I "tried" to buy two Hummers from Lynch Hummer and failed.

[dallas007]

I was not going to post anything on this but after sharing my story with friends and family, I changed my mind as it may help someone else in the future.

Just before Thanksgiving I found a 2008 H2 on the website at Lynch Hummer in St. Louis. I called and spoke to the salesman and we agreed on a price and the details of the purchase. Since I am about 2,000 miles away I asked him about he condition as this was a concern. He told me other than some brown rust type stain on the front near the skid pan it was perfect. I could see this brown rust stain on the photos so knew it was an issue. He told me he would have service look at it and get it taken care of. I waited a day and called again, I was told service was really backed up but it would be the next day and he would call me back. I waited three days and called the salesman. He told me he sold the vehicle. No apology, no reason, nothing more than he sold the vehicle out from under me. I was shocked and told him we had a deal etc. I contacted Jim Lynch and explained what happend and he was very kind and apologized.

I should have learned my lesson but I thought why punish myself and Lynch just because one salesman did not care about customer service. So shortly thereafter I saw another 2008 H2 with 2,200 miles on the website. I contacted the sales manager as Mr. Lynch had told me to deal with this gentleman (since I lost confidence in the first salesman). Soon again we agreed on a price etc. I had asked for some more photos of the vehicle as there were not any on the website. The manager told me this was in great shape and no problems. I waited a couple of days and never got the photos so I called the dealership. I was told this manager no longer worked there. Again, I should have listened to my gut and backed away, as had I not called I have no idea who would have even known about my deal and the details.

But I wanted a H2, so I put aside my worries and called the dealership and asked who was taking over for this departed manager and was given a name. I contacted this gentleman and explained the previous deal and experience. He said he would have all the paperwork ready to go. I again asked about the condition of the vehicle as I was 2,000 miles away and no photos to see. He assured me this was a great vehicle as "how could it not be with just over 2,000 mile on the odometer"?

So the time came and I drove from Phoenix to St Louis to get my H2. This was Christmas week and I had my paperwork and check all ready to go. My wife and I arrived at Lynch and the new manager showed us the H2. As we walked up to the vehicle I could see a scratch in the hood that was over a foot long. We looked at the drivers door and it had a dent and large crease in the door. The manager said he was "just the middle man" several times when I asked why no one told us about the damage or had it repaired? Needless to say we were just sick and could not beleive it. I also found the front suspension to be suffering from extreme corrosion damage. I have lived in the Chicago for 45 years of my life and I know corrosion is a problem. I also owned a new 2004 H2 and even after several years in salt it never looked anything like this 2008 H2 with just over 2,000 miles on it.

The manager said I could bring the H2 back to Phoenix and have the damage repaired and send him the bill. While I appreciated the offer, we believed this vehicle should not have damage in the first place, especially when so many told us it was in perfect shape. We just felt totally let down and that no one really cared about all we went through on these two deals.

So when I read about how tough the H2 market is, I have to wonder what happend to us? We were cash paying quality customers that drove almost 4,000 miles and spent money on motels, gas and food all because no one at Lynch seemed to be too concerned about this "deal". I have given up on Lynch and while they were nice when we purchased our new 2004 H2, they really let us down on this. I can't afford to take a chance on them again.

[brad_p]

That sucks why would you drive all the way there to get a h2 im sure all the dealers withing 200 miles of you had h2's they were dying to get rid of.

[working Hummer]

I was thinking that myself. There had to be a bunch of Hummer dealers a lot closer than 2000 miles that would be willing to easily give you some kind of the same deal on a similar one they had, but your story is sad. I had a similar issue but was only a 300 mile drive and I was pissed.

[IRA51]

lots of H2's in Phoenix ,and at some dirt cheap prices right now.

[Rico001]

Sorry hear that about the Dealership you worked with.
But if you are in the market for a pre owned HUMMER
you should be able to find 1 or 2 on just about any local
car lot in the USA.
It would have to be a better experience than what has
happend to you.
Good Luck ~Richard

[OrangeCrush]

I'm confused also... Unless there was something exceptional that particular H2, why would anyone start looking over 2000 miles away.

I myself did look at an H2 that was exactly 2000 miles from here in NC but only because I was looking for something specific. (Ironic part is it was in Arizona)

Anyway, after weeks of looking, I have found that Arizona and Texas have more Hummers for sale than any other state.

Good luck finding one that suits you.

Mark

[dallas007]

I assure you I have looked at a lot of H2's in this area and they are $10-13,000 more that Lynch. I do not think they realize here that the market has softened as it has. I showed them what I was paying at Lynch as well as what they are going for on E-Bay, but I failed to convince them. The one dealer here has over 30 of them on the lot but refuses to deal. I will keep an eye out and perhaps it was a blessing as if what I read on this site is true and 2009 is the last year for them, there may be more of a reduction in the prices. Still a great vehicle and I would love to own one again some day.

[Bully13]

This is just silly. You never had a 'deal'. Especially at 2000 miles away.. honestly.. are you kidding? If someone comes in and wants to buy a Hummer, but you have someone TWO THOUSAND MILES away that might be interested... what would you do?

Dealerships have high turnover. This is nothing new.

If a dealership is trying to offload a newer used vehicle with very few miles for dirt cheap, that aught to right some bells.

[HummerJim]

I've bought two Hummers from Lynch and had great experiences both times. They are pretty upfront about their used Hummers. Even the new H2s have rust on the front axle when they come from the factory. Just cut the wheels hard either way and you'll see rust on a new 2009 5 miler. I would never buy any used Hummer without a complete set of pictures. Did you talk with Jim Lynch himself?? They are good about setting things straight.

[dallas007]

Yes I exchanged several e-mails with Mr. Lynch and he was very nice. Not much he can do at this stage. I agree, they were very nice when I got my first H2.

To Bully13, you are certainly entitled to your opinion as to what a "deal" was. I can assure you I would not have driven all those miles and spent that kind of money just to kick the tires and hoped it would work out.

[jdrew]

Sorry to hear about your experience.. I would have physically exploded.. I have purchased 2 Hummers from them and had a great experience both times..

[dallas007]

That is what stung me so bad, I had no reservations as I trusted in them so much. This is was not some corner used car lot, or E-Bay purchase, my gosh it is Lynch Hummer! I guess one is never too old to learn a lesson and the more they cost, the more one learns...

[mbdougl]

You don't have a deal until they have a deposit and then you have first shot at it if another buyer appears. But then again most carsalesman are slime and don't even know anything about what they are selling.

[ROX]

Lynch Hummer customer service =

They are a car dealership and they're all the same. I went out there to pick up the H1 and they couldn't care less how far you came, how much you spend or whether or not you're happy with your purchase. I left St. Louis in a used H1 Alpha with 7700 miles on it and that salesman never called me once ever to see how it was going. No follow up on the sale. NOTHING.

I'm not the least bit surprised they treated you this way. I would never have gone that far for something I could buy closer to home. Sorry you had to learn the hard way.

I've never said anything before because I'll never have to ever go back to them for anything. EVER. (i hope i didn't just jinx myself in some weird car/service sort of way )

[porschett]

I have bought over a dozen Porsche's without ever traveling to see them. Upon arrival, they were ALWAYS as stated.

My secret, get an independant person to look it over for you. I'm sure someone from this board lives in the St. Louis area and would have done it for a small fee, or even free given the level of people on here.

Are you crazy! A salesman is only in it for the money. Hire someone next time. It's a lot cheaper than the airfare, I'm sure!