What would you do?

[Gixxerboy63]

I aquired my 2002 4.6is back in December of last year. I bought it from a dealer in Oklahoma online, sight unseen (I live in North Carolina). The dealer described it as extremely nice with no accident damage, no apparent bodywork or any paint issues... and no dings anywhere; It was a nice vehicle.

He further indicated that he had purchased it from someone that he personally knew whom had bought it brand new and leased it through his business. The "dealer" bought it from this original owner though his dealership and had been using it as his personal/business vehicle, so virtually, it was considered a "one owner" vehicle... PERFECT! that was exactly what I had been looking for!

I had several conversations with the dealer guy and the CARFAX showed no issues, which agreed with what he was telling me. At the very last, as the X was being loaded on the transporter, he briefly mentioned that there had been some minor hail damage on the roof, but that it was hardly noticible and wasn't even worth repairing; the rest of the car looks so unbelievabley nice as it had been well taken care of.... He said that I would be very pleased.

Based on our conversations, I felt like I was getting something nice dispite having some "very minor, not even noticible hail damage on top..." I accepted this as being the only minor imperfection... after all, no used car is really perfect. I bought the car and had it delivered to me.

When the X arrived, it appeared to be decent from the parking lot (at night), but I was later disappointed to find evidence of paint overspray everywhere and a couple of places where there the paint had even sagged and ran... (looked like a poor Macco job). I had it wet-sanded and buffed. While it looked much better, the overspray on the trim and rubber pieces was really beginning to annoy me + somewhere along the way it had PDR (Paintless Dent Repair) accomplished and that job was also not done very well; It's BLACK and you can still see every ripple.... no dings, my ass!

Enough is enough!
Finally, the condition of the paint got the best of me and I decided to take it to a respected bodyshop to correct the issues; We found even more problems with the paint.. OK, let's correct the problems and have it done right!

Today they started disassembling the vehicle and guess what?!? It has been hit in the back and in the front, plus the hail damage is far worse than even I expected. When the front bumper cover came off, the bumper bar was pushed back 4 inches, indicating a significant hit and.... AND there is 20 mils of paint on parts of the roof to hide the hail damage (factory is 2-4mils)! This didn't work because my roof still looks like a golf ball with all the divits.... it really needs a roof skin (another $1700), but we're going to let that slide due to the cost... the bodyshop can repair it for far less. The hood is a different story; it has so many divots that it would cost more to repair it than to buy a new one!

If the dealer knew the vehicle like he claimed, he obviously knew of the damage and of the poor finish quality, yet failed to share that information with me.

To correct everything properly with replacement parts; hood, bumper, bumper bar, trim... labor, the repair bill is rapidly approaching $10k! Yes, it will be nearly perfect when it's done... yet after the repairs, I will have nearly $25,000 in a car that is (maybe) worth $17,000!

Overall, I have been happy with everything else on the truck and since December, I have brought it up to my mechanical standard... $2500 on valley pan, valve covers, timing cover, full filter service, new fluids... blah, blah, blah... it runs and drives great!

Now the question;
Do I fix it and chalk it up as a bad experience ....or ask that the dealer pay for the differance in repair cost vs. fair market value? I am not sure what his legal responsibility is ...or if there is some sort of protection from these crooks at all. Maybe it is time to contact my attorney.... What would you do???

[bigwave2255]

i dont get it, i would have thought you would have contacted the dealer back in December when you first took delivery of the vehicle,

i personally would have returned it to them, but as i dont know your country or the distance involved, thats difficult for me to say.

i would think that buying a 9 year old car you would seriously need to personally check it out, trust no one.

i also dont understand why you wouldn't have jumped on a plane and flew to where the car was for sale and personally checked it out.

from your description of the apparent repairs and over spray you would have easily decided that this was not the car for you.

all you would have wasted is a little time and money.

easy to be wise after the event, however after the elapsed time since purchase i think you are probably wasting your time on the dealer

that said i think i would give it a go even just to vent steam, you never know he might be a reasonable person

good luck which ever way you go,

oh i wouldnt worry about how much money the car owes you, if you get happiness out of knowing its perfect and you intend to keep it for a good while your efforts now will reward you in the future.

my OTHER car is a 17 year old Jeep Cherokee, i recently spent thousands on suspension and new diffs,( lower ratios) new brakes etc, and just had the hood roof and tailgate striped to bare metal and repainted, ive spent vastly more than the car is worth, but i dont care i love the old girl.

Ewen

[Big "J"]

Wow... that stinks!

Did you agree to buy the vehicle "as is", no warranty? If so, I'm afraid you are S.O.L. with getting anything from the dealer (stealer). Chalk it up to a learning experience and if there's a next time, see if there is a member close to the vehicle's location that would do the honor of checking it out for you?

I hope your X does you well and she is a beauty!

Good Luck!

[Zulu95]

Can you prove what the dealer told you? Unless you have proof save the money you'd pay a lawyer for your repairs and chalk it up to experience.
Situations such as this are why people see dealers as bottom feeders!

[TEMA]

Wont carfax be liable for guaranteeing that the vehicle had not been involved in an accident???

[Big "J"]

Originally Posted by TEMA

Wont carfax be liable for guaranteeing that the vehicle had not been involved in an accident???

I doubt it was reported as being in an accident, hence the cheesy paint job and cover ups. But, its certainly worth looking into?

[cannan]

CARFAX isn't and won't be liable for anything. They can only show what is reported, either through insurance companies or police reports. I had $8,000 in damage to an old M3 and it never showed up on the CARFAX. CARFAX is definitely only one necessary step in researching a potential car purchase. They advertise the "buy back" clause but I highly doubt they even pay out on an inaccurate report. That's what high dollar corporate lawyers are for.

You do not have any recourse with the dealer unless your communications were written, and even then I doubt you would be able to recoup any costs. You would end up spending more money in court costs and attorney's fees than you would pocket in the end - and that's if you won.

Many used car dealers know absolutely nothing about the cars they are selling, and know even less about body work. There is a good chance the person that sold you the car had no idea of the previous bodywork. I would send him a firmly worded letter with a copy of the work being done and explain that he might want to represent his vehicles better in the future. You can also file a claim with the BBB and see if he responds.

Bottom Line - Never buy a car without a pre-purchase inspection. More so with high-end vehicles, and even more so when buying site unseen.

Chalk this one up to a bad experience and just learn from your mistake

[aj4.6]

How much did you pay for the vehicle?
How much to ship?
I think his brief try at honesty when it was being loaded was a big red flag.
Threaten to buy billboard space close to his jalopy junkyard detailing his shady nature.

[papasmurf]

Did you buy the vehicle as-is? I think that the amount of time that has passed has severely weakened your stance. Personally, I would call them and explain all of these issues, and ask what they can do to help you out as a jilted customer. If they don't respond to honey, get a lawyer.