Damerow Ford

Overall our buying experience at Damerow Ford was good. I would like to highlight two encounters that somewhat tarnished an otherwise outstanding experience. Both of our somewhat negative encounters have to do with last minute attempts by Damerow Ford personnel to sell us products that would add to the price of our chosen vehicle. We had ordered a vehicle approximately four weeks before the delivery date, and were in contact with Damerow during that entire period, so there was ample time and opportunity for them to let us know of other products they were offering. We would have then had time to consider these offerings and decide whether they were something we would like to invest in or not. However, we were not given that opportunity. The first product offered at the last minute was a "Northwest Protection Package," that included a polymer paint sealant for the exterior, and some kind of interior protectant. We were told that the normal price was $1,495, but that if we signed up that day, as new customers our price would be "only" $995. The strategy was to first tell us we had a problem: "Your car has a bad paint job", then to say that only Damerow Ford had the solution. We had to make the decision right then. There was no brochure, or any other data provided on what the protection package would involve. The salesman did not even know what products were used other than "polymer." We declined that offer. Later, I did some checking and found that ordinary auto detailing shops apply polymer sealants for as little as $50, guaranteed for two years. If what Damerow was offering really was worth 20 times more than what the detail shops offer (40 years of protection??), it would be nice to know what it is, so that we could make an informed decision. The salesman helpfully told us about all the other options we could order with the car, so why not mention this as well? It just seemed a little "fishy" to us, and we are glad we didn't go along with his suggestion. The second somewhat negative encounter we had was when we spoke to the finance person regarding financing for the car. Again we were told we had a problem, and only Damerow Ford had the solution. The problem was that we were buying a highly technically advanced vehicle, and that repairs are extremely expensive. The solution was a Ford Extended Service Plan. When we asked if we could buy the plan later after doing some research, we were told that as soon as the registration information goes through the DMV, the car is considered a "used car" and the only kind of plan we could buy at that time would be a used car ESP, that would be much less favorable. Therefore we needed to decide right then whether we were going to buy one or not. This time we went along with the suggestion and added $2235 to our finance contract for the 7 year 75,000 mile, $100 deductible plan. Later, I checked the Ford website, and found that customers can buy a new car contract any time within the first year or 12,000 miles of the car's life, with no surcharge added to the cost. So what we were told at Damerow was untrue. Furthermore, we could buy exactly the same contract directly from Ford for less than the price Damerow charged us. For these reasons, we immediately called Damerow Ford and requested a cancellation of the ESP. We are now waiting for a refund to be sent to our lien holder, but are told by Damerow that it could take up to 90 days. In conclusion, we want to say again that overall we had a very good experience purchasing a vehicle through Damerow Ford. They offered a very good price on the vehicle of our choice, and went out of their way to find one in regional inventory that matched our requirements. They did not charge us for the dealer swap they had to initiate in order to get the vehicle. We were just a little bit disappointed that we were presured, a bit dishonestly, to purchase a couple of options that would have added over $3,000 to the price of the car. Please beware!