I purchased a vehicle from Drivetime on Oct 15th. Just THREE days after getting the car, it died on me. I called DT and reported it, and I was told it was fine, the car had just been sitting a little while, etc. It ran okay for a while after that, but around December, it started to die on me more and more frequently.By January of it was overheating for no reason, and smoking, even though the temperature guage was reading normal. It died on me more times than I can count, and I called DT and bitched at them, but they only told me to take it to their 'certified vendor', which happens to be this hole-in-the-wall sort of place called G&H Tires on Beach Blvd. Well, we took it there, and guess what? He found nothing wrong with it! After it died on me about two more times in a three day period, my then boyfriend called DT and yelled at them and had to talk to FOUR different departments, of which three of them promised that managers would call us back. We finally, after TWO HOURS of dealing with them, got them to say that he could diagnose the vehicle, as long as G&H Tires fixed it. We took it to his shop and diagnosed it easily as the cracked thermostat housing. We took it to the vendor, and they said "Nothing is wrong with that, " even though we'd just seen the broken housing ourselves. They didn't even print anything up for the times that we went after the first visit, just told us there was nothing wrong with it! (BTW-We never got a call back from a manager, and the warranty on the car just so happened to be almost gone at that point!)
We talked to DT corporate, their several depts that kept pushing us off on other depts, and even went into their office where we purchased the car. No one would help us. We were promised about sixth different times that a manager from corporate would call us back. No one did. They didn't care, so long as we paid them the $375 payment a month! Finally, we just decided to fix the car ourselves, officially voiding the warranty. It ran okay for a few more months before it started to die on me mysteriously again. Everytime we took it into a mechanic shop, they would tell us they found nothing wrong with it-even though the problems with the car ranged from:
Strange vibrations, overly-excessive idling at lights or stops, refusing to start, refusing to run, dying when it had only been driven a distance of a couple hundred feet, windows not working (started with the back, now the driver side as well), air has a strange burning smell when left on for more than ten minutes, gas consumption of less than 20 MPG. These all happened within the first 8 months of having the vehicle, and now it is Aug, and I have not even had it for a year!
There are several other causes for concern, but most recently, I had my check engine light coming on. The next day, it wouldn't start. My then boyfriend jumped it, and it ran fine, but the next week, the battery light came on again while I was driving to work. When I got there, it died. I took a lunch break and drove it a couple blocks down the road to my brother's shop, but on the way there it died again. I had to have him put a portable charger on the battery and drive down the road at ten miles an hour to get to the shop, where we found out that my alternator was COMPLETELY dead. The battery was so drained that it couldn't hold charge anymore. I have no vehicle as of right now, because it is sitting in front of a shop collecting dust because I cannot afford to pay $400 to have a new battery and alternator installed. I have still had to make payments on the car, even though I can't drive it!
I called DT corporate, and got one of the rudest, snottiest cust. Managers I have ever spoken to. (Yes, I'm talking about you Brandy!) She basically told me to piss off, because since it wasn't under warranty, DT wouldn't fix it. I was assured by her and another rep that I would be called back by a Manager, (it seems that every time I call, they are in meetings ALL DAY) and that because I filed a BBB report against them, I had a seperate account manager, who wasn't even there to talk to me! So no one called me back, now two weeks later, and no one would help me since I filed with the BBB! Drivetime is a scam artist and they sell you lemons! Don't buy from them!
Merethe
Jacksonville, Florida
U.S.A.
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