First-Time Shopper Buys Her ‘Dream Car.’ Then the Salesman ‘Scams’ Her out of Her Audi

'Imagine ordering a Maybach and getting a… Lamborghini.'

Woman inside of her Audi(l) Audi Steering Wheel(r)

Photo by: @jennabhee/TikTok

Chad Swiatecki

By: Chad Swiatecki

Jun 10, 2025 at 9:00am ET

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One Houston woman says she had a nightmare experience trying to custom order her dream car, only to be steered toward something else entirely by an unscrupulous salesman.

Creator Jenna Bowdary (@jennabhee) claims she got the runaround at an unnamed dealership during her recent attempt to trade in her aging sedan for the car she had her heart set on: a black Audi Q5 Sportback Legacy Edition. In two TikToks—the first of which has more than 197,000 views—she details her months-long experience with a salesman she calls by the alias "Billy."

Bowdary said she made it clear from the beginning that she was ready to buy, had a firm monthly budget and a preference for sporty styling and a modern, premium interior.

Instead, she claims she got the bait-and-switch.

Billy initially seemed eager to help but quickly steered the conversation into increasingly vague territory, Bowdary says. He told her the model she wanted wasn’t available for her budget, but assured her that a new version was about to drop. He claimed the new Audi Q5 combines the exterior style she loves with the panoramic tech-forward interior she’d seen in one of Audi’s EVs.

There was just one catch: it wasn’t in the United States yet. But it would be soon, Bowdary claims he said. Probably. Maybe. In April. Or May.

Billy assured her that the new Audi Q5 was definitely worth the wait.

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Bowdary agreed to pre-customize the Audi. She chose a black-on-black Q5 Sportback with the Black Optic package.

She said Billy repeatedly reassured her that she wasn’t locked into anything—no credit pulled, no money down—and that if the vehicle arrived and didn’t match her expectations, she could walk away.

The build sheet made it sound perfect. The communications that followed, however, did not.

As the weeks went by, she kept checking in. Billy rarely responded, she said, and when he did, it was vague. He offered no updates on pricing, no clear delivery window, no firm specs.

The Audi arrives at long last

Bowdary says that when the vehicle finally arrived, it was nowhere close to what she ordered. The trim was gray instead of black. The body style was a different shape. The grill and rims didn’t match her specs. The sleek, sportback silhouette she’d fallen in love with was nowhere to be seen.

In her words, “Imagine ordering a Maybach and getting a… Lamborghini.”

Bowdary also claims the price was $500 a month more than her stated max.

This was after she’d spent two months waiting for the Audi Q5 while driving a “hoopty” with busted windows and a gas pedal that made the whole car shake.

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As it turns out, the Black Optic package isn’t even available until August, and the model she ordered may have been phased out altogether.

Bowdary says that none of that was disclosed until she was standing in front of a car she didn’t recognize, looking at a salesman who had suddenly gone silent.

The way Bowdary describes it, the entire process seemed designed to exhaust her into saying yes. From the start, Billy told her no other cars were available in her budget, which wasn’t true. He promised features that aren’t even shipping yet, dangled vague timelines to keep her from shopping elsewhere, and ignored her budget.

Car salespeople are notorious for strong-arming people into buying. Some of the most common tropes include:

"The Only One in Your Budget" Trick: Telling a buyer that only one vehicle fits their criteria, even when others may be available, to steer them toward specific inventory that needs to move. Edmunds has documented this tactic in detail.
"The Phantom Car" Strategy: Hyping a vehicle that isn’t yet available — or may not even be real — to keep buyers engaged and emotionally committed. This leverages anticipation to bypass skepticism.
"Payment Packing": Quoting monthly payments that include extra fees or hidden add-ons, hoping the buyer won’t notice the inflated total.
"Gender-Based Suggestion": Making patronizing recommendations based on gender, which continues to be an issue despite industry efforts toward equity.

These tactics are often employed to direct the buyer toward a deal they didn’t intend to make, under terms they didn’t fully agree to.

Finally the right car for the right price

Bowdary refused to buy the Audi Q5.

Instead, the next day, she says she walked into a nearby Mercedes-Benz showroom and bought a new black sedan on the spot.

What do you think?

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“There’s no amount of questions you can ask to avoid a shady deal,” Bowdary says in closing. “Always have a plan B.”

Bowdary didn't immediately respond to an email sent Tuesday morning. Motor1 reached out to Audi for comment via email. We'll be sure to update this article if either responds.