You used to get a better deal if you could pay cash. At Red Rock dealerships, it’s now the opposite.
Red Rock Kia is advertising a 2018 Nissan Murano on Facebook Marketplace with two different prices: one if a customer finances the car, and another almost $900 higher for customers who pay cash.
The ad points to the financed price, and crows “Saves money!”
Come on, Red Rock. We’re not idiots.
Any form of financing will cost a buyer far more than they can ever save on this deal.
Even under the bestcircumstances, for example a customer who finances $27,000, has an excellent credit score and a 48 month loan at a 5% interest rate, after adding taxes and fees to the deal, the interest on that loan will cost at least $3,350.
Small potatoes compared to the what Red Rock wants to charge people who pay cash.
It’s legal for them to do this. After all, they’re telling you about it right up front, as they should
But that also gives people the ability to vote with their feet by patronizing businesses that don’t discriminate against customers based on form of payment.
An open records request to the Colorado Department of Revenue Auto Industry Division (AID) seeking all complaints submitted about the major Grand Junction auto dealerships over the last two years showed no complaints were submitted against Western Slope Auto, which sells Ford, Lincoln & Toyota, no complaints were submitted against Ed Bozarth Chevrolet & Buick, no complaints were submitted against Grand Junction Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram, and no complaints were submitted against Jim Fuoco Motors or Fuoco Honda in 2021, before it was sold to Red Rock Auto Group in April of 2022, but within the last two years at least 15 complaints were submitted about Red Rock Auto Group’s stores. There were at least two more complaints beyond the 15 documented ones the Auto Industry Division sent that were submitted against Red Rock, but one of them was still undergoing investigation and they could not release information on it, and the other was dismissed after the complainant chose not to pursue it further. This makes a total of 17 known complaints lodged against Red Rock Auto Group stores in Grand Junction in the last 2 years.
