I would strongly recommend against visiting Michael J's Auto Sales (also called Weinle Motorsports). In my experience, while they may seem very nice, they are either ignorant of the damages in the cars they sell (or even worse, actively try to cover up this damage at the expense of the customer). They also do not stand by their offer of a warranty (in my case, simply refusing to return the many calls I made). There is apparently a pattern of this behavior that many customers have experienced.
The Details:
I purchased a 2008 Saturn VUE from Michael J's Auto Sales / Weinle Motorsports on Saturday, Nov 7, 2020. They had described the car as "running great". At that time, the check engine light was on and during the test drive the car seemed to have some small trouble shifting properly. I was assured by the sales associate (who hooked up a scanner to the car) that it was just a sensor issue. Later in my interaction, I asked about a warranty for the car and was told "we are working on that and I will give you a call in a few days". I did not sign any "as is" or "no warranty" paperwork. I was told not to decline the warranty since I was interested in it.
On Wednesday, Nov 11th, I went to a Certified Saturn Service center about the check engine light. They hooked up their sensor to the car and immediately told me that what they saw wasn't good, but they would need to manually check a few things to determine the exact problem. 20-30 minutes later, they told me they had very bad news. The Timing Chain had been jumped. In addition there was an oil leak (which answered why there was oil on my driveway). There might also be a problem with the Pressure Control Solenoid (however, this might be due to the timing chain issue). They also showed me how the timing chain was so stretched and slack that it was actually rubbing the engine block itself and significantly wore it down (it should be tight and at least an inch or so away from the engine). They told me that they thought it was unethical for anyone to have sold or misrepresented this car as "running great", and that it should have been immediately obvious to anyone with any mechanical knowledge that there were huge problems with this car. At this point, the manufacturer recommends an engine replacement (there is no "fix" for the damage that has been done). Finally, I will point out that the service center did not find any sensors that were bad or needed replacing.
I immediately contacted Michael J's Auto Sales about the issue and was told that since I drove the car off the lot, that there was nothing they could do. I asked about the warranty that was offered and was told there was no such warranty and that I had signed papers to this effect. When I pointed out I didn't sign such papers, and after the person on the phone checked, he immediately went silent and then, after a pause, said he would get back to me. Since then, I have made 13 calls to the dealership over the past 7 days and the person I supposedly need to talk to is never there and never calls me back.
I should also point out that, after I purchased the car, but before I went to the mechanic, I had contacted NVP Warranty (a company that provides aftermarket warranties for used cars). The previous car I purchased elsewhere had such a warranty that came with the car. They were originally very excited I gave them a call and eager to work with the dealer to get me set up with something. However, upon a quick investigation, they shared with me that they used to work with Michael J's Auto Sales/Weinle Motorsports to provide these warranties, but "they no longer do business with them". I did not get specifics, but I got the impression that there was an inordinately high volume of lemons that were coming out of this used car dealership.
The Summary:
Michael J's Auto Sales/Weinle Motorsports, at best, seems to not check their cars that they sell for issues before they label them as "running great". At worst, they knowingly and intentionally hide serious problems with the cars they sell and misrepresent them in order to scam their customers. Either way, this is not a dealership that you want to buy a car from. In addition, they don't stand by their promise of a warranty and seem to actively dodge calls from customers that they have scammed. Finally, based on my conversation with NVP Warranty, it seems that this situation that is common for this dealership.
So, I guess if you are a mechanic yourself, and have the ability to look into the car (on their lot and before you buy the car) to confirm that the car is what you expect, then this might be an option for you. However, for most people, I would strongly advise against buying anything from this dealership.
I am happy to talk more about my experience if you need additional information. read more
