It’s the kind of move that can tank a deal and leave a bad taste behind, a bad faith gesture that helps no one. And that’s exactly what one Oklahoma buyer says happened when he tried to trade his 2016 Ford F-150 King Ranch for something smaller.
John Jones (@john.johns5141) decided to downsize into a black 2019 Audi S5 because “we were spending so much in gas and realized that we had no real use for a truck,” he wrote in a direct message to Motor1. What should’ve been nothing but the pleasure of learning his new car became a headache costing him hours of his life and thousands of dollars.
Shocking, Shady, and Too Good To Be True?
“I fell for this car because I wanted something that was a hatchback but still a full size car,” says Jones. He says he was deciding between an Audi S5 and a Kia Stinger. He says it was a tough choice, but ultimately German engineering won out. “I loved the Audi interior quality far more than the Stinger.”
But according to his TikTok, which has been viewed 12,500 times, he’s giving a review because he had a “very displeasing experience” with the Tulsa Genesis dealership.
When he first saw the S5, it was filthy because of rain, but otherwise seemed fine and “the salesman seemed pretty straight up,” he says. But things quickly went downhill.
Source: Chris Perkins / Motor1
A Cascade of Catastrophes
Jones arrived at the dealership with a pre-approval through Capital One, and asked that his credit not be run. Instead he alleges they “went behind my back and pushed my credit through all their lenders. I never did sign a credit application through them. I never signed off on a credit application.”
His credit got hit by about 15 to 20 lenders, and in the process, took a pretty nasty hit. Because there are two types of credit inquiries: hard and soft. Soft inquiries do not impact your credit score—this is mostly used when you check your own credit or it’s pulled in connection with a promotion.
But according to Equifax, a hard pull is when you’re actively shopping around for new debt. “Hard inquiries serve as a timeline of when you have applied for new credit and may stay on your credit report for two years, although they typically only affect your credit scores for one year.” They can also impact your credit score by about five points (or less) for each inquiry, meaning Jones’ credit may have dropped by between 75 and 100 points.
From Bad Business To Worse Mechanicals
Upset but undeterred (in his TikTok bio he does self-identify as a “car ho”) Jones says after detailing, he discovered it was in an unreported accident. The rear driver’s side quarter panel is “full of Bondo,” and he had to have the paint corrected.
At this point, he’s still in contact with the dealership, the “sales guy’s trying to work with me to get everything taken care of, so that I’m happy,” he says.
That’s not the end of his woes, though. In addition to the bodywork, he discovers that the car had been involved in another accident. “The fender and all the [passenger side] front suspension components had been replaced.”
Additionally, the water pump was leaking and had to be replaced. The oil filter housing, thermostat, coolant bypass valve, vacuum lines, and motor mounts were also replaced.
Invoice Longer Than A CVS Receipt
When he pulls out the invoice: it’s 5 pages long, and comes to a total of $8,774.78.
His out-of-pocket costs were $3,500. He says he bought the extended warranty, and that saved him thousands of dollars.
Meanwhile, he’s still communicating with Tulsa Genesis. “And then they go totally silent on me.” Despite filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, he says he didn’t get a response until about a month later, when he got this reply, “You buy the car ‘As-Is,’ we’re sorry.”
Who’s At Fault Here?
The internet is divided over who should shoulder the blame. In fact, the first comment on the video defends the dealership. “This really isn’t on the dealer to fix or find. You have to do your own due diligence before buying a used vehicle,” said Cirrus93.
Not so fast, replied user Roy Kemp, “If a private party, I agree. In this case, the dealership is supposed to be a 5-star expert. All cars should go through a pre-sale inspection. The damage noted was extremely expensive and should have been caught by the dealership, period.”
When Motor1 asked Jones how he’s feeling about the Audi, his reply was that of a true connoisseur, with a little mechanical update too.
“I still love the car and fully intend to keep it, I love driving it and love how I feel every time I get behind the wheel and of course every time I get out of it I have to always look back at it,” he said. “[But] right now it’s at the Audi dealership for a new engine–covered by Audi because of a manufacturer defect.”
Motor1 reached out to Tulsa Genesis for comment via their online portal. We’ll update this if it responds.
