Szott Ford

Szott is very deceptive. You'd think as much as they pay for advertising, they wouldn't have much left over to train their sales personnel and finance personnel so expertly in the art of deceptive pricing a for advertising, they wouldn't have much left over to train their sales personnel and finance personnel so expertly in the art of deceptive pricing and hidden vehicle issues. This is years in the making. Winter of 2018. My wife needed a new vehicle. We searched and found a 2012 GMC Terrain with low miles at Szott. Awesome. Went to see it after making an appointment. Salesmen started it up and let it warm up. Seemed a bit loud, he mentioned it had a small exhaust hole and it was cold. Okay, flag number one. So, we test drive it, handles good, acceleration was not the best but overall, not horrible. And considering the age of the vehicle I knew it was bound to have some issues. OH, that's just the start of it. So, after talking to the salesmen, I said the price was a bit high for a used as-is vehicle. Advertised as 19k. He sold it down to 15k. That was a bit more manageable as it did have low miles. We had to come back to finish the purchase as we were strapped for time. When we returned to finish the purchase, we noticed the vehicle was being test drove as they the prospective buyers pulled in with it. I could overhear the guy saying a check engine light was on. So, I told the salesmen I wanted to look over the vehicle one last time before signing. I did and seen the check engine light. I asked for them to figure out the issue first before I signed. The salesman pushed for me to sign and said they would be doing it right away. I told him nope. They checked the light and said that it was just a gas cap issue. I said OKAY. I had a bad feeling. I told my wife to wait, I went outside to make a phone call for work. When I came back, they had my wife in the finance office starting to sign paperwork. I was livid. But we finished signing the paperwork and drove it home. THE VERY NEXT DAY, started it up, and it ran terrible. As it was AS-IS. I checked the codes myself with my scan tool, and multiple codes shot up. Ended up being out of time, cams showed sign of significant wear and engine needed an overhaul. I noticed it had previous codes that were cleared the day we bought it! Knowingly seeing it had multiple codes and was deceitful, they sold it with sharing that detail. I was through the ceiling pissed. Fast forward, we brought it back 2 days later. Instead of risking a used vehicle we decided to get a 2018 Ford Focus base model. This is where the finance dept. was shady. So, we brought the GMC Terrain back. Okay cool, they will take it on trade and wash hands of it. So, mind you, the GMC Terrain we bought days before for $15k, was taken on a value trade-in of $6000. I understand vehicles depreciate as soon as you drive off the lot. New vehicles have a bigger hit. Used vehicles have already lost that when bought the first time. But this was a 2012 GMC Terrain, now on its 3rd owner. It can’t get much lower than it was sold for after a few days of being bought. I understand dealerships must make money. But $6000 for a vehicle bought days before and while selling it knowing of its many issues but covering it up is fraud. Using the trade, no down payment, Bought the Ford Focus and left. Great car. Fast Forward to August 2021 Our family has expanded, and we need more room. As we had an awful experience with Szott, no way I would even send my worst enemy to tell. We go to another dealership. After reading what we owed on the Ford Focus, we quickly realized that Szott rolled over the purchase price of the GMC Terrain onto the finance of the Ford Focus, charging $10,918 to the car. I know what you'll say, we should have read the paperwork before signing, blah blah blah. I get it. But not only did Szott fraudulently sell us a used vehicle with major issues without telling us and knowing it had issues, they stuck us with paying for it and the Ford Focus. I know, a used vehicle sold as-is, is one thing but to know what's wrong and cover it up is textbook fraud. I have since contacted a lawyer and gathering paperwork against them. I put this out there so everyone will avoid Szott. And to read the fine print. Szott, its sales team and finance dept DO NOT CARE about you or anyone else unless they line their pockets. Don't associate all the advertising as good reviews, or that they are a good dealership. I've seen people fight through terrible car deals and shady dealerships, but this is the worst one out there. Period. Spend your money elsewhere. To Szott: You will not get away with this. One way or another I will do everything I legally can to make sure you don't screw over another customer anywhere. I don't want any messages; you don't return calls anyway. The next call will come from my lawyer. Thanks More