I used to be in the car selling business, so I get when some dealers have unexpected vehicles on their lot. Some of them make sense. I remember at my Chevy dealer, we got in a Volvo S60 R on trade for the then-new Camaro. Others, though, are head scratchers. This is one of those times.
Found on a random-arse Craigslist listing, a Hyundai dealer in Long Island had a 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith for sale. They had it listed as a base model for $US179,998 ($230,865). Someone actually bought it, too, as Hyundai of Long Island confirmed to me over the phone that it’s no longer for sale.
The mere existence of this thing on a Hyundai lot leaves so many unanswered questions. Mainly:
- Why was “base” in the description? There is no such thing as a base Rolls-Royce. (It’d be kind of cool if there were. Imagine steelies and lambswool cloth-covered seats.)
- Why is the price listed at $US179,998 ($230,865)? In marketing, prices including or ending in nines are called charm prices. It’s a physiological thing to make prices appear cheaper than they are. No one spending this kind of money on a car is worried about saving a few bucks.
- How did this thing come to be in Hyundai of Long Island’s possession? I know that some dealers go to the auctions to get eye candy to bring in customers, but a Rolls? And if it was a trade, what the hell did they trade it in for? The dealer wouldn’t tell me over the phone when I asked. I would speculate that maybe the person who drove in with this Rolls drove out with a Genesis, but this dealer doesn’t have Genesis.
The dealer also randomly has a 2017 BMW X5 M in its inventory with such low miles it makes you wonder if the person used it at all. It’s listed for $US89,998 ($115,431) on Craigslist with just over 28,968 km.
The best part about all of this though? The dealer tried to get me to come in to look at their inventory. I made my intentions clear when I reached out to them that I was inquiring about a story. Wild. A dealer’s gonna dealer.