In August (less than a year ago) I decided I needed a more reliable car than the one I had at an affordable monthly payment. I explained to the salesman that I worked two jobs, traveled across town to the sitters and that I needed a car that I could depend on. I also explained to him all of the problems I had with the car I was driving, how much money I spent with maintaining the car and how I didn't want another lemon (so to speak).
Before leaving, the salesman told me to tell him which cars I was interested in, made emphasis as to how often I'd drive the car (asking if I'd just travel from home to work) and he'll contact me the next day.
He called me, told me that with a $300 deposit, I could take home the 94 Dodge Intrepid (which was the last car on my wish list of cars all within the same price range). I asked him if I had a choice, he said no. I test drove the car for the first time while he was handling the paperwork. He mentioned for me to make an appointment with a mechanical shop that they deal with, because my A/C needs to be charged.
That following Saturday (less than a week later), I left out early that morning, came home, and was intending to leave back out to the carwash before I went to work, the car wouldn't start. I called the saleman, he suggested it was the battery and for me to get a jump, bring the car to them and they'd put another battery in and that's what happened.
After that very first incident, I made mention to the salesman that (because of previous experience with my other car) it was a possible heating/cooling problem or electrical problem. Not listening to me, he persisted on getting the A/C charged and told them to check the alternator. They could not figure out where and why my car would not start.
Within my 90-day warranty period, while driving on the highway my car has turned on/off while riding, where the radio needed to be reset, the car would jerk, and this is all while the A/C is on. At times when starting the car for the first time of the day, the A/C would already be on, so I stopped using the A/C for fear my car wouldn't start. Well, one raining, hot day, I'm enroute from the sitters to home, the windows were starting to fog, so I turned the A/C on. The car shut down in the middle of rush hour traffic.
The manager (over the phone) was being very inconsiderate as well as rude. Once we got the car to the lot, he offered me another car to drive in the place of my car and they kept my car for almost two weeks at Edward's Tranmissions at which they found the problem to be electrical so they fixed the car to where I wouldn't have any problems with getting it started.
Well, in the mist of all of this, I recommended someone to this company and they sold her a Chevy Cavalier at which, less than a week later she started experiencing problems as well. She took the car back about two times for repairs and then she finds out that the radiator or transmission needed replaced. I don't know exactly the details, but the cost of repairs was more than $1000 at which they were only willing to meet half way.
On April 1, on my way to work on the highway, my car started idling to like 5th gear but only going about 40-45mph until it just stopped with excessive amounts of smoke coming from under the hood as well underneath and behind the car. The car was no longer under warranty and at that time, I decided to leave the car on the highway and notified the finance company to go pick up their car.
As a result of this, now (although my payments were current and on time) I will be sued by them for refusing to keep that car. I truly believe that that car was involved in some sort of accident as well as having preexisting problems that the car lot was well aware of. I also believe that I was sold a lemon.
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