In June my husband (fiance at the time) were in the market for an SUV with a 3rd row seat. At the time I drove a Nissan Maxima and was very pleased with the way it performed over the course of my ownership. We were driving past the Gwinnett Place Nissan and decided to take a look at what they had to offer.
We were greeted immediately and shown several different SUVs that met our specifications, and test-drove a couple that stood out from the others. We were in the "pre-owned" lot, however, the trucks we drove had pretty low mileage.
Our first mistake was not asking for the maintenance record on the vehicle. The second was not asking for a CarFax report. We purchased a 2005 Pathfinder that appeared to be in great condition. We bought the truck on a Sunday.
The following week on my way home from work I stopped for gas. I left the car "on" so I could listen to the radio while the gas flowed. When I finished and tried to start the truck it would not... The battery had died! Not even a week later.
I left messages with the associate who sold me the car and the sales manager looking for a refund for the new battery and was never called back.
In September (at the height of the gas shortage) I was ready for work when I started the truck and the empty fuel light came on. I thought someone had siphoned my gas, but really, I came to find out there was an issue with the fuel cell.
We took the truck to a different Nissan dealership (much closer to home) where they "fixed" it at a cost of almost $500. That night we took our 3 children to the movies and upon leaving discovered a truck that again would not start. After a couple of tries we heard something pouring from the truck and realized it was gas! We immediately got the children out and made our way back to the theater where we had to pay for a cab to get home. The truck was towed to dealership for free, and fixed at no charge because the employee did not properly tighten a clamp.
A month later I began noticing issues with the transmission. I took it back to the closer dealership and was told I needed a NEW transmission. Fortunately, this fell under my warranty.
I am now having issues with the breaks and need to have them replaced.
I also failed to mention that one of the tires had a "plug" in it that began leaking when I was dealing with these other issues.
I ask - what about this car was certified? When I questioned the service person at the Gwinnett Place Nissan he said they pretty much just look a vehicle over, and if there is nothing signifcantly wrong they resell it. According to him this is a common practice, however, it is one I strongly disagree with. All vehicles should be checked from bumper to bumper, from the top to the bottom. I feel like I bought a lemon from the Gwinnett Place Nissan and will never buy from them again.
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