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DealerRater - Jul 22, 2024
I had been searching for a very specific type of BMW 8 series for quite a while and was initially excited to find one that seemed to fit the bill at Ultimo North Shore. Despite all the terrible reviews of this independent dealership, I decided to take a look since they happened to be located very close to my home.
My first impression was that the place seems to be pretty nice and maintains a wide selection of luxury vehicles in a large indoor warehouse. However, as with most things in life, the devil is in the details.
The car checked most of my boxes in terms of options, etc., but it was wildly overpriced (according to CarGurus and the other online car sites) and I immediately noticed that the rotors had an unusual amount of rust around the inside ring where the brake pads do not reach. The salesman, Peter, kept insisting that this was normal and that all used vehicles develop that issue. However, as someone who knows a decent amount about cars and have owned quite a few myself, I knew for a fact that this was absolutely not normal and that the car had probably sat outside for months. I walked around the warehouse and could not find a single vehicle with this extreme level of rust on the wheels. I took photos and showed them to several knowledgeable people including a trusted BMW mechanic, and they all confirmed that this was a problem that likely could not be repaired and would eventually require replacement of the rotors.
Frankly, I do not think it is at all unreasonable to be concerned about buying such an expensive vehicle with damaged wheels, especially when Ultimo has the audacity to charge nearly $700.00 for a so-called “reconditioning fee”. I will not even get started on all of the other ridiculous junk fees and questionable warranties they tack on to every deal.
After I continued to push back, Peter finally relented and told me he could try spraying some WD40 (never a good idea for this application) or brake cleaner on the rotors the following day. When I followed up with him a day or two later, he sounded put out and told me that they were not willing to do anything further about this issue. Nevertheless, I was still willing to try to work out a deal because I was (foolishly) caught up in the excitement of possibly getting my dream car. I won’t go into further details about the negotiation process, other than to say the pricing for this vehicle was way out of whack and the manager Scott is a very abrupt, “take it or leave it” type of guy. Anyway, they kept pressuring me to finalize the deal, but I couldn’t make it in because I was leaving town the next day. When I tried to reach Peter and Scott a few days later, they both ghosted me and simply refused to respond to any attempt to contact them!
The good news is that they actually did me a huge favor. I would up purchasing an even nicer vehicle (in much better condition and with a third of the mileage) from a real BMW dealership—plus it’s certified by BMW and comes with a legitimate warranty at no extra charge!
Ultimo Motors may look a bit nicer than your typical used car lot, but it’s all smoke and mirrors. They obviously cater to a clientele who either don’t care about getting the best value for their money or don’t know how to. They certainly do not like working with customers who ask too many questions like me. I have to admit that I find it amusing that the car I was looking at is STILL sitting on the lot over a month later!!
Ultimo Motors was totally unprofessional from start to finish. I would strongly caution anybody in the market for luxury used vehicles to look elsewhere.
