasn't sleep country. It was in texas. Guy kept doing offer-counteroffer-let me talk to my manager tactic. It would be one thing if I were shopping for the mattress in Morocco or something, but really, imagine if every time you went to buy something you had to dicker and argue about the price with someone who didn't have the authority to change the price in the first place. WT ef.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

7. matthewdarling
   Member Profile

   

   i had the used car treatment at sleep country as well. will not go back.

   Posted 2 years ago #         

8. Lena
   Member Profile

   

   We are going through Auto Solution right now to find a car. You need to have some idea of what you want but then they shop around for the best price in Washington, Oregon, and California and then send you photos of the car and the prices they can get. If they find a car you want you pay a small commission to them and they drive it to your house and handle all the financing through your credit union (if you are at one).

   You only pay them if you end up buying a car through them.

   Only part way through the process but it seems great so far. No having to deal with high pressure sales people. In the end it should still come out cheaper than what we could get at a car lot even with the commission and save us a lot of time.

   http://www.cu-autosolution.com/

   Posted 2 years ago #         

9. Lena
   Member Profile

   

   Follow up on working with Auto Solution.

   They found exactly what I wanted for well below invoice price and drove it to my house yesterday. I paid them a small fee (the car was still below invoice including the fee). I worked with Gary at the Bellevue office. No pressure at all and he was wonderful to work with. They ended up saving me a lot of time and money. From beginning to end I had a car in less than a week.

   I would highly recommend their services!

   Posted 2 years ago #         

10. dhg
    Member Profile

    

    I've purchased a few cars over the years and have had similarly bad experiences as the OP. I created one golden rule: look at the car, test drive and then walk away. If they kicked up a fuss, they weren't the ones you want to buy from. These are the places I'd recommend:
    1. Bowen Scarff Ford: They'll show you their computer screens, they don't play games.
    2. Honda of Seattle: Straightforward. Easy to test drive, say thanks and walk away to consider it.
    3. Carter VW and Subaru. I know them to be very honest.
    If I were looking for a used car, I'd be most inclined to get a Subaru. When you buy from the dealer you can get cheap extended warranties but many people will tell you that they've run Subaru's for 100K with only oil changes.

    Posted 2 years ago #         

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