Working at CR’s Auto Test Center, part of our job is to buy the new cars we test. We do this anonymously so the dealers don’t know the car is going to be tested for Consumer Reports. We don’t want any preferential treatment; we simply purchase the cars like John Q. Public. (See videos on how we test cars.)
 
I was assigned the new 2010 Chevrolet Equinox V6. I called a dealership and requested the SUV we wanted. The salesman said the store had one. So I made an appointment for the next day to go see and buy the car. When I arrived, I found the salesman and I asked him to steer me to where the new Equinox was parked. I was surprised to find that it was all dirty, complete with smashed bugs all over the front of it. He said, of course, they would clean it up before they sell it. The car had dealer plates on it, which I found out meant that they were using it for a demo (it had over 300 miles on it). I opened the door to check out the interior and it reeked of cigar smoke (it even had two cigars in the cup holder). Naturally, I said that I didn’t want this car. Again, I was amazed that the dealer would have such a messy car as a demo.
 
Plus, the car was painted black, which we generally don’t want since it doesn’t photograph well.
 
The salesman said he could get another one with the options we wanted. After some time he found a blue one at another dealership. Better yet, he said I could have it tomorrow. So after I saw a copy of the invoice, I gave him a $1,000 deposit on my credit card. I told him I would fax over the insurance and registration so we could transfer the plates to the new Equinox. The next day I got the paperwork together and had a company check made out for the purchase. I called him back to told him that I was about to fax the paperwork over and would like to set up a pick up time.
 
Then he sheepishly told me that there was a problem: the other dealer decided to sell that car! I asked how he could sell it to me if it was already sold. He claimed ignorance and apologized and said he could get another one.
 
I was ready to walk, but he had my $1,000 and I had a company check made out to that dealership already. So we started over. Hopefully, the third time would be a charm. After a couple of hours he called back and said he found a white one with the same equipment. He, again, promised that I could get it the next day. He promised to call me when he physically had it. The next day, he called and said it was at the dealership. So I faxed the company paperwork over – now he knows this is for Consumers Reports – but he didn’t say anything about it.
 
My salesman asked me to come in at 3 p.m. to wrap up the delivery process. Miracle of miracles, the car was there. I was eager to finish the sale and get going, so I passed on the salesman’s offer to go over the car with me. But I found myself waiting over a half hour as my salesman talked on the phone and was just hanging out talking to another salesman. I asked what was going on, and he said that the finance guy was very busy.
 
My frustration began to boil since the dealer set the 3 p.m. appointment. I waited an additional half hour and a manager comes over and apologizes for the delay and gives me his card and says that I can have a free oil change when I come back. Finally, I get to the finance guy, fill out the paperwork and buy the car. I’ve been at the dealer way too long and I just want to leave.
 
Just when I thought I was free and clear, the salesman comes over and asks me to wait “just a minute” so he can go and fill the car up with gas. Of course, he had been doing nothing for over an hour and then he suddenly decided to fill the car. I couldn’t believe this was happening.
 
It was now late Friday afternoon and the peak of rush hour. And I wound up waiting yet another 20 minutes. He finally came back and again offered to go over the car with me. Again I declined. The salesman thanked me for the purchase and hoped that I would come back if I wanted to buy another car.  Ha.
 
And some people wonder why most consumers don’t like the experience of buying a new car…
 
—Rick Small