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12 votes
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US cities sue Hyundai, Kia after wave of car thefts
14 votes -
Tesla sued over claims staff used cars’ cameras to spy on drivers
9 votes -
GM kills more than CarPlay support, it kills choice
14 votes -
I climbed inside a giant robotic parking garage
2 votes -
I'm buying my first ever new car tomorrow
EDIT: See final update here ...and I'm a little worried the dealership might try to screw me over. Some backstory: In 2021, Chevrolet announced the Bolt EUV -- a slightly larger version of their...
EDIT: See final update here
...and I'm a little worried the dealership might try to screw me over.
Some backstory:
In 2021, Chevrolet announced the Bolt EUV -- a slightly larger version of their Bolt EV.
Right after it got introduced, all Bolt EVs and EUVs underwent a battery recall. Dealers were unable to sell these until their batteries were replaced, despite the high demand for the vehicle.
In June 2022, Chevrolet announced a $6,300 price drop for the EV/EUV.
My current car was due for replacement (it's a 2003, lol); I wanted my next car to be an EV; the price drop made this something I could really afford; and it turns out that the EUV is literally the only electric vehicle at that price point that I can actually fit in (my head hits the ceiling in a Kona, for example).
In June 2022, I attempted to buy an EUV, only to find out that there were waitlists everywhere because the price drop increased demand, while the recall decreased supply. As such, I put in an order for a 2023 EUV with a deposit.
2023s went into production in July, but it turns out they're not made in order (which makes sense: the factory makes batches of similar types) and it also turns out that different dealerships have different "allocations" which means that they only get so many of a certain type of car -- even if it's been directly ordered by a customer.
I didn't know this at the time of ordering, but, the dealership I went with had a very low allocation for EUVs.
I have waited this entire time (which is not uncommon), and my car has finally arrived at the dealership. I'm slated to pick it up tomorrow and finish the purchase.
My concerns:
The dealership knows right now that they have me over a barrel. I've waited eight months for this thing. There is no other available inventory anywhere, as the EUVs sell immediately or, in most cases, are already spoken for before they arrive due to waitlists. People trying to get them complain about huge markups because of this.
I have a "motor vehicle purchase agreement" from the dealership from when I ordered the vehicle and made my initial deposit. That paper shows that I'll be paying MSRP for the vehicle, which I'm happy to do.
My question is: is the dealership going to try and make me pay something different, knowing that I'm not going to walk away from this? I feel somewhat comfortable that I have an agreement for the MSRP in black and white, but is that enough?
My other question is: is there some other way they're going to try to get one over on me? Something more subtle or that I don't expect? The last time I bought a car was ~15 years ago, and I pretty much stood there while my dad did the talking (also the car was used and super cheap).
I will be financing a loan through the dealership to pay for the car.
Basically, what can I do to make sure tomorrow goes as smoothly as possible? I'm hoping that it's easy, cut and dry, and there's no funny business, but I've also heard some horror stories -- especially from people trying to buy the particular car I'm getting.
17 votes -
Tesla's squandered lead
10 votes -
Car safety and fuel efficiency improvements aren't driving up the cost of cars
4 votes -
Tesla recalls 362,758 vehicles in the US, says Full Self-Driving Beta software may cause crashes
14 votes -
The most complex system in modern cars
3 votes -
State Farm declares 105 Kia, Hyundai models ‘ineligible’ for new insurance in Georgia, Louisiana, Oregon, Washington, and Pennsylvania
19 votes -
Tesla video promoting self-driving was staged, engineer testifies
9 votes -
Would you fall for it? General Motors' propaganda video from the 1950s.
8 votes -
Here’s the electric car that Sony is going to build with Honda
6 votes -
Four of out every five cars registered in Norway last year was an electric car, according to data released by the Norwegian Road Federation
9 votes -
Tesla: Our ‘failure’ to make actual self-driving cars ‘is not fraud’
9 votes -
The factory that only builds white Toyota Land Cruisers
8 votes -
Can you live with a Citroën Ami? We put the dinky EV to the test.
5 votes -
With bi-directional charging, the Volvo EX90 basically works as a power bank, allowing the battery to store electricity that can later be transferred back into an owner's home
4 votes -
Before his battery behemoths, Rivian’s billionaire founder made an eco sports car
4 votes -
Mercedes makes better performance, increasing horsepower and torque while dropping 0-60 times, a $1,200 subscription in its EVs
5 votes -
In the 1980s an unlikely collaboration between environmental activists and the pop group A-ha inspired Norway's electric car revolution
5 votes -
American automakers claim they can’t comply with right-to-repair laws
11 votes -
How Finland put traffic crashes on ice – only 219 people died on Finnish roads in 2021, or four per 100,000 residents
7 votes -
Why do new cars look like this? (Gray and without any flake, as if formed out of dough)
14 votes -
Unorthodox propulsion vehicles at Pebble Beach
4 votes -
Physical buttons outperform touchscreens in new cars, test finds
24 votes -
Today, Brussels breaks up with the car
13 votes -
BMW wants to charge for heated seats. These grey market hackers will fix that.
10 votes -
BMW makes heated seats a monthly subscription
27 votes -
US NHTSA data likely shows Teslas on Autopilot crash more than rivals
6 votes -
Elon Musk’s regulatory woes mount as US moves closer to recalling Tesla’s self-driving software
10 votes -
Just another pedestrian killed
10 votes -
Driverless car appears to flee the scene after being pulled over by cops
6 votes -
Waymo expands autonomous vehicle service to downtown Phoenix
3 votes -
1.7 million Hondas are being investigated for phantom braking
4 votes -
A fight over the right to repair cars turns ugly in Massachusetts
12 votes -
Tesla recalls 53,822 vehicles running "full self-driving" because they won't stop at stop signs
22 votes -
Hydrogen cars have gotten a lot of hate lately, and only some of that is deserved
9 votes -
Why Tokyo is insanely well designed
2 votes -
Elon Musk’s ‘Vegas Loop’ called a ‘death trap’ as Las Vegas traffic piles up
16 votes -
ONE Gemini battery nearly doubles Tesla Model S range
8 votes -
GM heralded this US plant as a model for its electric car future. Then its batteries started exploding
8 votes -
Northvolt rolls out Europe's first gigafactory-era car battery – Swedish plant ramps up lithium ion cell production in race to profit from growing electric car demand
7 votes -
Hyundai electrifies its 1986 grandeur in a retro-futuristic restoration
13 votes -
Automated vehicles will make our streets worse
12 votes -
How do cars fare in crash tests they're not specifically optimized for?
8 votes -
GM announces Ultra Cruise, enabling true hands-free driving across 95% of driving scenarios
12 votes -
GM recalls all Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicles, due to fire risk from high-voltage LG batteries
22 votes -
How Tesla vehicles are tested
5 votes