Open Road Acura of Wayne

We found a used car at Open Road via CarFax. $16,375. We were told the car was there and that our $17k budget (total) was no problem. Two days later it was still there so we stopped in. Our sales rep, Sabhir told us the car had “just arrived” and gave us an initial impression of a no-hassle deal. We sat down to go over details and suddenly felt like we were swimming with sharks. “Do you offer a warranty?” Sabhir assured me, "30 days. If anything happens during that time we just bring it back." Something major? "You just bring it back". What does that mean? "Bring it back and we look at it. 30 days, for ANYTHING." He also suggested we could return it if we weren’t happy with it. I didn’t buy any of it. The details sheet: Line 1, price, $16,375. Then a myriad of lines "Registration, Dealer Fees", etc., roughly $1,000. Then several lines like "NJ Registration $100" (two "Registration" fees?), Tags, etc. Then, a $980 line item, "Reconditioning Fee". Sabhir initially claimed they’d just gotten the car and only had time to wash and wax it. He said their service department charges them $300 just to look at the car. After more fees came a new Grand Total of more than $19,700, with still more to come. I had asked about using our own financing, but now we see we’re charged $500 if we do. Earlier Sabhir said the dealership doesn't make money on financing. Nonsense. Search “Finance Reserve”. If they don’t make money, why the $500 fee? Sabhir asked if we had any concerns. Yeah, we had concerns. The back and forth went on and on. We played the insulting Magic Manager game where he "pleads our case" to an unseen omnipotent being. The last debate was over our refusal to pay a $500 financing fee. During this Sabhir claimed, “Oh, I don't make money on used cars"... Yeah, and I'm the King of Egypt. So finally Sabhir returns with an old favorite: "The manager says we're already losing too much money on this car and you can take or leave this offer. He said it's a 'Gift from God'". Uh huh. So we considered these divine new numbers. Still over the listed price but a reasonable value for the number. We agreed to terms including a refundable $500 deposit. Four times Sabhir tried to get my son to sign a contract that included everything we’d negotiated away. He finally relented and we departed with a deal. The following day I anonymously called Open Road and asked to speak to a manager. What warranties did they offer on a used car? He said bluntly, "We guarantee it will pass inspection. Nothing more." I gave an example or two: "We guarantee it will pass inspection." Also, "There is no cooling off period in New Jersey." The call underscored the dishonesty of our experience. When a pre-purchase inspection showed it needed an alignment Sabhir said they'd do it only to later text me stating that, “We can’t do the alignment because we're losing so much money.” The staff is pleasant, and the inventory looks solid. Scott (Finance) was such a positive that it made us feel a bit better. The real problem is their business model. They price vehicles low to grab your eye and then plan to load it up with lots of "gotcha", small-print fees. It's an unsatisfactory experience that leaves you feeling dirty. The deal included another oddity. The price of the car was lowered so that the paperwork showed us paying all the fees we’d refused. It didn't impact our bottom line, so we agreed. The next day my son found paperwork in the glove compartment. It was a sales packet from the previous buyer including personal information. Quite concerning. We called the buyer to let them know about it and to ask about the history of the car. The details exposed not only more lies about our car, but also their own bad experience with Open Road. In the end I can't recommend any dealership that employs such antiquated, frankly dishonest tactics to sell a vehicle. If you're not equipped or drawn to go shark hunting I would avoid swimming anywhere near these murky waters.