[Squibster]

Hello All. I'm a longtime lurker on this board who almost bought a new RTL-T this afternoon, but didn't. Here's why:

In early October I was offered a good deal on a new RTL-T ($1000 off MSRP) by the local dealer (The other two quotes here in the Denver area were for MSRP firm). I put a $500 deposit down on the next Modern Steel Metallic w/ Black interior in their build book. The sales manager said that they had a build date in October and that it'd probably be in sometime in mid November. I've been waiting patiently on news of the truck, with no solid feedback from the dealer. No big deal...I'm in no hurry and waited for a delivery date. Nothing and no news from the dealer. Then all of the sudden today I get a call from the dealer saying that the car was in and I could pick it up ASAP. I load the family up after work and head down to the dealership. I was a little suspicious based upon the fact that it just magically appeared with no warning, but figured as long as everything looked ok I'd buy. So the salesperson leads us out to the truck and the first thing I notice is that it's dirty and there was sticky gunk still attached where the protective film was removed. The inside didn't "look" immaculate either. Not used, but rather there were little imperfections all over like smudges and fingerprints. Then the kicker: I check the VIN and it's in the 8000's, with a build date in July. I show this to the salesman and he checks the mileage and it reads 8 miles. We then look at the 2 RTLs on the lot and they have VINs in the 17000s. Something doesn't pass the sniff test so I tell him "no thanks" and I'll take the next one coming in December.

Any thought on what my have happened? The salesperson and sales manager offered no explanation, and seemed as confused as me. Could this super high demand truck really have been sitting around unsold? Were they playing a game with me? Was this truck truly new, or maybe it failed QA and needed extensive repairs?

Thoughts?

 

[Davidss]

I bought a car once that was used as for press and displays. It had 15,000 miles on it before it was sold new and the odometer reflected it. I am fairly certain that these days most press cars are crushed.

For your situation I would put a bit bet that your car sat on another dealers showroom for a few months and was then traded. Your dealer was probably genuinely trying to do a good thing for you so keep that in mind as you decide how to continue.

 

[Squibster]

I thought about that but would be surprised since RTL-T trim is in relatively high demand and can't imagine one would have sat around anywhere for three months unsold. If they could have just explained the old VIN, but they could offer nothing. I figured for close to 40k OTD I don't want to take any chances. But it really sucked walking and I probably walked away from a perfectly fine truck. ?

 

[dab69]

weren't there a bunch built early that had a problem- they couldn't sell them until a fix was figured out?

 

[14v6]

Really, I think you are making a big deal over nothing but where is the one you ordered? If it only has 8 miles that's what matters. Their prep people did poorly. You could check the sticker and see if it was allocated for your dealer which I doubt it was. As far as them playing stupid, I doubt it. They will obvisoulsy move this truck no problem though.

 

[ridged]

As far as them playing stupid, I doubt it.

Yeah, most dealers don't have to play stupid.

 

[Squibster]

Really, I think you are making a big deal over nothing but where is the one you ordered? If it only has 8 miles that's what matters. Their prep people did poorly. You could check the sticker and see if it was allocated for your dealer which I doubt it was. As far as them playing stupid, I doubt it. They will obvisoulsy move this truck no problem though.

I think you're probably right about me overreacting. If I hadn't been reading these ROC for the past few months I wouldn't even have thought to look at the VIN. But after a night's sleep I'm comfortable with my decision. I've waited as long as I have to wait out any production flaws in early VINs, so I'd rather lose a couple of months than get a truck that couldn't pass QA the first time around. If all goes as planned the next one should be delivered in mid-December. The dealer said that it usually takes about 3-4 weeks from build to delivery.

 

[redman7.0]

I'm sure it was a dealer transfer that another dealer has been sitting on for awhile or an early vin that was held back in the embargo and repaired. When I was looking for my RTL I say saw 7-8 thousand vins being dropped of with 15000 vin numbers.

 

[halfcar609]

The OP did not specify if he was getting a 2wd or a AWD. Keep in mind that the VIN are not being sequential between the two. In my area the 2wd are in the 7k range and the AWD are in the 17k range

 

[Squibster]

The OP did not specify if he was getting a 2wd or a AWD. Keep in mind that the VIN are not being sequential between the two. In my area the 2wd are in the 7k range and the AWD are in the 17k range

It's an AWD with a build date in July. I checked the local inventory beforehand and confirmed that all of the local stock (all AWDs) have VINs around 15-17K right now.

 

[Squibster]

I'm sure it was a dealer transfer that another dealer has been sitting on for awhile or an early vin that was held back in the embargo and repaired. When I was looking for my RTL I say saw 7-8 thousand vins being dropped of with 15000 vin numbers.

Redman, do you know what the embargo was for and what needed to be fixed? This seems like a likely scenario.

 

[halfcar609]

Redman, do you know what the embargo was for and what needed to be fixed? This seems like a likely scenario.

According to a paper I found on one of the early trucks it had to do with the cam holder. That truck was built way after the issue. As best as I could tell it was all the early build in May and June before the release on June 20.