I had a member of the forums ask in another thread where I bought my Tahoe and how the buying process went. I had intended on posting this eventually, so here it is:
It all started with an eBay auction that led me to Asia Motors website. They had multiple pictures of the vehicle, probably about 40, and all of the details about the vehicle. I immediately contacted my credit union to finance the vehicle. I was approved, so I contacted Asia Motors and told them the date I intended on picking it up. Initially, they would not hold the vehicle for me unless I gave a $1000 deposit, but when I called them on a Saturday and said I would be there Monday as soon as they open, they caved in and said they would hold it.
I left Pennsylvania with my father on a Sunday Morning, and drove all the way to Hammond, Indiana. This was about an hour away from the dealership, so I chose to spend the night here. I woke up first thing Monday morning and got to the dealer about half an hour before they opened. The dealership is west of Chicago, so I had lots of city driving and tolls to pay. When it was all said and done, I spent almost $150 in tolls to drive my car to Chicago, then drive both my car and new Tahoe home.
My first reaction to the dealership was that it was ENTIRELY way too crowded. Thank goodness I called and told them to hold the vehicle, or else it would have took literally an hour to start up and move other vehicles to get it out. Their was only two, maybe three off street parking spots, and their was just way too many vehicles there for the size of the lot. Whenever the staff showed up, they shoveled about 4 inches of snow off the roof of the Tahoe. It was then discovered their was a 1 inch hole, and a 3/4 inch hole that was never plugged or sealed on the roof.
The staff attempted to start the vehicle for a test drive, and it wouldn't start. It had to be jump started. At this point I was really disappointed. As I started to look closer and closer at the vehicle, I realized that they had most definitely used selective photography. I noticed several dents, dings, and scratches that were not pictured or noted on the website. Their was some pieces of trim missing inside the vehicle. The dash had 5 holes drilled in it for some type of equipment. The headlights and taillights had holes drilled for hideaways, but this wasn't a huge deal since I planned on installing some anyways.
I spent about $50 at my local Chevy dealer, and ordered in all of the missing trim pieces. I got an estimate from a body shop to make everything correct, and they quoted me $2600. This included work to two doors, both fenders, both bumper covers, and the hood. The battery had just been drained from sitting, I did not have any further problems with it.
I obviously did end up buying the vehicle, because I still got a good deal on it, and I really didn't want to drive over 600 miles for nothing. I drove it all the way back to Pennsylvania without any issue. In the process of driving it home, I discovered several things. The oil needed changed immediately, several bulbs were blown out and needed replaced, and I also discovered that somebody at some point backed into something and poked a small hole in the rear bumper cover. It had a piece of white duct tape over it. Since I am not an Illinois state resident, I did not pay sales tax, and I was issued a temporary license plate to drive it home. It was literally a piece of computer paper with numbers that you couldn't even see through the dark tint of the rear glass. I couldn't believe I managed to drive the whole way home and not get stopped by any police.
Once I got home, I had to wait for the title. This was when I discovered that the vehicle had a lien on it from Asia motors which delayed the process of getting the title. It took almost a month, but I did get the title and then I was able to go to the notary and Pay PA sales tax and registration on the vehicle.
Overall, I really wasn't impressed with the place. I don't think I would do business with them again, unless I once again made the drive and did a thorough inspection of the vehicle. I think once this Tahoe is retired, I will just be purchasing a brand new one.
If anybody has any other questions regarding my purchase, please don't hesitate to ask. I just wanted to share my experience to hopefully help others.
It all started with an eBay auction that led me to Asia Motors website. They had multiple pictures of the vehicle, probably about 40, and all of the details about the vehicle. I immediately contacted my credit union to finance the vehicle. I was approved, so I contacted Asia Motors and told them the date I intended on picking it up. Initially, they would not hold the vehicle for me unless I gave a $1000 deposit, but when I called them on a Saturday and said I would be there Monday as soon as they open, they caved in and said they would hold it.
I left Pennsylvania with my father on a Sunday Morning, and drove all the way to Hammond, Indiana. This was about an hour away from the dealership, so I chose to spend the night here. I woke up first thing Monday morning and got to the dealer about half an hour before they opened. The dealership is west of Chicago, so I had lots of city driving and tolls to pay. When it was all said and done, I spent almost $150 in tolls to drive my car to Chicago, then drive both my car and new Tahoe home.
My first reaction to the dealership was that it was ENTIRELY way too crowded. Thank goodness I called and told them to hold the vehicle, or else it would have took literally an hour to start up and move other vehicles to get it out. Their was only two, maybe three off street parking spots, and their was just way too many vehicles there for the size of the lot. Whenever the staff showed up, they shoveled about 4 inches of snow off the roof of the Tahoe. It was then discovered their was a 1 inch hole, and a 3/4 inch hole that was never plugged or sealed on the roof.
The staff attempted to start the vehicle for a test drive, and it wouldn't start. It had to be jump started. At this point I was really disappointed. As I started to look closer and closer at the vehicle, I realized that they had most definitely used selective photography. I noticed several dents, dings, and scratches that were not pictured or noted on the website. Their was some pieces of trim missing inside the vehicle. The dash had 5 holes drilled in it for some type of equipment. The headlights and taillights had holes drilled for hideaways, but this wasn't a huge deal since I planned on installing some anyways.
I spent about $50 at my local Chevy dealer, and ordered in all of the missing trim pieces. I got an estimate from a body shop to make everything correct, and they quoted me $2600. This included work to two doors, both fenders, both bumper covers, and the hood. The battery had just been drained from sitting, I did not have any further problems with it.
I obviously did end up buying the vehicle, because I still got a good deal on it, and I really didn't want to drive over 600 miles for nothing. I drove it all the way back to Pennsylvania without any issue. In the process of driving it home, I discovered several things. The oil needed changed immediately, several bulbs were blown out and needed replaced, and I also discovered that somebody at some point backed into something and poked a small hole in the rear bumper cover. It had a piece of white duct tape over it. Since I am not an Illinois state resident, I did not pay sales tax, and I was issued a temporary license plate to drive it home. It was literally a piece of computer paper with numbers that you couldn't even see through the dark tint of the rear glass. I couldn't believe I managed to drive the whole way home and not get stopped by any police.
Once I got home, I had to wait for the title. This was when I discovered that the vehicle had a lien on it from Asia motors which delayed the process of getting the title. It took almost a month, but I did get the title and then I was able to go to the notary and Pay PA sales tax and registration on the vehicle.
Overall, I really wasn't impressed with the place. I don't think I would do business with them again, unless I once again made the drive and did a thorough inspection of the vehicle. I think once this Tahoe is retired, I will just be purchasing a brand new one.
If anybody has any other questions regarding my purchase, please don't hesitate to ask. I just wanted to share my experience to hopefully help others.