Pissed off about how a car sale was handled...what would you do?

leeland

Diamond Member
Dec 12, 2000
3,659
0
76
So...my wife and I bought a vehicle at a dealership about 5 hours way from our home because a decent deal.

Everything went well with the sale...two days after the vehicle had an issue, which I had to take to a local dealer.

While it was getting fixed (luckily under warranty) I called the dealership requesting documents about the initial mechanical inspection (less than a week after purchase).

I got the run around...run around...run around about missing paperwork...kept telling me they would call me back when they located the paperwork.

Anyways after waiting 10 days I finally called back and asked literally WTF is going on and I got stonewalled with a B.S. answer...basically giving me nothing.

SO...the end result is I am not getting the paper work, they know that I really can't do anything on a used vehicle...on top of of being such a distance away.

EDIT: I messed up because I didn't ask for the paperwork at the time of sale so that is on me...

I am contemplating contacting someone in the upper management about this, but I am wondering if it will fall on deaf ears.

What would you do?
 
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Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
Call upper management, make it clear you'll call corporate and local consumer hotlines, and do so. If they can't give you the paperwork, ask for reasonable compensation.
 

mztykal

Diamond Member
Apr 21, 2000
6,712
48
91
A coworker did that and got a new car for the sale price. Just keep calling a higher manager until you get what you want. It's not your job to get the paperwork. They should produce a checklist of what was inspected.
 

colonelciller

Senior member
Sep 29, 2012
915
0
0
They didn'tdo the inspection... or if they did they didn't write it down
i doubt management is blind to this and they probably don't care... heck it could be management's idea.

chalk this one up as a lesson for the next purchase. you don't have a power position in this situation like you did have before the purchase. TBH i never would have thought to ask for the paperwork either, so in this case i thank you for the lesson :)
 

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
13,306
3
0
At this point it doesn't matter anyway, you bought the car. Regardless of what the inspection says you own it. The time to use inspection info is when deciding if you want to buy the car. You already did. It just doesn't matter now. No future buyer will care, seriously.

I would also be pissed on principle. Car salesman are awful people.
 

draknon

Member
Jul 2, 2008
94
4
71
Was this a manufacturer "certified" used car? If not, then I don't think it really matters at all.
 

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
7,881
549
126
At this point it doesn't matter anyway, you bought the car. Regardless of what the inspection says you own it. The time to use inspection info is when deciding if you want to buy the car. You already did. It just doesn't matter now. No future buyer will care, seriously.

I would also be pissed on principle. Car salesman are awful people.

That's a good way of putting it.
Beside, they did repair the car at no cost to him.
 

rga

Senior member
Nov 9, 2011
640
2
81
A guy in city 30 minutes west of where I live put his truck up for sale on Craigslist. Two guys visited him for a test drive. Now the the owner of the truck and the truck itself have been missing for days, and the city's homicide unit is now investigating. Kind of off topic, but it is another example of a used car sale gone awry.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,143
10
81
I am contemplating contacting someone in the upper management about this, but I am wondering if it will fall on deaf ears.

What would you do?

been there done that. My experience with my taurus i had is calling up the tree won't matter worth shit. the atmosphere of teh dealership is how the boss does it. if they won't give you paperwork now they wont if you bug the owner. Though you never know it might work. As for going above the owner? to who? let me tell you ford itself won't give a shit. its a dealership and they just don't care.

The trick is to make it public. list it on review sites i listed my dealings with them on yahoo and everywhere else i could find. They tried and tried to fix my car. ended up with a new set of fuel injectors, o2 sensors, and other shit i can't remember.

A coworker did that and got a new car for the sale price. Just keep calling a higher manager until you get what you want. It's not your job to get the paperwork. They should produce a checklist of what was inspected.

what? bullshit. need details to believe any of it.

At this point it doesn't matter anyway, you bought
the car. Regardless of what the inspection says you own it. The time to use inspection info is when deciding if you want to buy the car. You already did. It just doesn't matter now. No future buyer will care, seriously.

I would also be pissed on principle. Car salesman are awful people.


/this

You own the car. Used cars are taken "as is" unless you have paperwork. Also most times lemon laws will not cover used cars.
 
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Cuda1447

Lifer
Jul 26, 2002
11,757
0
71
A guy in city 30 minutes west of where I live put his truck up for sale on Craigslist. Two guys visited him for a test drive. Now the the owner of the truck and the truck itself have been missing for days, and the city's homicide unit is now investigating. Kind of off topic, but it is another example of a used car sale gone awry.

Woah. Yea, I think it's pretty safe to assume that's not a coincidence.
 

Ketchup

Elite Member
Sep 1, 2002
14,559
248
106
If you are really concerned about this paperwork, go to management. This has worked for me in the past, but like anything it just depends on them. Brief experience of mine:

Took the car for an oil change (the Mazda dealership I bought the car from), went to pick it up and all 4 wheels were scratched on the edge. Told the service guy there, he didn't know why. Talked to the service manager, he said their curbs couldn't have done that, go away. Went to their website and sent the owner information about the situation. About an hour later the service manager calls and asked me to come in to have the wheels refinished. I do my own oil changes now.

I would say to give it a shot, but as others have basically said, don't waste time and money on the thing. If it were me, I would just consider it a lesson learned.
 

DrunkenSano

Diamond Member
Aug 8, 2008
3,892
490
126
That's the job of used car salesman. They need to push that used car out of the lot anyway they can, including shady practices. Once it is off the lot, they win, you lose, it's off their hands and they are now searching for their next victim.
 

Mandres

Senior member
Jun 8, 2011
944
58
91
I would be extremely thankful they're fixing whatever the problem is. Most used car buyers don't get that lucky.
 

smitbret

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2006
3,382
17
81
So...my wife and I bought a vehicle at a dealership about 5 hours way from our home because a decent deal.

Everything went well with the sale...two days after the vehicle had an issue, which I had to take to a local dealer.

While it was getting fixed (luckily under warranty) I called the dealership requesting documents about the initial mechanical inspection (less than a week after purchase).

I got the run around...run around...run around about missing paperwork...kept telling me they would call me back when they located the paperwork.

Anyways after waiting 10 days I finally called back and asked literally WTF is going on and I got stonewalled with a B.S. answer...basically giving me nothing.

SO...the end result is I am not getting the paper work, they know that I really can't do anything on a used vehicle...on top of of being such a distance away.

EDIT: I messed up because I didn't ask for the paperwork at the time of sale so that is on me...

I am contemplating contacting someone in the upper management about this, but I am wondering if it will fall on deaf ears.

What would you do?

I'm confused what's going on and the anti-car dealership attitude that you are getting in this thread is just the common knee jerk reaction and not really based on anything other than people don't like spending a ton of money and buying cars makes them uncomfortable.

So, to clarify, you bought a used car from a dealership that was about 5 hours away and had an issue that required some work so you took it to a local dealership. Correct? You said it was covered by warranty. What warranty is this? Is it the manufacturer's 3/36000 new car warranty or something after the fact? Is it a certified used warranty that is also through the manufacturer?
 
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smitbret

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2006
3,382
17
81
Yeah. 30 day return / lemon law in my state; "good" deal or not, they don't want your money.

Lemon Law only applies to Brand New vehicles, not used. Also, most states do not have any kind of return policy. Basically, you drive it off the lot and take ownership, it's yours.