Knight Claremont Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM — Local services in Claremont

My son reached out to purchase a 2021 Dodge Hellcat Redeye. We live in SF so we told the sales team that we wanted to get approved completely and once we arrived at the dealership, we wanted to test drive and inspect the car and if all went well, we would like to sign the contract and be on our merry way all the way back to SF. First red flag was that the car was listed on the dealership’s website for one price; however, when they began to finalize the numbers, we were told that there were pre-installed extras on the vehicle, which bumped the price up by some extra thousands of dollars! Therefore, the price that was advertised on their website, was NOT the final price that was quoted to us….extremely LACK of TRANSPARENCY. This still was not a dealbreaker for my son, because he wanted the car. I, myself, would have walked away because of the lack of their honesty and transparency. Nevertheless, my son agreed to the price, he went through the financing process and was approved, NOT PREAPPROVED, but fully approved for the car. All we needed to do was come test drive the car, sign the contract and my son would have a new car. This was on a Friday. Upon arrival at the dealership that next day, Saturday (after driving 300+ miles from SF), and after test driving the car, right before the contract was presented to my son, we were told that they did not have the “Red” key to the car. Second red flag!! Now keep in mind, the entire reason for my son wanting to buy this car is for the power, which comes from the red key!!! The Hellcat Redeye’s have two keys, one black and one red. The black key allows you to dive the car at a certain horsepower and the red key increases this horsepower exponentially…hence, the reason for wanting to purchase a Hellcat Redeye. We were told that my son could take the car to another dealership, close to home, and purchase a red key, which is approximately $500+ extra dollars!!! After a back-and-forth conversation, the dealership agreed to order the key and pay to have it installed at their location, which meant that we had to drive BACK to Claremont from SF!!! We were promised that the key would be available within 1 to 5 business days (which would have been the following week). Last Thursday we were told that the key was still not there, and it should arrive this week!!! Third red flag! Now the update is that the key is on back order and is expected to become available within approximately 45 days!!! It's understandable that when you purchase a used car, you purchase it as-is and we were told that they weren’t responsible for providing us with the red key! Why would someone buy a car without all the necessary equipment needed to fully operate the car!! If they had been transparent from the start and mentioned that they did not have this key, we would have taken our business elsewhere and I highly encourage you all to do the same!! Also, this particular car cost my son $80,000+ and now he’s left without the ability to operate the car to its full capacity!!! This is NOT how...

We drove two hours to this dealership after seeing a truck advertised online for $27,495., the salesperson, had been great with communication before we arrived. But once we got there, the reality was completely different: the truck was actually being sold for $36,500 after they stacked on a list of bogus add-ons: $1,999 Risistol $499 Nitrogen-filled tires ("Nitrofil") $1,999 LoJack $499 Catalytic converter coverage

These are the classic overpriced “add-ons” dealerships use to inflate profits. All of these have basic, much cheaper alternatives (and some are flat-out scams). Advertising one price and then jacking it up when you show up is bait and switch which id deceptive.

The experience only got worse when we spoke with the finance manager, Larry. He was dismissive, interruptive, and unprofessional. He refused to let us speak, scoffed when we said we wanted the advertised price, and even put his hands up saying, “Why are you being aggressive?” despite me speaking calmly and just suggesting I was going to find another car. When I said we’d just leave, he mocked us further and shouted after us as we walked out.

After leaving, the harassment continued: Larry said loudly that he could sell it at the advertised price, then backpedaled, saying “It’s not that simple” and “no deal if you think I’m gonna take all the add ons off” while laughing.

Larry kept saying I was taking it personally. Which confused me as I mentioned I wouldn’t be a good buyer but I’m sure someone else would take it. He said “of course someone else would. This is a great price I can sell it to anyone!” Okay Larry- then why is the car still available today and your dealership continues to call and text me?

He also said that egregious dealer add ons is normal in California but since we’re from out of state we wouldn’t know that. And that every dealer is going to do it. False of course.

Julio chased me outside twice, begging me to come back in, trying to play “good cop.” Later, the GM called, trying to offer the truck below sticker, buy me lunch, and even deliver the car. Julio kept texting me until I had to tell him to stop.

The whole operation felt sketchy and desperate, like they were scrambling to keep us from reporting them.

And if you look at their reviews, notice that most people have only ever left one review classic sign of paid review services.

In the end, I went up the road to another Ford dealer and bought a brand-new 2025 truck with no scratches, no shady games, and an even better price after simple, respectful negotiation.

To add on the car had scratched that we’re not advertised before I got there. That the salesperson suggested were not there before they detailed the car.

This dealership? Horrible. Dishonest. Intimidating....

Quick update on 01/15/2025:

This dealership was just ridiculous and I filed complaint on both BBB and the California Department of Consumer Affairs already.

The lack of communication, professionalism, and follow-through was already disappointing, but the situation worsened. Recently, a dealership representative contacted me to ask about my experience. I shared my frustrations, and she apologized, promised to escalate my case to their management team, and assured me I would be contacted soon. However, nearly a week has passed, and despite following up with her, I have received no response from their management team—only repeated apologies from the representative.

This entire process has been time-consuming, frustrating, and misleading. The dealership failed to honor or reasonably adjust the initial offer, refused to inspect my car, and continues to demonstrate poor communication and a lack of accountability. I strongly believe their actions were deceptive and reflected bait-and-switch tactics.

Quick follow-up on 01/10/2025:

Despite asking for a written explanation, I received no clear answer from the manager when I followed up via email. The manager later offered $4,000 during a phone call on 01/02/2025 after I mentioned filing a complaint, but I declined as my minimum expectation was $5,000. He promised to follow up within a day but delayed for three days despite multiple texts and emails from me. Ultimately, I was told the highest bid they could offer was $3,100 from an auction. This entire process felt misleading and unprofessional, and I believe the dealership wasted my time by failing to disclose upfront that they would not inspect cars with high mileage.

Review on 01/02/2025 I recently had a very disappointing experience at this dealership. I received a written offer of $5,448 through CarGurus for my 2010 Toyota Corolla, which was confirmed in multiple emails from their representative. The communication suggested that the offer could even increase after an inspection.

However, after driving 40 minutes to the dealership, they refused to even inspect my car due to its mileage, which had already been disclosed when the offer was made. Instead, they presented a drastically reduced offer of $3,000—without any appraisal or inspection. This felt like a classic bait-and-switch tactic, wasting my time and energy.

Their practices seem inconsistent and misleading, and I would not recommend this dealership to anyone looking for a fair and transparent car-selling process. I am disappointed and frustrated by how this situation...