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Hi all, new to this forum, but I've been on other Mopar sites over my other car ownerships. Had various FCA products over the years and was looking to get something for long drives but still have something with a "sporty" element to it that could be parked outdoors without losing a ton of sleep. Wanted a HEMI but read too many things about lifter and cam failures, so I decided the V6 is fine for now and actually not a bad engine! I started out looking at Chargers but found the 300 to be better equipped and cheaper in my area (Louisville, KY).
Went to a local dealership in my area (Cross off Gardiner lane) and had an interesting experience. Maybe could get some feedback from others. It was a 2017 C model, no accidents, but was a previous rental car and an "as-is". I generally would avoid a prior rental car, but thought I'd give it a look, since the price was pretty good and I have some mechanical ability.
We agreed on price and I wanted to do a prebuy inspection at another Dodge / Chrysler service center down the road. I always do my inspections with third parties to eliminate conflicts of interest that would arise.
They said they would NOT allow the car to be inspected by another FCA dealer in the area. Didn't matter who it was. I was shocked when I heard this. The claim is the other dealers "can't be trusted".
Called another dealer and they said they could see their point of view with another dealership being a competitor and doing a "stricter" inspection to make the car look bad, and they also discourage that practice.
It went all the way to the top with owner himself ,and he was still arguing with me. I finally just told him that this practice kind of ruined my trust in the brand and walked away from the car. If no one trusts each other when it comes to service, why would I buy your product? I even offered that if another dealer made some absurd claim about a mechanical issue we could either verify it ourselves at their place OR take it to a non FCA shop to get a third opinion. They almost sounded like they were going to do it, but the owner said he needed to talk to his partner and discuss it, but at this point I had talked to 2-3 people and I was done with the nonsense.
Is this normal?? I mean, god forbid I ever look at a preowned Hellcat and I want a second opinion on something before I buy it. Are all FCA dealers this way? Or are Louisville dealers just dramatic?
Anyone have a similar experience to share? Some of the fancy transmission software updates and Uconnect crap make me more comfortable having a certified dealer look at rather than Joe Blow Mechanic.
Went to a local dealership in my area (Cross off Gardiner lane) and had an interesting experience. Maybe could get some feedback from others. It was a 2017 C model, no accidents, but was a previous rental car and an "as-is". I generally would avoid a prior rental car, but thought I'd give it a look, since the price was pretty good and I have some mechanical ability.
We agreed on price and I wanted to do a prebuy inspection at another Dodge / Chrysler service center down the road. I always do my inspections with third parties to eliminate conflicts of interest that would arise.
They said they would NOT allow the car to be inspected by another FCA dealer in the area. Didn't matter who it was. I was shocked when I heard this. The claim is the other dealers "can't be trusted".
Called another dealer and they said they could see their point of view with another dealership being a competitor and doing a "stricter" inspection to make the car look bad, and they also discourage that practice.
It went all the way to the top with owner himself ,and he was still arguing with me. I finally just told him that this practice kind of ruined my trust in the brand and walked away from the car. If no one trusts each other when it comes to service, why would I buy your product? I even offered that if another dealer made some absurd claim about a mechanical issue we could either verify it ourselves at their place OR take it to a non FCA shop to get a third opinion. They almost sounded like they were going to do it, but the owner said he needed to talk to his partner and discuss it, but at this point I had talked to 2-3 people and I was done with the nonsense.
Is this normal?? I mean, god forbid I ever look at a preowned Hellcat and I want a second opinion on something before I buy it. Are all FCA dealers this way? Or are Louisville dealers just dramatic?
Anyone have a similar experience to share? Some of the fancy transmission software updates and Uconnect crap make me more comfortable having a certified dealer look at rather than Joe Blow Mechanic.