My 21 year old son's first car buying experience w...

My 21 year old son's first car buying experience was here and to say I am disappointed and disgusted is an understatement. I went with him last week to test drive a couple of vehicles and he really liked the Subaru Crosstrek. At the time, the dealership had no new models on the lot so we searched the internet for other dealerships in Michigan. We found a new one he really liked in Traverse City that had all the safety features to include AWD. He is a delivery driver so having those features would be a big benefit on the road. He went to the dealership the following day to let them know he wanted that model and the sales person said they could get it moved down to Muskegon as soon he had approved financing. He first applied with USAA, but received approval for a lower loan amount. He informed the dealership of this so they attempted to get approval through their financing company, Ally Bank. The dealership informed him that he was approved, but only for the base model with just AWD that just arrived to the dealership. He could not afford the one in TC with all the safety features. I was out of town so I asked my son that night how much he was approved for and at what interest rate. He did not know so I went on their Website and found they had two other models on the lot and one had heated seats, but none of the extra safety features. I asked how much he had in his checking account and he said $6k. I told him that if he wrote a check for $1200 he could get the model with at least heated seats and not just the base model he was approved for. Fortunately my wife went with him the next day because they were still pushing the base model until my wife spoke up and said he is ready to write a check for the difference. He was very excited to have purchased his first car with his own financing, no parent co-sign. Well, when I got home the following day, I asked to see the paperwork from the dealership. My jaw dropped. His loan approval from Ally Bank was for $27.5k at 72 months and an interest rate of 9.34%. When I saw the $27.5k, I thought that was almost the price of the model in TC with all the safety features so why was he only good for the base model. I continued to look down and saw that there were $4,500 worth of extras to include extended warranty, paint protection and key loss coverage. My wife and son told me about the paint and key coverage because it was only $21 per month (really $27 when you throw in the 9.34% interest). They did not realize he also purchased an extended warranty. So instead of giving my son the option to purchase the model with all the safety features from TC with the $27.5k to include a small down payment, the dealership tagged on $4500 before even laying out options and told him he could only get the base model. I later found out that the sales team receives incentives to add the extended warranty because it is through a 3rd party and not Subaru. So my son got to realize after the fact what it is like to deal with the stereotypical car salesman. I went in yesterday to express my frustration only to be told by a manager that he laid out the $4500 extras with my wife and son and they were fully aware and wanted them. He was unable to see my point that the $4500 was already in play when they told him he could only afford the base model. I walked out and will never allow another family member to do business with this dealership. I also called Ally Bank to see why an interest rate would be so high for a new car purchase and they informed me that the dealership sets the interest rate and then Ally buys the contract from the dealership. So this dealership is just a scam. They should be ashamed of themselves to take advantage of a first time car buyer. He wanted safety features to assist him while driving and all he got was their extra protections and high interest rate to pad their paychecks. Good job!

In response to owner:

I left a voicemail for your Manager two weeks ago and have yet to hear from him. Icing on the cake for your dealership.