Okay, here's the story...

I pre-ordered my Z last May. I was told, like everyone else, that it would arrive before any non-pre-order Z's.

I was told August 14th. No Z.
I was told in September. No Z.
I was told early October. No Z.
I was told October 29th. No Z.
I was told November 8th. No Z.
I was told November 14th. No Z.

I opened a complaint with NNA. They told me the Z was on the dock, waiting the rear spoiler (aero pkg).

It has been turmoil for weeks and weeks. NNA keeps changing their story on me. They say the Z is at the dock, lost, in transit, and finally.. the best.. it has been at the dealership for 30 days.

When I confronted the dealer (numerous times), they said it was not there and it was waiting shipment.

Today, they said my Z should probably have over 100 miles as it was inspected. It sure sounds like NNA was correct, and my Z has been at the dealership for over a month.

Anyway, I am beyond frustrated. Even if my Z arrives, I will NOT accept a used 100+ mile car.

NNA has been very friendly, but friendly isn't cutting it any longer.

The dealership has been telling so many lies, they are starting to forget things they have said, and they are getting themselves confused by their own stories.

As it stands right now, I talked to three people at NNA. The first said it is at the dock until January or February. The second said it is lost. And the third, said it has been at the dealership for over 30 days.

I have been a complete supporter of Nissan up to this moment. I was planning on getting my Z, then the new Murano. I think Nissan is going to 1) lose $75,000 worth of business, and 2) have me telling everyone I can about this story.

On top of all of this, I am told I will lose my $1,000 deposit, even though Nissan and the dealership are the ones causing this problem.

Has anyone else had this issue? Has anyone else been lied to repeatedly by Nissan AND their dealership?

I have enjoyed the communication I have had with everyone on this site. It has been an amazing journey, until tonight.

Thank you, in advance, for any input or opinions you all have.

Regards,
Todd

 

Hey Todd really sorry to hear about your misfortunes. I know you were looking foward to having your baby with you as soon as possible. It might be that the dealership sold it right under your nose for more money. It sounds really really fishy though. Do you have your VIN? If so it might be possible to track the car down. Well if you cannot find your car, are there any dealership that will sell you a car on the lot, similar to the one you bought? Man it really sucks that this happened to you. You should complain to everyone you can, BBB, Nissan (they seem to not know, but it wouldn't hurt to try), maybe your local news people? Here in NY they have something called Fox Problemsolvers. They go around snooping until they get things turned right. Do you have anything like that where you live?

 

SandMan,

Thank you for your reply. Yes, I have had my VIN for months now. Now that you bring that up, the Nissan/dealership story is even more fishy to me.

I hadn't considered the fact that my Z could have been sold out of under me. I have read in the past of other people having that happen to them.

You have given me many great ideas. Yes, there is a local group here in the media that will investigate problems. I hadn't thought of that until your post.

Again, thank you,
Todd

 

Hey man, I hope everything works out. Always happy to help out a Z friend in need.

 

Could you go to the DMV, run the VIN and see if it's registered to anyone? If it's not, then you know it was at the dealership, if it is, then they sold it out from under you.

 

Another excellent idea! I will do that tomorrow.

Thank you Daytona,
Todd

 

maybe carfax will show title change or history also

 

These are good suggestions if you want to be polite. The BBB is actually a pretty quick way to get some action in most cases. The TV option is not a good one. It will take you months to get on their docket.

A better and more powerful way is to use the resources that YOU PAY FOR AS A US TAXPAYER.

File your complaint here:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcam...les/index.html

I find it hard to believe that Nissan corporate is complicit in this problem. If anyone is being dishonest, I suspect it is the dealer. Either way, the FTC WILL get you action if you file a complaint.

Let us know how it works out.

Dead

 

Sorry. Here is a better link for filing an FTC complaint:

https://rn.ftc.gov/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

Dead

 

Todd:

When you got your VIN, you know the Z was on the ship. You should have gotten the vehicle within about 6 weeks of that date (giving time for the port to do their thing).

Did it ever show up in inventory on the Nissan website?

 

First, sorry to hear about your troubles with this dealer. The other members on the board have provided terrific advice on how to figure out what happened to your car which will help you get ready to make some decisions and move forward. It is not clear to me what your goal is right now. If it is to get the dealer to perform on his contract, you take one set of actions. If you want to get your deposit refunded, you take other steps. So, based on thse possibilities, I would recommend the following:
1) decide whether you want this dealer to deliver your car to you, or just get your deposit back and start over.
2) If you want the car from this dealer, do you have a written sales agreement that documents that the dealer will deliver a certain pre-ordered 350Z to you, etc., etc., etc. at a certain price?
3) If you do not have a written sales agreement, you are going to have difficulties in a legal setting with a resolution, which means that you will have to rely on either a) the goodness of the dealers' heart- which doesn't seem too good, or; b) concerns over bad publicity- which is hard to orchestrate effectively, or; c) pressure from NNA- which ought to seem like a good option, except they don't seem to be taking your case too seriously.
4) If you do have a written sales agreement or order or similar, one possiblity is to take your contract to an attorney along with the things that you have learned about what happened to your car (via CarFax and other good suggestions in this string) and ask for some assistance. The attorney may be able to get this worked with a well placed phone call to the dealership or a letter. However, unless you have a close friend or relative in the legal business, this is likely to cost you money. I don't know how much- it varies by geography, specialty, expertise, etc. Fees can easily range above $100 per hour in large cities.
5) If you want your $1,000 back, this should not be too hard. It should be clearly spelled out in your contract what the dealer's and your obligations are. If you do not have a contract, I hope that you put your deposit on a charge card and can dispute it. Either way, there is a concept called 'performance' of the contract that your dealer does not seem to be able to make happen. You made consideration by providing a deposit and are willing to perform by accepting the car and paying for it if the dealer will perform by providing a car that meets the specifications in the contract. Hopefully, there is a written contract. Fundamentally, if the dealer is not willing to perform, he should return your deposit. In my opinion, to do otherwise is theft.

What to do: as a practical matter, this dealer doesn't sound like the type of business you would want to deal with anyway and my opinion of current market conditions is that you should be able to find a 350Z somewhere at MSRP that meets or comes close to your specifications with a little patience and persistence. You have already demonstrated that you have plenty of both.

Final advice: If I were in your shoes, I would not waste any more time of this dealer, get the deposit back and find a Z in the marketplace. They are out there!

Fine Print: this is not legal advice. I am not an attorney. You should seek legal advice from someone who is trained and licensed to practice law in your geographic area.

Good luck my friend!

 

Man, that is a messed up story! I am sorry to hear about all of this mess that has happened to you. I would definitely follow up with one of the suggestions stated earlier. And, please keep us updated. Good luck!

 

Thank you ALL for such incredible ideas and support! I appreciate everyone!

Here is an update, and it is very positive.

First, Nissan did NOT lose my car after all. It has been at the dock waiting for a part (the aero kit).

The general manager of my dealership has been working nonstop today to correct this issue. I must say, he has been completely fantastic!

The result is... my Z will be here Friday.

My dealership has been able to, overnight, turn around a potentially ugly situation. I commend them for their actions, and appreciate the result.

Again, thank you all for your support. I will write once again, once I get the Z, as a followup gesture.

Respectfully,
Todd (soon to be a Z owner!)

 

Hey thats great news. Keep us informed when you get the Z.

 

Thank you so much for this very articulate post. I am very lucky and happy to have such a community of people wanting to help each other.

 

Carfax is a great resource, thank you!

 

Awesome link! I never knew this existed at all. Thank you!

 

It never showed up in inventory. I makes sense in hind-site, as the Z never left port. Now that it is enroute, I should see it within a few days.

The excitement is back!

 

Thank you for the support. It really helped!

 

I am psyched! I will definitely tell you when it arrives!

Thank you SandMan,
Todd