Fair Deal Auto Sales Of Tampa
Fair deal auto sales of tampa will offer you the worst cars and worst service you can imagine

I purchased a 1998 Infiniti Q45t with 117,000 miles from Fair Deal on 5/19/08 and paid a total of $6412 cash. The owner Mohammed, the salesman Steven (who is no longer there and the brother in law of Mohammed) and others there told me over and over what a good car it was. They were just finishing putiing on new timing chains and it would be like new they all assured me.

I am generally a bright consumer, but between the promises on their website and the time I spent with them, they won my trust. When I asked for the 3 or 6 month warranty per their website, they said it is a verbal agreement and they stand behind their cars—if there was naything wrong for 3-6 months, they guaranteed me they would fix it.

Instead they try to sell you a 5 year warranty for $1200-with almost no literature to tell you about the warranty. I bought the car in as-is condition, but believed their promises. The air bag light was on the day before I picked it up. They said they would fix it before I picked it up. When I went to get it, the light was still on. They said to bring it back the next day and they would fix it.

The next day, I took it to my mechanic, a long time friend who I trust and who I always take a car to before I buy it. He said it was a bad car and to take it back immediately and get my money back. He provided me a list showing the needed repairs equaling thousands of dollars to fix. On my way home from my mechanics, the car stalled and would not do a thing.

Mechanics working nearby tried to help but could not do a thing. The next day, Mohammed had it towed back and said he would not give me a refund and guaranteed me in front of witnesses that he stood behind his cars and he was going to make it perfect. He promised me this over and over.

I called Mohammed (the owner) every few days and it took about 2 weeks and he said it was perfect and to come pick it up. I live in Madeira Beach and he is in Tampa, near USF so each trip is about 45 minutes to 1 hour each way. I picked up the car and it seemed better but the air bag light was still on and a few smaller things he said would be fixed, were not.

About 30 minutes into my trip home, the car started banging, clunking, steaming, it overheated suddenly and the car lost all power, I pulled off an exit and rolled onto a shoulder. I called Mohammed and he said he would have it towed back again. Again he was sorry and promised he would get it perfect.

I should mention that before deciding on the Q45 I test drove a Sebring convertible from Fair Deal. About 10 minutes into the drive I was on I 75 and the car did the exact thing my Q45 did. Started banging and overheating. My salesman Steven came with gas (just in case) and a machine to jump the battery. It would not drive (it was not gas) and they had to drive me back to the lot and have that car towed. It is now on sale on their lot.

Mohammed now had my car until 6/29/08, about 4 weeks and this is when he began back peddling on his promises. He said the car would be perfect, but gave me a song and dance about finding something wrong with the muffler and they lost a part when they took it apart. They had to take it to a nearby muffler shop to get that fixed. He found out it could cost as much as $750 to fix the air bag light and started telling me he may not fix that. I called him every several days and he kept telling me they were just trying to get it perfect for me.

Afew days before I picked up the car—he called me and told me the car was perfect, but I would have to pay about $500. I had never agreed to pay anything! He tried and tried to get money from me and I refused. Then on Sunday 6/29, Steven called me and said Mohammed told him to call me and pick up my car at no charge. I went to get it and while I was there, Mohammed called Steven and told him to get the money from me. I refused, Steven agreed, and I left. The air bag light was still on, a headlight was out, there were new scratches on it, and it was FILTHY inside and out. Dirt and leaves were piled thick on the car.

Once again, about 20 minutes on my way home, the car did the same thing, banging and clunking and died on I-275 downtown Tampa. I rolled off an exit and there was a gas station. I could not get ahold of anyone with Fair Deal (I have Mohammeds' cell #). The station allowed me to leave the car there until morining. The next day, I got a hold of Mohammed and he refused to do anything. I paid $126.50 to have it towed to my mechanic who told me the engine was destroyed (the lower half) and needed to be replaced at about $5000.

It took me weeks to get Mohammed to agree to do anything. I had to pay another $125 to have it towed to the mechanic next door to Fair Deal, Professional Auto and Air and they confirmed what my mechanic had said—it needs a new engine. Now remember, I have only had the car run for less than 1 day in nearly 3 months!

I then did what I should have done long ago and ran a Carfax. I was SHOCKED to find that the car had been bought and sold at auction twice shortly before Mohammed got it. Whoever bought it two owners prior to Mohammed had rolled the odometer back from 237,000 miles to the 117,000 I thought it had. I would never buy a car with that many miles on it.

Now all this trouble made since. The car looked very nice when I got it with little wear on the inside and a few scratches on the outside. But since the car is over 10 years old, it is EXEMPT from laws regarding odometer fraud. I have the title and where the odometer reading should be, it reads EXEMPT. Who has ever heard about this law? This needs to be changed! Any dealer can but a 10 year old car, roll the odometer back and sell it as a good car.

It has now sat at the mechanics next door to Fair Deal for several weeks while Mohammed and Daniel do nothing. They are now trying to get me to pay $600-$700 to this mechanic and they say they have found an engine to put in the car and that they will pay for that—if I will take all future problems to Willy, the owner of Professional Auto and Air. Mohammed will not fix the air bag light or anything and wants me to sign a contract that all future dealings with the car be done with Willy. I do not trust Mohammed in any way for obvious reasons. He still cannot be pinned down on anything and puts everything off for days.

I am awaiting disability and took the money I got from the sale of my last car and put it on this car. I have nothing left to give them. I have been cheated and lied to in every way one can be. I have filed a report with the BBB. They have contacted me to let me know they have received no rebuttal fro Mohammed. I wish I had checked with them first, as Fair Deal has an UNSATISFACTORY RECORD with them with 13 complaints.

I have also filed complaints with the DMV, the Consumer Protection Agency and Yahoo Reviews, where they have many complaints.

I have contacted attorneys, but do not have the money to pursue this in court. If I were to go to small claims court, I could only get $5000. And they will have made $1412 on me. I have been through hell over this and have had to make 15 to 20 trips to Fair Deal. I feel that somethng needs to be done to keep this from happening to other people.

They have another Q45t on the lot that is 1 year newer and has 18,000 miles fewer that mine was suppsed to have. If this car is in good condition, (I have run a Carfax and that looks good) I feel this would be a good even trade considering all I have been through. But they say this would cost me another $3000-$4000 more. Even thought this car is marked $7999 - only $1600 more that I paid for mine.

Yesterday Mohammed told my roommate "we both know the car is worth nothing". He said he would give me a car on the lot worth about $3000-$4000 as an even exchange. He said we would complete this deal with Willy yesterday, and in spite of all our attempts to do something, we still have nothing.

Company: Fair Deal Auto Sales Of Tampa
Country: USA
State: Florida
City: TAMPA
Address: 11901 N. NEBRASKA AVE
Phone: 8136003400

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