I found the best prices online at Joe Cooper Dodge of - Lee
I found the best prices online at Joe Cooper Dodge of Yukon during my search for a vehicle. I seriously considered using Carvana. I want to acknowledge Ty, who went above and beyond to encourage me in making the drive from Lawton to Yukon. His manager, Joe, checked in on me and asked about his employee during and post purchase. He was very thoughtful. The email after purchase is a nice touch.
I really dislike the haggling that often happens at dealerships, so I made sure to know the vehicle I wanted and the MSRP ahead of time. I also got pre-approved for financing. When I arrived, Brooklyn assisted me while Ty was with another customer, and she was fantastic. Ultimately, I purchased a 2025 Ram 1500.
However, there were parts of my experience that could have been improved. For instance, I was offered $800 for my trade-in by Carvana but ended up with a negative equity situation at the dealership. Despite sharing Carvana's offer with the pricing associate and requesting a straightforward out the door price matching the online listing without negotiation, the offer on my trade was unexpected. I received a number on the new truck about $2,000 above the online price, though it was still below MSRP.
Additionally, the wait time to get into finance was about an hour, compounded by the fact that it was a busy Friday night. Trevor in finance informed me that my pre-approval with my bank was not accepted because the new loan amount exceeded $42,000. After declining all the extra products offered, I felt like we entered a waiting game that stretched until almost 8:30 PM. I had to argue to avoid an expensive gap payment when I knew my bank offered it for only $500.
After signing the documents, I requested copies right away but was told I would receive them via email on Monday since the banks were closed. I was eager to head back home to Lawton, but when I got in my brand new truck, I noticed there were no floor mats. I didn’t negotiate for or include all the usual add-ons, such as custom rubber all-weather floor mats, a trifold hard cover, a bed insert, window tint, or running boards. My trade-in had these accessories.
The following week I expressed my concerns to Joe by replying to his congratulatory email regarding my new truck. He was responsive and offered me some all-weather floor mats, along with an assurance that I would receive dealer pricing on the other items. As of now, it has been over a week, and I still haven't received my signed documents and my trade-in is currently listed for $20,000, which is about $6,000 more than what I was offered.
Overall, I did end up getting a good deal, and I appreciate the effort made regarding the floor mats. I believe if they want to achieve a 5-star rating from me, they have a clear understanding of what it will take to enhance my experience further.
Read More