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My Salesperson Misled Me
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She tells EVERYONE about the great deal she got on her Pinkley Taurus!
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
-moo
Dear potential consumer,
WE WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND AGAINST BUYING USED CARS FROM THIS DEALER!!!!!!! BAD BUSINESS IN MY OPINION!!!
If you’re thinking about buying a at Great Lakes Auto Sales Inc., in Parma, Ohio, you may want to take a minute to read this.
A soldier who I’m sure is not the first one in this situation, and DID sign an as-is disclaimer, was sold a lemon from these guys and you know, it’s so so hard to swallow that after dodging bullets and bombs for a year in Afghanistan - and then again for a second deployment in Iraq – he then comes home to get this kind of stuff from a couple of guys he and his brothers are protecting. You get a sort of nature in the service that is trusting of fellow Americans because you come to BELIEVE IN THE SUPPORT. It’s a sad thing to hear that some dealers are taking advantage of this ideology as a sales tactic:
The soldier called a salesman at Great Lakes Auto Sales Inc. to ask about a Lincoln he had listed. The salesman indicated that “it’s in perfect condition” “you will not have any problems whatsoever”. He then rents a car and drives 252 miles to Parma, OH to buy the car.
The “Check Air Ride" light immediately comes on and there is a grinding noise in the engine compartment. The salesman says that he was not previously aware of the problem. The salesman said “it’s because it’s cold, give it a while and if it doesn’t change I‘ll cover you to have it fixed”. Again, he unfortunately did sign an as-is disclaimer but foolishly trusted the salesman’s word.
The pictures are still viewable on the Great Lakes Auto Sales website and it is clear that the rear end of the car was sitting a bit low, this tells us that Great Lakes Auto Sales may have known that the air ride was bad because the “Check air ride” light comes on every time the vehicle is started. They could have disclosed it at anytime during the sale. This repair alone is more than $1100.00 so far.
Three days after the sale the alternator goes out and the car completely shuts off on the highway while his wife is driving with their 8 week old son. Not long after paying $300.00 for a new one to be installed, the “Service Engine Soon” light comes on next; this is at day five and the car now intermittently stalls during idle. He’s looking at about $2200.00 in repairs so far and he said it seems like there’s something else everyday.
When he bought it the salesman told him, “If you have any problems bring it back and we’ll trade the car for something else”. He has called the salesman everyday only to get the run around; so far the salesman hasn’t kept his word on anything.
We all understand that he made a bad decision by trusting someone’s word during this deal but the sales team at Great Lakes Auto Sales Inc. knew that this customer had just came home from a second deployment in the Middle East not long ago and has just had a newborn baby boy. Now the three of them have to ride in an unsafe car because it’s tough to afford these kinds of repairs on a soldier’s income.
NO ONE should have to go through what this soldier has endured here in the past week. As a matter of fact, THERE SHOULD BE A LAW AGAINST hiding be behind as-as stickers in order to sell unsafe and broken goods to hardworking American consumers. I just wanted to tell this story to all the honest Americans I‘m able to reach!
Just in case you’re not convinced yet, try asking the dealer to put a 14 day bumper to bumper warranty in writing when you buy a car, if it’s the perfect car they say it is, they should have no problems doing that. I myself tested this theory over the phone and was quickly told “oh no, we can’t do that”. Also keep in mind that the 4 month/4500 mile engine and transmission warranty that some dealers peddle at their shop are worth little more than the paper they’re written on (if it ever arrives in the mail that is). Just ask if their 4 month warranty will cover an alternator or starter or a high dollar repair like rear suspension. You’ll see.
Note: Since we started this post we’ve had quite a few replies about similar problems with this same Dealership. It would appear that this strategy is a normal operations here.
If you DO NOT BUY CARS FROM Great Lakes Used Car Sales Inc. in Parma, OH I think you will be better off!
Keywords [2]: CAR AUTO BUYING ADVICE CARS SCAM SCAMMER SCAMS FRAUD DO NOT BUY NEVER BUY HELP WITH LEMON BAD EXPERIENCE BUSINESS
Your 2 posts have little credibility.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
But...although I have total respect for anyone serving overseas in the military, that aspect has nothing to do with thi situation.
And I have to wonder WHY this person would buy such a complex car that doesn't have the best record of reliability?
A altenator can fail on any car without warning. That is what they do.
And a "check engine" light can come on for a bunch of different reasons.
If that store said they would stand behind that car, they should!
And, they should be allowed to tell their side of the story.
i dont know who our rep is from cardone.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
And I'm sure they had her deal done lickety split and made her feel good all over, eh? :shades:
Right! Of course, they finished things off with a box lunch.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
This guy admitted he signed the as is form,yet he still expected the dealer to warranty the car.
If a dealer promises to fix something GET IT IN WRITING.
Now,even if the dealer had fixed the suspension issue, they were under no obligation to warranty anything else that went wrong with the car.
THAT is what As Is means.
The customer could have bought a warranty,probably didn't want to spend the money on it.
The reason the guy went so far to buy a Lincoln is probably because of the price of the car.
Ultimately, you do get what you pay for.
I wasn't trying to present the idea that soldiers should be treated better than civilians, this story just happens to be about a soldier (and whether you like it or not, the general census will be: THAT DOES MAKE IT MORE MESSED UP).
I'm trying to present this as a viable story and not crappy "FW:" or whinning material. Yes it will be repetitive because I WILL get the word out. Not just on these guys but every shady dealer - weather they're acting crooked towards solder or civilian - I will do my best to expose them.
And that's cute that you place your own a metric of "credibilty".
No reading is bad reading however, so minus the hog-wash, i will take what you've said into consideration in the future. Thanks
I think they definatly should fix the suspension problem. That problem was there when they sold the car and they said they would fix it.
Those cause trouble pretty often and they can be very expensive to fix.
The other problems were unknown and just bum luck for the buyer.
I'm thinking the buyer just had to have a Lincoln and didn't ask for advise or research the track record of these.
Of course any make can and will have problems. Some are just (much) worse than others.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
You are doing the right thing by using the power of the internet to spread the word about this sleazy store. I just googled the name of the store, and found three of your posts in different forums on the first page, on top of their ebay ad. Keep on posting, but repeat the name of the store as much as possible, so that the search engines will put your posts on top of store’s ads. When you are done, call the GM of that store and tell him to google the name of his store, tell him that you will continue to “spread the word” about his business on the internet until he “delivers” on his salesman’s promises. Just make sure you talk to the GM verbally, if you know what I mean.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
IF the dealer did promise to fix the suspension, because it was an issue at time of delivery,by all means they should have.
Any issues that cropped up after that are not the dealers responsibility. Period.
It is a USED car, sold AS IS.
Buyers are liars!!!!!!!
Tsk. Tsk. Yours, not your's. It off to the grammar topic with you!
LOL Bored while waiting for the cows to come to slaughter
In my state licensed dealers are not allowed to sell "as is". There is a warranty of 30 days on older cars and a 60 day warranty on newer ones. Only a private seller can sell as is.
Anyway, this soldier was too trusting he should not have relied that he was in the military to protect him. Not all the bad guys are in Iraq.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
So true and we just found another one, right here, that we have to be on guard for when buying a car.
It's a good thing there are lots of stores we can choose from.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Most states require powertrain warranties,not bumper to bumper ones.
which wouldn't have helped this guy anyway.
Look, only an idiot buys a used car,esp a used American car without a warranty.
I wouldn't buy a used car without a long term warranty.
The dealer isn't supposed to warranty a car in perpetuity.
Either buy a warranty, or buy a car where the dealer provides a warranty as part of the sale price,for example a CPO car.
Thanks :shades:
Since sharing this messge we've found that these guys have done the same thing on several occasions. Great Lakes Auto Sales Inc. has had a quite few complaints with the BBB and also open actions with the Attorney General. RUN!!
They're on eBay too!
Start saving up your per diem and combat pay so you can pay cash. Don't look at it like they were out to screw you...They're out to screw anybody. Car dealers are hurting and it will get worse as the economy tanks. They need to make up for loss of sales with the few customers still buying.
Dealers are finding Ebay to be a cheap ad to lure buyers and some have put their entire inventory on there.
ps next time before you buy, go to a site and ask about the specific car. Most everybody here knows to avoid those old air bag cars. If you must keep the car just chuck the factory air pump shocks and add manual air shocks.
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
1) Why did he have to travel to buy this Lincoln? Is it that rare? orWas it the price that attracted him?
2) Did he cross any state lines getting there? If yes, then the matter can be more quickly resolved in the Federal Court, and Federal rules or state of residency rules (if favorable) may apply. Although most states require written contract, Federal Law allows "implied contract" where a testimony may be enough to force the dealer to fix the airbag suspension.
3) Sounds like the soldier was recruited young and naive, and remained naive after all these years in the service. Time to grow up.
4) As to the other stuff breaking... well, it is a used car, what do you expect. Someone sold it because they did not want to deal with it. No one, I repeat, no one sells a perfectly functioning vehicle. People sell their cars to get rid of the problems.
Completely and utterly wrong. I see people trade in vehicles that are showroom condition for no other reason than they want a new vehicle.
People change, their needs change, tastes change. There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a preowned vehicle as long as you check it out.
-moo
Since when?
Guess I must be "no one" since I sold my '91 Toyota MR2 on Friday because I borrowed money to buy my son a replacement vehicle for his Maxima (which he hasn't been able to sell yet) and now his college tuition is due for next semester. The fellow who bought it got a fine car at a fair price.
That is COMPLETE garbage,
I cycle out ALL my fleet vehicles after 3-4 years and 50k miles regardless of the condition of the vehicle and most are in very good condition with NO mechanical problems.
Oh come on, you don't really believe that do you? People trade cars for a number of reasons. Some people get rid of cream puffs because they have to have the latest new fad. Others are trading before that strange sound in the tranny starts costing money.
Not every used car is a lemon but they sure ain't all cream puffs either. I've had pretty good luck buying from new car dealers as I think they have a reputation to uphold.
I shudder when I drive past the BHPH dealers with the "Everybody gets Financed " signs.
I agree 100% that you should get your used car checked out.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Yes, I do. His statement was that noone trades out of their current vehicle unless it's a liability. Though some may do that, not ALL do that. His blanket statement is ridiculous.
-moo
Why did he trade it in? He was bored with it and wanted to buy his wife a Christmas present. He bought is wife a 2008 Range Rover.
When he bought the sport he traded in a 2007 MY ML350 with less then 8,000 miles on it.
In the 9 months that I have known this guy he has bought a ML-Class, R-Class, Z06, Caymann S, Range Sport, Range Rover and something else that I forget.
The only cars he owns right now are the Range Rover, Cayman S and R-Class.
Some people just want a new vehicle. The idea that preowned vehicles are tainted is ridiculous. Some of them may be. The vast majority are excellent vehicles. That's the reason why used vehicles account for the most vehicles sold in the U.S.
-moo
Mack :shades:
It is also true that oftentimes buying a used car is buying someone else's problem... :sick:
Like buying new, homework needs to be done.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)