Ron Spell is a pretty nice fella, kind of a turd when it comes to dealing cars. In October of last year I was involved in an accident and was awarded a bit of insurance money. I was super stored, because I hated the beater I'd been driving for over two yrs. I had only about 10 days before my rental car coverage would end, and having transportation to and from work was paramount. Given that had nothing to put on top of my insurance claim, my budget was about $4200. I was sure that in no time I would be riding in style in my spiffy 02-05ish American made truck. After perusing the car ads feverishly, I came upon my 03' Dodge Ram 1500. It gleamed with class and dignity, quite a step up for me. During the test drive I noticed it fishtailed a bit at higher speeds, and thereu was an unmistakable creak when the truck would stop, turn, or hit small bumps. I tacked it off as a quick fix with a can of wd-40. Mr Spell and I sat down to discuss the car and talk numbers, as I made clear to him I was pressed for time. I knew what kind of a lot this was, where he got his inventory, and how he made his money. Before I gotten much further, i confided to Ron that I wasn't very experienced in negotiating or in choosing a used vehicle. I thought my honesty would be appreciated and he could let down his guard and give me a heads up on what i would later find to be some pretty serious defects. He just seemed to salivate at my naivete.
His lot had a garage for what I foolishly thought was for assessing each vehicles condition, then making necessary repairs on any major components. Those which would affect the vehicles performance, or could potentially impact its safety.I never assumed he had a full crew of certified mechanics and porters, but to look you'd think maybe one mechanic. Ron's son had been there both times I had to visit, I think he did most of the washing and waxing. I had seen the truck in the car ads for at least a couple of weeks prior to buying it, so theres really no telling how long it had sat there or how many ppl had looked into it.
Now 6 months later my truck has the following issues and parts to be replaced:
Bad A-ARM bushings
Bad upper and lower front end ball joints
Bad drivers side front wheel hub assembly
Cracked dash
Bent frame
A/c low pressure side aluminum tubing
Ron Spell is an auction car dealer. He pays as little as possible and invests even less in what he puts on his lot. Any problems you may encounter down the road, probably aren't of any concern to him. read more
