Let me start out by saying i did not shop wisely. I didn't bring a mechanic to check the car out, I bought the car after dark (winter here, not much choice), and the test drive was really short. That being said, my son and I settled on a $2250 Dodge Durango. Our salesman Zack told us he had driven it for 3 days the prior week in the snowstorm and it ran like a champ which helped seal the deal. We got about 1 mile from the dealer to a gas station to fill it up, and the car was smoking already. We went straight to our closest mechanic the next day and received a $3000 estimate to get it back to its original glory (chain store shop). I called back, and a different salesman said the car was mine, but he didn't want me to get ripped off. I said great, I'll bring the car right over and get our money back. He said no, he can't do that... he meant he didn't want me to get ripped off by a mechanic and he insisted i get a second opinion. Fair enough. I took it to my usual mechanic the next day who had it for 3 days. It turns out, there were 2 small hoses completely missing from the engine, causing coolant to spill out in to the engine as fast as we could pour it in. We put a few hundred dollars in to it to get it street safe again, and went on our merry way. A couple days later, we were on 82nd and the car died again. We rolled it over to a parking lot to troubleshoot it, and had to call a mobile mechanic to come look at it. After a few days and 100 more dollars for his time, he proclaimed the engine dead.
I had asked from the first day it was broken for the owner to call me to see if we could find a resolution, such as trading it back to the lot for a different car but he never called. I even sat in their office for an hour one morning while Zack tried to get the boss on the phone to talk to me... unsuccessfully. My salesman assured me the car was running fine when I bought it. Their mechanic (who they said they don't use anymore) had proclaimed the truck was in great shape... I guess he missed the missing hoses... heck, I did as well when looking at the car. I was informed that the dealership buys lots of cars at auction every week, and can't possibly check to make sure they are all running well... sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. Zack also informed us that because the lot is on 82nd, they have lots of troubles with people breaking in to cars and stealing parts. I'm not really sure why someone would bother stealing 2 small hose lengths, but apparently it's a thing.
I didn't expect to get a car on 82nd for $2250 that would last me years to come, but I had at least hoped it would get my son back and forth to work for a season or two and some outdoor camping adventures this spring. I would urge everyone buying used cars (especially at this lot) to spend the money on a mechanic to check the car out before purchasing. I am hoping to find someone to sell it to as-is who can maybe tinker with it to get it running again, but this has been a really expensive life lesson on not jumping in to a purchase too fast. My son had diligently saved up for 3 months to buy his first car, and I am disappointed that our purchase went so poorly and the dealer wasn't willing at all to work with us... once that paper is signed, it's ours and their responsibility ends. read more