[clsmooth]

So I thought I'd share my experience with this car dealership so that others may make a more informed decision for themselves.

I'm in a financial situation where I can begin to consider a 2nd vehicle; something I can just fold the back seats down, toss the boards in and go. Though I have a short list of particular makes and models I'd even consider, or even see if I even like for that matter.

I found on their site one that met the requirements. My g/f suggested to call ahead just to make sure they have it and it's there. I was told over the phone that it's on the lot and available.

We head down there and we were greeted by a salesman. We go over the vehicle and I asked for a test drive to see if I even like it (as it was RHD. I crossed one vehicle off my list earlier as each one I test drove was terrible to shift). The salesman came back advising that it had already been sold unfortunately. Strange, less then an hour ago I was told it was available...

They had other vehicles on the lot that were also happen to be on my short list too, so we looked at those. I asked about test driving my 2nd choice (on their lot). The salesman went in and came back stating that their policy for test driving turbocharged vehicles is a $500 deposit + an offer on the table. Well, I don't even know if I like the vehicle yet to make an offer, so I would need a test drive. But that they want to ensure I like it, with the deposit and offer prior to test driving. Kinda like a chicken-and-egg thing...

I bluntly told the salesman it sounds like your manager doesn't want me test driving anything nor my money. He said to wait for him there and he'll come back. At this point my g/f asked where the washroom was and he went in with her to show her. She came back out of the washroom to a conversation with the salesman and manager. The manager then informed her, that my 1st choice wasn't in fact sold yet, and that they were waiting for someone else to hear back from their bank on Monday (as we did this over a weekend).

So in the span of about an hour, this vehicle went from available, to sold, to pending. The manager then advised my g/f that I could still test drive it if I made a "back up offer" along with the deposit. Meanwhile, I'm still outside abandoned by the salesman by now, so I called my g/f and advised her I'm ready to leave. We then left without me ever actually test driving anything nor meeting the manager who was making all these decisions...