Readers React: Car-buying success isn’t as simple as it sounds

To the editor: Thanks for publishing the step-by-step article. But you should have warned readers that a successful “no haggle” purchase assumes auto dealer personnel are honest. Case in point: I tried to use this process to purchase my most recent car. After identifying the make and model that met my needs, I sought price quotes. One was $700 lower. ( “The keys to car-buying success,” Business, July 13)

I called that dealer, the assistant fleet sales manager confirmed the pricing, got approval and sent me an email quoting that price for a vehicle identified by VIN. She asked for a $250 credit card deposit. Done.

Well, not quite. When I showed up, I was told that “a mistake had been made by people not authorized to make the deal. The car will cost you $1,800 more than we quoted yesterday.”

The Internet has probably brought some transparency to the car-buying process, but as my experience shows, bait-and-switch is still alive and well.

Alan Dubin, Los Alamitos

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