Our First Jeep Renegade Shopping Experience at Lithia in Reno, NV

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Okay, so I contact Daniel Dunham at Lithia Chrysler Jeep in Reno, NV as that's where the Costco Auto Buying program sent me and today, Cindy and I finally got to see our very first Jeep Renegade at a dealership. As luck would have it, of the two Renegades they got in, one was a Trailhawk. Unfortunately, didn't have MySky (but none do right now), didn't come with the 9-speaker sound system that we wanted and maybe more importantly, it was Glacier Metallic and we really want an Alpine White. Still, we may have been willing to buy it if only Daniel were more interested in selling it to us but apparently, he took us for morons.

Let me just say, I was forewarned by friends of ours that the guys at Lithia in Reno were dumbasses and so I at least knew what I was getting myself into. From the get go, when Daniel first responded to my Renegade Trailhawk inquiry about a week ago, he responded by saying he had a ton of "Trailhawks" in stock and that he would sell one to me at only $2oo over invoice. Of course, I then had to explain to him that I am interested in the NEW Renegade Trailhawk and NOT the Cherokee - there is a difference. Once we had that figured out, he started to go on and on about made in the USA, how the Renegade was made in Italy, how "crafty" the Italians are as in, they shouldn't be trusted and on and on. Still, I held out hope and finally got a call from him today to say that the Renegade they had in transit finally came in.

Well, this morning, Cindy and I made our way out to see Daniel at Lithia and the first thing he started on about was how popular the new Renegade was. He said, he "hasn't seen this much interest in a new vehicle since the PT Cruiser came out". Seriously - those words came out of his mouth. After seeing the Renegade, I asked if we could take it for a test drive and was told that I wouldn't be able to until tomorrow as they need to run it through the system first. And in all fairness, looking at all the seals still on it and grimy condition, I figured he was being honest about that. Here are some shots of what we saw.

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Back in his office, I asked Daniel if he could tell me what other Renegades he might be having in soon and we went through a short list and all of which was supposedly a month out. Cindy asked if was possible to order one and he said "no" - this of course is a lie. So I asked him what would I be looking at to buy the Glacier Metallic one he had and he said he would give it to me at MSRP and said, "it really wasn't that much more than invoice anyway". So much for the Costco Auto Buying program saving you the hassle of dealing with salesmen!

Long story short, we left well enough alone and will be looking at our other options. Just thought I would share our first experience shopping for a Renegade.
 
You have done your home work and know what you want to pay. Best thing if you can is to go in with a pre approved check that makes a huge difference in dealing with sales people. Again when we bought the new Ram we had a cashiers check from our bank made out to the dealership and it was up to them to make the numbers work.
 

bkac

Caught the Bug
Stay far far away from Lithia anything! Not a fan of their B.S.
They sold me a JKUR then two weeks later told me they couldn't get it anymore. I had a signed contract with a vin # and already paid them.
 

TheStick

Member
When I bought my JKUR, there was a Moab addition on the lot. The salesman pronounced it "Mobe."

I don't see how they can still assume buyers don't know what they are looking at. In most every case I have seen, the buyer knows more than the salesman.
 

BlackHawk08jk

New member
I love when you pull onto a lot in a modified jeep, and they wana act like they know more than you do. So you just listen to their bs lol.
 

ClarksAdventures

New member
Haha, I feel like we should rename the thread "bad dealership experiences". Or "idiot salesman". I've have my fair share of stories for sure.
 

JKbrick

Active Member
Eddie, what loan? Aren't you 100k liquid?

Edit, I'm an idiot, I read the post on the white one and commented on the post with the silver one. Dang I hate getting old
 
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piginajeep

The Original Smartass
Haha, I feel like we should rename the thread "bad dealership experiences". Or "idiot salesman". I've have my fair share of stories for sure.

When the JK came out, my salesman told me I could only buy a 4 door JK. They only made a two door in the TJ version
 

ClarksAdventures

New member
When the JK came out, my salesman told me I could only buy a 4 door JK. They only made a two door in the TJ version

I was told 2drs didn't come with the 730n nav. Oh and that I couldn't get a tow package. Or that jeeps were such a hot commodity that Id have to pay 5k over.

It's kinda silly when you know more than the guy selling you the jeep.
 

Bullwinckle

Hooked
Wow that dealership puts you through a lot of hassle and drama. I wonder if the Carson City dealership might help you out better?
 

JayKay

Caught the Bug
I work in sales for a living, and don't understand how someone can know nothing about the product they're selling.
 

KingCopperhead

New member
Do these guys all think the trail hawk is made of gold? Ffs. Yeah it's new, I get it. But it's not a limited run or anything. So stupid. Sell the damn thing. These salesmen must hate money.

LoL at the two dumbass salesmen who tried to rip off the founder of two of the most prevalent online jeep communities.

Goes to show you that you should always that every customer like they're important.
 
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