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My Citadel Hit KZ Status

3K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  GreenD 
#1 ·
Woot! Woot!

Should have the keys in my paws at Thanksgiving! '17 Citadel, White Knuckle, Light Frost Beige, Tech, Tow

I'm sure they are going to try to push a bunch of back-side sales stuff on me. I know about the Mopar warranty and have reached out to Clay. Usually I just reflexively refuse anything they offer at that stage but thought I'd poll you folks to see if the Mopar after-market stuff they might offer might actually be worth the money. Mud flaps, cargo mats, etc.

Also, since I'm all the time ranting about dealers and their shady practices. This particular salesman I'm working with has so far turned out to be pretty good. I'll post up a referral once the deal is done.
 
#2 ·
Congrats! Im still waiting on D1 status. When did you place your order? Im with you on the Mopar warranty, I plan on purchasing but not from the dealer im buying from. The only other thing I might consider are mud flaps (per peoples recommendations on here) and some sort of interior protectant (purchased xzilon on our last car inside and out, I wasnt very impressed with the exterior but the interior was great). I think DuPont also makes a protectant that can be applied on a new vehicle.
 
#3 ·
Those 'protectants' are insurance policies, at best. My cousin is a finance manager at a BMW dealership in the Miami area and he told me that they don't actually apply anything. You pay. They count the money. When something goes wrong there are a hundred ways to claim the warranty is void. You get zip. Every time. Classic back-end profit-booster. I was very specific with my dealer about that. Don't even try and was pretty harsh about it. Based on his reaction I figure this isn't something they do. As I've mentioned, I like this guy a lot and I'll be plugging him big-time once the deal is done.

I ordered mine on Oct. 21st. It went into a D1 status on the 28th, and KZ'd yesterday at 8pm EST. It's loaded on a truck now bound for Southern, IN.
 
#5 ·
Small world, Im also in southern Indiana, Corydon to be exact. Like I said I wasnt impressed with the exterior protectant, but with the interior, I spilled a whole Big Red on the carpet one time, it beaded up like it was on a freshly waxed hard surface, it didnt soak in at all. Sounds like yours moved through really quick, hope ours gets into D1 soon, I called today and they are still awaiting parts to be available.
 
#7 ·
We are actually living in Memphis. My wife's family is from the Evansville/Henderson area so we're up there all the time. ANother 13 years, god-willing, we'll be retiring to that area. Dealers down here are the worst crooks I've had the displeasure to work with. I'm from NYC where I thought the worst crooks could be found. They are lightweights compared to the crap they pull down here. After we bought our twin 2013 Optimas I swore a blood oath that would never spend another dime buying a car down here ever again. OMG. Don't even get me started...
 
#8 ·
I work on the river(s) so I get to E-ville and Memphis pretty regularly (more regularly than I like for the latter) there are some really nice areas around E-ville and really all the way along the corridor to Louisville. Prices for property are pretty reasonable too, dont blame you for wanting to retire in that area at all.
 
#10 ·
It got delivered to the dealer today. That makes it only 29 days from order to delivery. Now all I have to do is bite my nails until the 25th which is the soonest I can get there (I live 306 miles from the dealer). Normally it's mostly highway on my normal route but I've got a nice back road route planned so I can more properly break-in the engine.
 
#12 ·
Good deal although I think that may mean they dont have many orders.
STEVE
 
#17 ·
I wouldn't bite on any of the dealer add on "protection" crap they try and sell. It comes with a solid clear coat paint finish from the factory. Just needs a good wax twice a year. The best investment IMO would be an AFE drop in intake filter and some husky floor mats. Good luck with the wait!
 
#18 ·
Just talked to Clay and, unless my dealer can do it better (doubt based on what I read here) I'll be getting a plan from them.

I had my son-in-law go to the dealer (he lives five miles from there) and give it once over. He found only three defects:

1) The hood is not perfectly aligned.
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Headlamp Automotive lighting
Land vehicle Vehicle Car Headlamp Automotive lighting


2) The hatch latch trim has some very minor wear (don't care).

Black Door handle Vehicle door Rim Door


3) The drivers side door has a piece of plastic trim on the window frame two very minor scratches on it.

Technology Gadget Electronic device


That's it. Paint seems perfect and it runs and shifts smoothly and there are no other abnormalities. My son-in-law is a very detail-oriented car guy and, if even possible, is pickier than I am about this kind of stuff so I'm sure that's it. I called the dealer and he's having the hood adjusted and that scratched trim replaced, no questions asked. Like I've been saying, this is going really good so far...
 
#20 · (Edited)
I'm jaded. No matter what I typically only expect the worst when it comes to dealers (especially here in the Memphis area). Any of you that have read my posts here will probably know that I'm, well, just a little negative when it comes to them and the games that they play and this is why I've been cagey about naming my dealer. As the deal progressed, soothly at every step I might add, I kept expecting the hammer to drop at any moment. Well, I got my Durango, and the hammer never dropped. Expressway Dodge in Evansville, IN. Go there, find Kyle Watkins, and you'll get treated right.

With my general mistrust in mind, I approached Expressway. Armed for battle, I was pretty direct in my initial contact e-mail. "No BS!" <paraphrasing> and that's what I got - the best price I could find by a pretty long margin and no games. No haggling, no BS, no high-pressure, back-end sales hype. Best part of this deal was their unquestioning willingness to address minor inspection issues my son-in-law found (I'm 300+ miles away). These were minor things: a very light scratch on a piece of out of sight piece of trim plastic and an almost imperceptible misalignment of the hood. When I called Kyle to ask them to look at it, they got right on it. No excuses. On delivery day I found the sunroof was, maybe, 3/16" higher on one side than the other. by the time we were done it was made perfect and I was in and out of there in an hour and a half, if that.

Truth be told, I didn't really care about these findings, I wanted to see if they would push back, how they would respond to nitpicky things. While I might have saved, maybe, a few hundred dollars somewhere else (I don't know how you guys get the discounts you all report), I am more than happy to have gotten not only a great price but an equally great sales experience. No stress and trust are worth a lot to me.
 
#21 ·
Hey, congrats on the new ride! Really good to hear about your positive experience. I get a bit tired of the 100% negative approach to dealers sometimes, it's not universal. Are more than 50% good, more than 50% bad, who knows. My guess is 40% of dealers suck, 50% of dealers are reasonably good to work with, and 10% are exceptional. My local dealer is pretty good, the guy in upstate NY I bought my D from was outstanding.

There's a white Durango at the building I work at, and though I'm not much of a white vehicle guy I have to say the thing looks incredible. Something about the styling of the D's lends itself to looking good in white. Good luck with it!
 
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