From my experience, buying a vehicle can be a very unpleasant experience. I just purchased a 2006 Nissan Murano and I am very happy with it. It was 2 years old when I purchased it and I think I got a pretty good deal from a used car dealership. But the search took over two months and by the time I actually made the purchase it was more of a relief to be done with the whole affair, rather than a moment of joy.

It didn’t help that I had to start associating with auto salesman who I am sad to report, lived up to the unpopular opinion of their moral character. In other words they were all more concerned about making a buck than helping me. Well, except for the dealership where I actually bought my crossover vehicle.

I was lied to and almost tricked into purchasing a Murano when I was told I was only signing some paper work to have the vehicle transferred so I could see it in person. A few minutes later I was being thanked for my purchase. What?!? Suffice to say some terser moments and heated words were exchange before we were let out of the deal.

One thing in particular this unscrupulous salesperson did was to ignore the fact that I couldn’t afford more than $25,000 fror 5 years. They ignored my budget and instead figured what the payments would be for that amount. At $25,000 for 5 years the payment would be just under $600. So the sales person said what if I could get you into a new car for that payment. Sounds good, right? But they fail to also bring up the fact that you’ll be making payments for two extra years so you’re paying an extra $12,000. So my $25,000 budget was increased to $32,000 right under my nose. Be care of this tactic, I am told it is used quite often.

For the most part I used the Internet for my search and by pure coincidence I ended up purchasing the Murano on 50 miles away from my home. I used Cars.com, Carmax.com, CarsDirect.com and AutoTrader.com. I ended up finding my Murano on AutoTrader.com and felt their sites was the most comprehensive and easy to use.

Talking with many of the salespeople left me very disappointed in the the way the customer is viewed by auto salespeople. We are a paycheck to them and it doesn’t matter whether we are happy or even unhappy to them. Of course I’m painting this with wide brush, but really only one person did I feel dealt with me honestly and with no pressure. I have heard Carmax.com works this way but I didn’t talk to anyone there as there prices were higher. Maybe the higher price is for your peace of mind.

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