Alan Rossi, owner and operator of Rossi Motor Cars is rude, obnoxious, deceitful, and is a totally dishonest salesman. During my visit for a look at two domestic sedans for sale advertised in the AutoTrader publication, I had uncovered what maybe a ripoff used car dealer preying on would-be under-educated consumers in beautiful South Florida.
Upon my arrival, I attempted to enter the office by "walking-in" in hopes to retrieve the keys for a test-drive. Apparently, the door was locked and I had to knock three times before anyone answered. A large male, about 6' tall opens the door and I said "morning, I'm the gentleman you spoke to on the phone regarding the cars about two days ago."
This intimidating figure was Alan Rossi himself, the individual who holds the secret to his retail business. Rossi demanded my driver's license, myself assuming standard procedure among sales personnel in modern times.
The first car he provided the keys for was a '93 Pontiac Bonneville. He swore up and down the mileage on the car was 110k in our phone conversation, which is the reason why I agreed to even consider looking at it. Visual exterior inspection reveals that the driver's side mirror housing is dangling with excess epoxy and tires had approximately 2% tread life remaining, if even. Paint and trim was extremely weathered due to the effects of the Florida sun. After lifting the hood on this General Motors family car, I immediately noticed that the valve cover had thick films of sludge. The serpentine belt and all hoses were feathered, cracked, and peeling, which would need replacing as routine maintenance items. But more caught the eye, including severe rust in painted areas around the engine compartment. Not a garaged car, obviously.
I concluded initially that this Pontiac was definitely not in excellent condition as he claimed in his ad. A physical drive of the car generated a thorough rundown of other issues. The power driver's seat would not budge despite however you try using the plethora of controls on the center console, causing me to be dangerously close to the steering wheel on this airbag equipped vehicle. Upon moderate acceleration in city traffic, the temperature gauge started to climb rapidly signaling a possible cooling system failure, prompting me to turn around and return the car back to the dealership.
As I parked and exited the vehicle, I squatted down to take a brief momentary look at the pedals. Holy crap Batman! The brake and accelerator rubber was wore out like the rest of the car. More realistically like 210k miles, huh?
I knocked on the door again requesting if I could see the '93 Eagle Vision. Keys were exchanged and I'm about to pop the clamshell lid on this paint-faded cab-forward Chrysler. But whoa! As soon as the engine fired up, the steering wheel and dashboard shook violently as if Alice Cooper was playing a new tune under the instrument panel. Hey Mr. Rossi, about some engine mounts? All the electronic telltales, such as AIRBAG, ABS, SEATBELT, BATTERY, and CHECK ENGINE started flashing at me. The shift indicator lit up in multicolor under all selections. Keep in mind that I owned a '94 Dodge Intrepid, same car with the same problem under a different grille/badge. Bingo, body control module nightmare. Costs arm and a leg to even pick up one from a salvage yard.
I put the Eagle in reverse and slowly backed out of the parking spot. Suddenly, a huge "CLUNK" noise sounding like a 2x4 thrown through the engine. I put the gear selector in drive after stopping and tried making a U-turn. Another massive "POP" thump emmited from the frontal area. Now a gentle acceleration run. And then "WHAM." My teeth clattered in symphony. The transmission has one foot in the grave. The CV-axles are going to Hell with it. Time to park this car.
Knock-knock at his door and gave him back the keys to the Vision. I stated the most I would pay for either one of the cars were $1500 cash and not his asking price. Rossi screamed in an uproar in his own words "what, are you trying to insult me, the Blue Book states $2700 in good condition." Very funny, Alan. Seems to me his ripoff tactics are as good as your cars. Not for a minute, should anyone, whether me or anybody else pay this guy Kelley Blue Book Excellent Retail Value on vehicles that need more work in parts and labor equaling almost twice his asking price.
Rossi's last words were "go f*ck off and get the Hell out of here, I don't want your business, if you ever come back I'll kick your arse." So much for customer courtesy eh? What is really humorous is the fact that I am an ASE certified technician and Rossi assumed I was the usual mouse looking for his bait. Sadly, but surely, he tried to scam the wrong guy. Which is why Rossi Motor Cars is now on complaint!
But like many of you, I'm still an average consumer who doesn't enjoy being misleaded by used car con-men. Their sales practices and pursuading judgements are set in stone to make a fortune. It's basically turning a crap pile into a gold mine. To all the folks who read this report, I hope it gives you insight to the buyer's market simple pleasure: DON'T GET SCREWED.
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