Complaint Review: SATURN - Rockford Illinois

Hi, First of all I won't even talk to a dealership unless I know up front what my interest rate will be and then the next question are my monthly payments. Fortunately, I have a relative who owns a small dealership (no not Saturn....Pontiac) so I don't have to deal with dishonest people. I do agree that car salesman don't care for the most part what they sell....as long as they get that commission check every month. For future reference.... this is what I used to do.... take a car you are interested in buying to your mechanic and let him/her give it a good checking. As a female, and being single Mom for a long time, I know car salesman start foaming at the mouth when they see women walk in, but I always did my homework and was prepared for whatever "bulls***" they tried to throw at me. One time about 12 years ago I went to a dealership to buy my first "brand new car" and I was with my sister. I have a car to trade in but I told them I didn't. We used my sister's car that day. After getting the price down to where I wanted it, I got it in writing, went back the next day with my car and told them I decided to trade my car in. Now there was no way they could UP the price of the new car to compensate my trade-in! You just have to be one step ahead. But always have a used car checked out before you sign the dotted line. And know what in the hell you are signing! Good Luck! Maria Rockford, Illinois

How does anyone purchase a car or anything for such an amount not understand there payments? 1. You should have asked your % rate if you were not sure where on your paperwork to look 2. If you have poor credit, % rates are higher, I may be wrong in your state, but in almost all of the states 17% is the highest interest rate you can legally give on a car loan. And if your credit were good GM would have given you a loan on a used or new car for a lot lower, and used car loans always have a higher interest rate. 3. Saturn does not determine the amount of the interest rate you have to pay, rather the lender and your credit score (not just your credit report but the score has a lot to do with it and if you had your report run by a few dealerships in an attempt buy a car your score dropped drastically) 4. I do not work for Saturn or any car dealership, but you signed the papers for the car and took the car home with that interest rate on it 5. As an accountant I can tell you that in all states the interest cannot be kept from you during the purchase in an effort to sell you an item. 6. Wells Fargo is a loan company that is usually high on its interest rates As for the tires, well if the car was 3 years old shouldnt you have checked the tires? You should have told them you wanted new tires on the car or you were not going to purchase the car, most dealers want you to buy that they will work some deal out. It is called negotiation, as for the other problems read your contract, most used cars only have implied warranties. You do not have a new car so dont expect it to run and look like a new car. If you want a car with full coverage warranty then buy a new car and you will probably get a lower interest rate. Although I have a hard time believeing you have a interest rate above 17%, and did you have a trade or did you put a down payment on the car? You mean to tell me that they just let you walk out the dealership with a car and nothing was paid or traded? And yes after 1 of payments I can believe you still owe $10,000+ for a car that is $12,000. And you can flip your note to an upside down note, and most companies want a downpayment based on the amount you are financing. The better the credit the less the down payment. It sounds to me like you have credit problems or problems in obtaining decent loans and maybe you need to check with your credit bureaus to find out this problem cause no person with good credit would have a rate that high, not even a first time buyer.

Well, NO, I do NOT work for Saturn of Rockford. Never have, probably never will. In fact, I don't think I've ever set foot in their dealership. Sounds like you want to blame others for your misfortune. As for the Extended SERVICE CONTRACT (NOT a Warranty as you indicated) Depending on who the company is that underwrites it, only certain items are covered, and you are not entitled to have the car rebuilt. I suggest you take the time to actually read the agreement you signed, see what is and isn't covered, and then have the covered items repaired under the terms of the contract, and pay to repair those that aren't covered like a big boy. Keep in mind Saturn isn't the one denying your free repairs, it is the company that you contracted with in that agreement. Saturn actually MAKES money by repairing vehicles and getting them covered by service contracts, so your line of thinking is way off base.

Well, I assume you had your eyes closed throughout this entire transaction, otherwise anyone with even close to normal vision would have seen that the tires were either new or they were not. Furthermore, how in hell did you manage to sign the truth in lending form without reading it first? You "found out later" what the interest rate was? Sorry, I've got to call "bullshit" on this one. And spare me the "You must work for Saturn" nonsense. A review of any of my other posts will show that I do not. But I do have an IQ larger than my shoe size, which should be about the only qualification needed for looking at 4 tires (I assume that all 4 tires were on the car, right?) and I do read everything TWICE before I sign it. If you are having problems with the warranty, then that's another issue entirely. However, if you are looking for the root cause of your purchasing problem, look no farther than the closest mirror.

Jeff, Sorry to hear of your plight, I do not work or have ever worked for this dealer. Tim was just trying to help you and you blamed him and asked him to explain your payoff so let us look at the numbers remember this is just from info you stated. Purchase Price $12,000.00 Interest Rate 23% Monthly Pay $320.00 Pay OFF as of 11/23/04 9:31:29pm $10718.00 12000 x 23% = 2760 this is yearly interest 12000 + 2760 = 14760 is orig price + interest 320 x 12 = 3840 is how much already paid 14760 3840 = 10920 orig price + interest 12 months worth of payments You did not state how many years your loan is for so I can not calculate that into this for you. Next as far as the dealer not working on your car ask them why, contact the owner/ gen manager tell them your problems, with a copy of this report and other Saturn dealers. If dealer will not work with you take it to another dealer. Best of Luck.

Yes they should Fix Everything that is wrong with the car. I take it you didden't read the full report. The car is UNDER WARRENTY FROM SATURN. WE GOT THE EXTENDED WARENTY. They wont fix the problems. Are you the Sales Manager Tim? Also Numerious people I have talked to have allso been burned by Saturn of Rockford. About the the payoff well its up to $10,718 now. Explain that?

Jeff, You're obviously confused. First - dealers like Saturn of Rockford shop every deal for the best possible rate/terms available. If they didn't then everyone would end up financed with sub-prime lenders like you are. Certainly you can't believe each customer that buys from them is paying rates similar to yours. Second - on every loan document, there's a box near the top that is REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW - the "Truth In Lending Disclosure",required by Regulation Z, to be specific. This details the APR, the Finance Charges, , the Amount Financed, the Total of Payments, and the Total Sale Price (which includes any equity in your trade-in, and cash downpayment). Sorry bub, but if you signed the document, you are telling the Dealer AND the Bank that you a) Read the form compeletly b) Understand what all those little numbers mean c) Agree to the terms and conditions of the contract. You have the right to reject the terms and not purchase the vehicle. Blaming the dealership for the APR a year later just ain't right. Furthermore, expecting them to cover repairs to a 3 year old vehicle a year later is out of line. When I purchase a vehicle, I can tell if the tires are new or not. I can tell if the transmission has problems too - because I take used vehicles to a mechanic of MY CHOICE, and pay to have it inspected. I guess you should be grateful you're only $3000 upside down. Quit slamming a dealer that has a great reputation in Rockford, and stand up and takre responsibility for your own choices.

After numerous calls to SATURN of Rockford, and Saturn's home office, They refuse to fix anything that is still wrong with the car. A true RIP OFF dealer. Wells Fargo the lean holder is willing to work something out with us at least. They are willing to Refinance the car at a lower rate, Also willing to Finance a different car. So I will keep you updated. Looks like we will be Getting a different car from Wells Fargo. Anyone looking for a car at SATURN of ROCKFORD be prepared to pay at least $3,000 over Fair KBB Dealer price. Saturn's commission on every sale is 22%. They also like to find the Highest Interest rate savable. They don't look for a better deal.