SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

So what would you guys do if you purchased a car being told it's AWD and it turns out it's only FWD? Would you return it and ask for a full refund and never buy from that dealership again or would you ask for a considerable discount off of the sale price and keep it because you still really like it?

And yes, this really did happen.

Rockstar21

iTrader: (1)

oh noooooo

how did this happen!?

did it have the Trimming for the AWD model?
I'm confused in interested!

and I'd bring it back and never return to answer the question.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

It doesn't say AWD on the back, just S40 on the left and T5 on the right, so it isn't badge AWD, but otherwise I don't know if there's any discernable difference in appearance between an AWD and FWD version besides the AWD sitting about an inch higher than the FWD, but who's going to notice that without having owned one prior? I have no idea, is it supposed to have an AWD badge on it???

I didn't get on down on my hands and knees at the dealership to look for a drive shaft or back differential because (A) I was in my work clothes and (B) they assured me it was AWD. I specificially asked if it was AWD or FWD because the invoice price sheet they showed me had it listed as FWD, but it was advertised as AWD in two seperate ads.

When I got home I changed out of my work clothes and took a look under the car. Sure enough no drive shaft or rear differential. Needless to say I'm really, really pissed off, especially since they called the original owner to confirm it's AWD when I asked and he said it was. I said before I signed any papers, "If this isn't AWD I can return it for a full refund, right?" which they replied, "Yes, absolutely.".

Just when I thought my stresses of car shopping were over, it all begins again with even more BS to plow through. I do have to say the guys at this dealership were very nice and accommodating, but come on, this is a MAJOR selling and safety feature of the car and it's not there. I'd actually consider a worthwhilte discount and keeping the car if they're willing to work with me. AWD isn't detrimental to have in Arizona obviously, but it was a very big reason I was so interested in the car.

So the drama continues. Of course they're closed for the night and I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning when they open to get a call back. :shakehead

jrm1508

That happened to my co worker with his xl7, he took I back right away

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Bring it back ASAP. That sucks though. I dont know who to be mad at. The previous owner for not knowing anything or the dealer for not checking.

I have a feeling they are going to screw you though, especially if the paperwork says FWD.

99v6sedan

I say bring it back too..... if its AWD you want then AWD is what you should get.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

WTF.

Return it right now and get a full refund.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Strange enough I don't think they'll try screwing me. They said bring it back if it's not AWD, it's just sad they didn't know, especially the previous owner, that it's only FWD. The situation is the dealership was selling it for their wheel repair guy who ran into family problems (not sure how much I believe that now, but that was their story), so it's possible they might not have honestly known if it was or wasn't they were just going on his word. What it definitely shows is they obviously don't inspect their cars when they bring them in, which really scares me.

I still like the car, a lot, but they're going to have to do something really nice to get me to keep the car. I mean I almost pulled the trigger on a Mazdaspeed3 which is FWD, so it's not out of the question, I just feel kind of duped. In all honesty I'm more embarassed than anything. I mean I'm a car guy and I didn't even think to get under the car to check. I took their word for it since they all seemed genuinely honest kind of people, but I should have just looked and I could have avoided taking the car home before signing the papers.

If I'm to keep the car, I'm definitely asking for something in return. If they refuse to accommodate me, the car is going back for a full refund and a full description negative review will be left online.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Seriously, I would not be happy to drive it after all this.....

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

Damn that sucks! Take it back asap!

Aman

I'd take it back for a full refund. If they missed something like that, who knows what else they missed? I think you may end up regretting it down the road

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Truth.

I took the car back this morning. They expressed how bad they felt for misrepresenting the car and agreed to cancel the deal. Thankfully since the paperwork was done late last night it hadn't been submitted yet. It was going to be submitted this morning, so I caught it before it was sent in. They of course started asking if I'd consider keeping the car if they discounted the price, but I felt like what Aman said above; if they missed something as obvious as that, what else did they fail to recognize? The carfax did come back as no accidents/major repairs, but still, it's apparent they don't inspect their cars before selling them and although I purchased an extended warranty, just having the car out of commission to be fixed, whether it was covered or not, would be in the back of my mind. Plus it's a turbo Volvo, I'm sure repairs are not cheap if they are "wear" items like a clutch, pads, etc.

So now I'm back to square one. One of them dropped me off at the airport to get a rental, so now I'm rocking a Hyundai Accent for the next few days until I hopefully find a car that is as advertised. I didn't ask them to pay for the rental or anything because I was already without a car when I purchased the Volvo, so in my mind that's not their responsibility. They took the car back and no charges were made, so I felt that was honorable and I should just walk away with not being associated with that dealership any longer.

I'm considering re-exploring a Mazdaspeed3. I'm curious if the previous body style has just a hair more back seat leg room to fit a childseat. There's an '09 Alpine White MS3 on autotrader with 27,000 miles asking $20,700. Does that seem a little high for the car or is it reasonable? I'm thinking if the seat fits and I can talk him down to anything under $20,000 I'd make the deal. What do you guys think?

Any other 4 door sedan or 5 door hatchbacks with a manual tranny around the $20k or under price range you guys can think of? I'm thinking a WRX is going to be too small and pre-owned examples are risky since most of them are beat on. I checked out a '08 Legacy GT Spec B last week and although it was in amazing shape, he was asking $22,900 and it had 38,000 miles on it and needed new tires soon, so I felt it was a little overpriced. Any suggestions? Anyone know anything about the Mitsubishi Ralliart? There's one on AT for $22,900 with only 11k miles on it. It has the semi-automatic 6 speed which I would consider instead of a true manual.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

I'm so glad you got rid of it with no problem. Good job.

Now.. let's find a car for you.

That's pretty high. Get used to using the KBB or something to figure out the market value of cars with different mileage. FYI, a brand new 2011 MS3 can be had for like $22.5-23k. Some people bought very slightly used 2010 MS3s for almost $20k just to give you an idea.

There are a lot of people who put a childseat in their MS3 over at mazdaspeed forum. And the interior specs are pretty much the same for both generations.

MS3 Gen1

Headroom (Front) 39.1
Headroom (Row 2) 38.4
Hiproom (Front) 53.8
Hiproom (Row 2) 52.5
Legroom (Front) 41.1
Legroom (Row 2) 36.3
Shoulder Room (Front) 54.9
Shoulder Room (Row 2) 54.0

MS3 Gen2

Headroom (Front) 38.9
Headroom (Row 2) 38.0
Hiproom (Front) 53.7
Hiproom (Row 2) 52.2
Legroom (Front) 42.0
Legroom (Row 2) 36.2
Shoulder Room (Front) 54.9
Shoulder Room (Row 2) 54.0

Rockstar21

iTrader: (1)

mazduhzine is taking over

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

:duh:

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the info. Here's his description:

2009 Mazdaspeed3 in hard to find Crystal Pearl White color. Original owner. Adult driven and well care and maintained for. Low Mileage mostly highway driven. 3M clear bra installed since new. 4 brand new Ventus V12 tires installed last week! Fully transferable 6 year/ 60,000 mile warranty included with sale! Factory installed Mazdaspeed engineered cat-back exhaust system was installed at dealer. Mazdaspeed cold air intake system that was specifically engineered for this car. Regular oil changes performed, and have been running Pennzoil Platinum Synthetic since 10,000 miles. This is the last year production of the preferred body style. This care has been babied by me....you will not be disappointed.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Its a shame there aren't any MS6's near you

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

The first part is just blah blah blah.

But it seems like it is installed with MS CBE and MS CAI. These are very nice items. almost 1000 bucks brand new and those tires are about 600 bucks.

Go test drive it. and make sure to bring the price down.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

I just got back from test driving it. One word... WANT!!!

Perfect condition, tasteful mods and great sound emitting from it. I just need to confirm I can live with the seat slightly less reclined with a baby seat in the back. I might stop by tonight with the baby seat and see if it fits. If it does I'm all about this car. His bargaining room is that he has an extended warranty on it, 6 year/60,000 miles. He said if he cancels the warranty, he'll get $1300 back, so that could be room to negotiate. So that would put it at $19,400. The car is mint and drives steller. The car has a slight vibration with the A/C on, which he said is a medium density engine mount but doesn't vibrate with the A/C off. I could get used to that I think.

Thoughts?

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

^ I'm glad you like it. It's pretty fast huh? You could make it so much faster with couple bolt ons too.

Anyway, the vibration is normal. All stock Mazdaspeeds have one of the shittiest rear motor mounts, so literally everyone swap it out aftermarket ones. That car probably has the aftermarket one. So, yeah, it's normal to have that. And it only vibrates when you are idling AND with A/C on. Mine is like that too.

If you don't like the vibration at all, you can simply change it out with something softer, it's like $150. But I mean, it's a direct injection turbo charged car.... you should love the vibration.

Good luck. Just try to bring down the price. Show them your cash.

Oh yeah, agreed on trying out your childseat. Try it before you get it.

RedRyder

iTrader: (1)

A few new ones, the front needs to go down a little more. Front lip needs repainted too soon.

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

A-Specs ftw! Once you lower the front a bit you'll be

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Yeah it was fast, pulled very nicely though all gears. I could definitely feel the difference between this modded one and the '10.

Unfortunately I'm once again back to square one as the baby seat is just as snug in the '09 as it was in the '10. I just have to face facts and move on from the MS3 as it's too small inside. It's a total bummer because I loved everything about that car.

So once again I'm searching CL and AT for a car. I'm so stressed that I'm thinking I should possibly see what the dealership that sold me the Volvo can do to try and get me back into the car. If they can knock the price of the car down a few thousand and allow me to have a Volvo dealership do a complete inspection on the car, I might reconsider it. I liked the car and it's features, so it's something I'm pondering. Just because the previous owner was convinced it was AWD doesn't mean it wasn't taken care of or is a good value for what it is.

Anyway enough rambling. To be continued.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Sorry to hear that man.

Good luck with your shopping though! Let me know if there's anything

I think you should PM Shoofin!

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the support! I'm starting to throw around the idea of having a car shipped if I find a good deal somewhere far from Arizona. It might be worth it if it's the right car. The Mazdaspeed6 should have more interior room than the MS3, right?

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

ST, it should, yes.

Rockstar21

iTrader: (1)

i would rather an MS6 just because of the rarity.

and i've always liked the look of the 6

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

Yes. MS6 has more room. Its a pretty rare car. Good luck!

one other suggestion is jetta sportwagon!

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

I found a good amount of MS6s on the western side of the US. A handful in CA, one or two in Utah, etc.

And that was just on Cars.com

StrikingAccord

good luck with your new ride


...your old Accord looked sweet

StrikingAccord

wow..that is one nice 6th gen


I really like the wheels

StrikingAccord

Hey man...what's up? How is it going with your alignment issue?


Car is looking clean

bmeyer

iTrader: (3)

FollowingNFront

Hey... Just working out the last few kinks here hopefully . And thanks for the compliment. Its changed since you last saw it

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

About 18 months ago I painted my calipers black, and they held up quite nicely until I decided to pull my OCD card again. I removed the driver's side wheel and sprayed some brake cleaner on the caliper, removed any gunk, and repainted the wheels. Then I CLEARED them to make them stay nice and shiny.

gatrhumpy

iTrader: (1)

It would only look sexy if it were raised a bit. Otherwise not so much.

Rockstar21

iTrader: (1)

i would imagine its on bags...

only things i hate about it are the grille and tinted tails... i HATE TINTED TAILS!

CLtotheTL32

iTrader: (3)

I don't mind the tails but the grill is hideous.

SuperTrooper169

iTrader: (2)

Same here. I think it takes away from the look of a car. Plus to me it's totally saying, "please pull me over officer".

Aman

ST, I'm surprised you haven't considered a 2006-07 Accord 6MT sedan. Everything you loved about your old Accord, just with a bigger backseat. And since you're interested in shipping a car if necessary, it won't be as hard to find.

Why not?