Auto Dealer in STL - Red Flags

Chris, I just read your letter and just about dropped. I have been looking at the same car. Had several nice conversations with Ephram and was very interested in the car. When I asked him about valve guide replacement, he said that if they needed it they would have been done with the 30k. I know this is often the case but it is a simple thing to look at the invoice of the inspection to verify. He became evasive and so I offered to pay for a compression check and he became incensced, and said he would not waste the mechanics time. This really through me, I could not believe he would be so arrogant and his change in demeanor was Dr. Jekyll/Mr Hyde like. The conversation bothered me enough that I called this morning and told him how unprofessional and damaging his attitude was(imo). So your experience verifies mine and I agree, run. There are just too many good cars available to deal with this kind of behavior and I am glad you brought it out. I was going to do the same thing so others will not waste their time with the Schmidt dealership. John





Hi,
I am in the process of buying my first Ferrari Can't wait!!

I am sure each one of you have been in my situation and tried not let your emotions affect your buying decision. I have been talking to a dealer in STL (I will post name if someone tells me it is appropriate) and have gotten some very interesting comments. They have a 96 355B, 1 owner car. It looks to have all the service records (dealer in NE) which is what I would like to have. They want ~70K for the car with 26K miles which seems to be a very good price. After speaking to a number of independant service tech's and two authorized dealer service departments, they recommend getting a compression test and leak down test for 95 - 97 since they have had valve guide issues in certain engines. When I contacted the dealer, I wanted a pre-buy inspection and I thought the guy was going to blow a gasket. "There is no way our car is going to another dealer. Are you crazy? We are a top end dealer and all of our cars are perfect. This is an insult." I was totally taken. I told him I am trying to make a sound investment. He continued to tell me they are a great dealer and they don't sell bad cars. In the end, his statement to me was "IF you want to buy the car, then it will be on our terms, not yours. Take it or leave it". In the number of times I have spoken to me, it does not seem they car to help make the buyer feel good about the deal.

My better judgement tells me do run and not do business with anyone like this no matter what the deal $$ is.

I guess this message was for two reasons: 1) to just vent on my experience which I would have never had dreamed in a million years. Come on, who is spending the money and what ever happened to customer service!!

But second, and more importantly, I am very interested in more information about the valve guide issue. Big concern on any car, have it tested, etc????? I don't want to end up going to a shop for 20K to fix an issue after I buy a car. Thouhgts?

Thanks as always for anyone's input!!!!
-chris[/QUOTE]

 

Mark, what we ought to do is email the thread to his grandfather who built the business something like 40 years ago and would most likely be appalled. Or who knows, maybe thats how he taught his sales people to act, but I doubt it.

 

If the car is "perfect" ask the dealer if he is willing to warrant that in writing.

 

This guy is a major ******, please post the dealerships name. Ive bought cars from real top dealers & they never had a problem with a ppi. This guy is either hiding something or he's just a retard

On the other hand if you really want the car & the guy tells you to buy it with no ppi I would insist on him warrantying the car for at least 1 year. Get that in writing with your lawyer present

 

All I can say is quit calling this p*#%k and move on. There is WAY too much inventory in 355's to deal with this sort of unprofessional practices. You have the upper hand, so move on. Not worth getting in a bundle over. This is not the first unscrupulous dealer, and it won't be the last.

There are plenty of "good" dealers; they are mentioned on this site frequently.

 

Oh my god they want $4,999 for the dodge!! They must be smoking some good crack down there!

 

He did post the dealer-

http://www.schmittmotorcars.com/

 

Note to self...

Avoid using dealers who paint their dealership purple.

And a cheesy purple at that.



my

 

Aren't there two Schmitt dealerships in SL? I have heard that one is good, and the other is not so good.

DrTax

 

There are 2 Schmitt dealerships in STL. The subject of discussion here is
Charles Schmitt. The other one is Daniel Schmitt. The latter seems to have the better rating at least on ebay (but I haven't dealt with them yet).

Last September I was at Charles Schmitt to visually check out an fcar for a fellow chatter. A young guy whose name was mentioned above let me look at the car after telling me he normally wouldn't allow it. When I started asking about records, major service, etc., I sensed he got irritated and became defensive. He went on to say that they have been in the business for 30 years and they know more about cars than anybody else and proudly told me that he just hangs the phone up on people who insist on service records (that they don't have).

Riverflyer is right. This guy is arrogant and a disgrace to that family business.
It's their loss anyway. Although I could care less, somebody should let his
family know.

 

Slim Perkins? Slim Perkins?? Come on DT, that's "Slim Pickins !!"

What a great movie...

 

Just run, not walk, away from this azzhole. This is not a rare car. Just move on, and continue your search. You'll find another car, perhaps even nicer one out there, and/or a better deal. Enjoy the hunt, and take your time. You have a legitimate concern with the valve guide issue. If he wants to blow you off with his arrogant, don't-waste-my time on a PPI attitude, F-him. Buy on your terms, it is your $'s!

 

Oh Yeah, oh yeah. Run like the wind.

I look at it this way. Either this guy is phenomenally stupid - As in educated on the moon. OR -

you are being outright played for a sucker.

No independent inspection for a major purchase of any kind??
He doesnt sound stupid to me.....

Personally, if you tried to insult my intelligence that hard, I'd have the urge to punch you right in the face.

 

and BTW, for all you "355 prices are in the crapper" preachers - HERE'S YOUR CAR! it's so perfect you won't even have to spend $$ on a PPI!

sheesh, you get what you pay for...

 

At one time, Chas Schmidt had a substantial trade in used RR/Bentley, and a decent reputation. What happened?

 

Schmitt? Run and never look back.
I found an '87 Testarossa they were advertising on the web. I live in Atlanta so I wanted to get every aspect of the car covered before I flew out to see it. They swore the car was perfect, no body work and only a little paint touch up on the chin. So I flew out.
They picked me up from the airport drove me to the store and proudly opened the door to the showroom. My jaw hit the floor. I could tell it was a total repaint from 30 ft away, hell, Stevie Wonder could have told it was a repaint! Awful. Runs in the paint, orange peel, overspray on the window rubber. There was a puddle of fluid under the engine and, as a topper, the windshield had been replaced and not seated (or couldn't be seated) in the frame. I thought it was a joke.
I pitched a fit when they said they couldn't cut me a refund on the deposit until Monday (this was on Saturday) but finally wrote a check to me for my $5000 because of the fact I wasn't going to shut up or leave.
When I got home I wrote a letter to the elder Schmitt about the way I was lied to and how badly mis-represented the car was by his sales rep and asked that he at least split the cost of my plane fare. This was 3 years ago . . . I'm still waiting for a reply.

Run . . . and never look back!

 

This was Dan Schmitt you went to not Charles Schmitt, they are located
near the airport.
Charles Schmitt is NOT open on Sat. and would laugh if you asked them to
pick you up at the airport.

Chuck

 

All I know is the operation was a pile of Schmitt!

 

ccantrell,

I believe this guy knows what's being said on this board.
He was no doubt ready for your call after reading John's
(riverflyer) post. "Bothered him so much that he called his
Grand Father"? Yeah…Right..

If you're really interested in this particular car do the following:
(1) Look at the car. Body, paint and interior look good/acceptable.
(2) Check the odometer for roll back (numbers should lineup perfectly)
(3) get the Vin# and do a Carfax Report. ( No Collisions, etc..)

No PPI $ 45K (20-25K for issues)

He'll likely say no, but at least you've looked at it. And the more
examples you look at, the more you know what to look for or avoid.

Try to find out who owns the Car. Tell them your not afraid of issues
as long as those issues are deducted form the asking price.

Many on this board may disagree and/or feel it's a waste of time,
but there is some merit to getting one at a price that you can afford
to sort out the issues.

You should be able to get a good one for 70-100K, depending (1995-99)

Chuck

 

I would like to think this thread has ALOT to do with the fact that NO BIDS have been placed on that 355 yet!! Don't mess with F-Chat!!!

I can't stand bad business people!

DL