taking it up the (hybrid) five hole

There aren’t many times when I feel like I’ve been ass-banged as hard as badly as when I recently left the place I bought the Hybrid Mobile. I’m not referring to the fact that the entire theory behind a hybrid to save gas kind of goes out the window when the first time I put a buddy in the car the hybrid engine never kicked in and it ran on gas the entire time but the fact that even the most seemingly honest car-dealers are still complete shysters when it comes down to it.
The good news is that in Park Slope where it takes 30 minutes of circling the block to find a parking spot I'm running on that free battery gas.


Now I feel like I got a good deal on the car (which hopefully includes that $1500 tax credit for buying a Hybrid), got a good warranty and was very happy with the delivery of the car when I picked it up a few weeks ago. What I wasn’t thrilled with was the fact that I show up and the last person you deal with is the finance manager who takes all the good feelings you have and shove it down the toilet.

First of all during the entire negotiation I discussed a car-loan rate of about 4.9% with the salesman who made that APR very realistic but when I got to the closing the finance manager started talking about 5.9% but guaranteed that they have done all the research and that bar-none the best rate would be offered through CHASE and that if my credit was good he would do his absolute best to get me the best rate.

I show up two days later to hand the $10,000 and pick up the car and as I’m signing the contract I noticed that the CHASE loan is at 6.37% but the finance manager told me that I was in good shape because if I would be willing to open a checking account at CHASE that they would drop my rate by 0.5%. Not knowing shit from shit, I was a bit annoyed with the last minute switch but as with the excitement of the first new car I’ve ever owned I signed away because the finance manager assured me that it was a great rate.

Fast forward a week when I’m telling the story to a buddy who says surprisingly that he got 4.5% for a used car and that he was shocked at the rate. I call Bank of America and they offer me 4.4% on the spot and after running a credit-report they say high 3’s is a possibility, even the CHASE website offers 4.5% all over the place.
I will obviously refinance but the cost is $300 which is like taking alcohol to my groin after getting stabbed there with an ice-pick.

So these criminals over at Manhattan Ford never shopped my loan to get my best rate but instead funneled it to their bank who probably gives them a healthy kick-back. They wait until the last possible second to introduce their special rate for their customers.  next time you are going to ass-rape me, at least buy me dinner



MLIA