bulldog truck sales in ATL

Well, they offer a warranty (2 years on major components, 1 year on turbo, water pump, etc), but that is probably crap and they'll try to weasel out of it any way they can. I'm going down to take a look at a 379 on Monday, and they pulled it into the shop yesterday to get it ready to show. I'm guessing they'll clean it up and get it closer to DOT legal than when they dragged it onto the lot. I'm still going to go over it as well as I can, but I'll report back on the general condition.

 

Well, I was supposed to go see a truck a week ago, and if everything checked out, be back on Wednesday to close on the loan. However, they called me at 4:30 on the Friday before to tell me the truck wouldn't be ready until Wednesday. I wasn't comfortable with inspecting and closing on the same day, and I was already under a load out to Texas, so I had to tell them no dice. I asked if they could find me a different truck in the same email, and haven't heard a word about it, other than the bank calling and asking where their money was. Haven't gotten my deposit back yet, so I guess I'll have to keep trying with them, or pry the $500 out of their cold, dead fingers.

 

If you like the truck then why don't you just go ahead and take it? What difference does it make if you have to check the truck and close on the same day? It seems to me that it would be much more productive to be able to do everything on the same day. Is there a reason that you didn't want to check the truck and close on the same day?

 

They said it wouldn't be out of the shop until Wednesday night, and they wanted me to close during business hours on Wednesday.

I don't know about you, but I'm not buying a $65,000 truck sight unseen. $6,500, maybe, but not $65,000.

There were plenty of other people that wanted the truck anyway. I'm just hoping to get my deposit back to get some seats and a kidney belt for a cabover I'm looking at now.

 

i wouldn't feel comfortable either.

i remember a story on here that they bought a truck. and drove down the road to find out there wheel seals were leaking on the brake drums.

and everyone asked why they didn't catch that in the first place.
ummmm, kinda hard to catch ANY type of oil leak when the truck has been thoroughly detailed.

 

I would not want to commit to that amount of money without checking out the truck, either. I don't understand why you put a deposit down on a truck without first checking it out? Or did I miss something?

 

The deposit was essentially a hold on the truck. Otherwise, I could have spent weeks setting up the purchase, gone home, flown down there, and find out they had sold the truck in the meantime.

They can't run your credit through their banks until you select a truck, so it helps ensure that none of the parties are wasting their time running credit and selling to a handfull of individuals when only one will get the truck.

 

That is understandable. Hopefully, you put a clause in the sales agreement where you can get your money back if you don't like the truck or if it doesn't meet your expectations.

 

Trucks look tired

 

When I am looking to buy a truck I never put a deposit down until I check out the truck. If the truck is out of town and I can't get to the truck before it is sold, then I figure that I wasn't supposed to buy that truck. Most trucks don't move that fast. Most trucks that I have purchased I found on my own without seeing any ads. I visit dealers and check out classified ads along with ads in publications such as The Truckpaper, etc., You can even find truck while driving around. I have seen many trucks parked in someone's driveway or out in the country. These trucks are usually not advertised in any publication. Some are dogs, others are good trucks and the owner either can no longer afford to run the truck or decide to get out of the business for various reasons. Some dealers offer some sort of warranty, but most will not warranty anything after it leaves their lot. You will not get a warranty from an individual, so it is important that you either have the knowledge or experience to check the truck out yourself or find a mechanic or friend who is qualified to check it for you. If not, it is a crap shoot. Sometimes you can get a good deal without checking it out. Other times you can lose your shirt. Sometimes a truck is being sold due to needing expensive repairs.

Noone wants to buy a truck and then have to start spending money on repairs. Wheel seals can leak at any time. Those are not expensive to repair. If the leak is caught before getting too bad you may not need to replace the brakes on that wheel. You may be able to clean the brakes and they work just fine. Even replacing the brakes, it is still not an expensive repair. Of course, it can leave a bad taste in your mouth when you buy a truck and need to make repairs the first week or so. That is the chance you take when you buy a used truck. Those are also things that are not usually covered under a dealer warranty. This is one reason why I prefer to look at equipment before it has been detailed or cleaned up. It is much easier to spot oil or other fluid leaks as well as other potential problems.