I was eyeing a truck that had been on their lot for a few months (a 1984 Ford F-150). Crown Auto World Bristow was selling this truck on consignment for a local lawyer who apparently buys a lot of cars from them. Me being out of state, if I were to purchase the truck, I wanted to make sure the truck was fully functional with no leaks or issues.
I originally called and spoke with Larry, who said he'd call the lawyer to see if he would come off the price. Larry never called me back. The following week I called and spoke with Tony, the GM, who was diligent in following up with any questions I had. Tony FaceTimed me, showed me the truck, and mentioned that there were no leaks, that it had been recently serviced and detailed, and that it's a great truck. After Larry test drove it, he called back to tell me there was a pretty nasty vibration when decelerating. Tony called me back and said there was no vibration.
Tony also felt the need to clue me in on the lawyer's sexual orientation. He repeatedly told me that he thought the lawyer was a "homosexual" and that I shouldn't be alarmed if/when I speak to him over the phone about the truck. What kind of country is this where a GM of a dealership is telling prospective customers about the sexual orientation of other people?
I paid $7,500 for the truck (plus a $200 processing fee that I wasn't aware of until the money was about to be exchanged). They shipped the car to me out of state, and the VERY NEXT DAY I had MAJOR issues with it, starting with a massive fuel leak from the carburetor. Gas was literally pouring out of the bottom of it. I also noticed the sway bar links needed replacing, a transmission pan leak, an oil leak, a faulty wheel bearing, no functioning reverse tail lights, a faulty wiper motor, and an awful vibration. It turns out the engine wasn't even bolted to the transmission! Needless to say, I was extremely upset. Some 'servicing' huh? There was also a bird's nest in the air filter and a hornet's nest on the passenger side visor. The interior floor carpet was filthy with coffee stains all over it, and there was dog hair all in it as well. Tony later said that by "serviced," he only meant changing the oil and checking the tire pressure. What a joke.
The manila folder they provided with all the truck information had the words "6K Min" on it, meaning they would have accepted $6,000 for the truck. When confronted about this, the GM, Tony, said that they 'reuse' folders all the time despite the fact that the label on the folder said "1984 F-150 351," my exact truck.
After getting estimates on all the fixes required, it came out to around $1,600, including a new carburetor. For two weeks, Tony was saying that he couldn't help with those repairs despite buying the truck from his dealership, and he said I'd have to work this out with the lawyer. I tried calling the lawyer multiple times to see about working something out. He never called me back. Additionally I was trying to go through Tony to get the lawyer to agree to paying for the repairs. Tony would sometimes answer my calls, other times he wouldn't. He kept saying that he was trying to talk to the lawyer and that the lawyer might be able to help out. Eventually, after many follow up tries, Tony said the lawyer wasn't going to give a dime. Tony then said he'd send me back the $200 dock fee, but that he couldn't "pay me" to buy a car from him.
I also tried for two weeks to call and speak with the owner, John, who never returned my calls.
So I got screwed into buying a truck they said was serviced and had no leaks or issues. It wasn't serviced at all nor detailed like they said. He also said he filled up both gas tanks, but that wasn't true either. I paid $1,500 more than what they would have accepted, and now I'm in the hole $1,600 more just to get the truck running efficiently and safely.
The lawyer still hasn't returned my calls, and Tony has basically said they've done all they can do. Tony was initially a nice guy, but he only followed up with me when it came to money, and at the end of the day, this dealership will NOT honor their word and will sell you a lemon without regret. read more