After looking at hundreds of cars online and making sure I investigated each car's reputation, I found a car I loved at Pasadena Car Sales. Number one mistake is that I did not investigate the company I was buying from.
I was told the car was a previous rental car. I asked all the right questions, was the car bought at auction, is it a salvaged title, is there previous accident damage. I was assured the vehicle was clean and was given a "Car Fax" report that seemed to show it was true.
After giving them my cash... They had me sign papers that mentioned previous damage and frame/unibody damage. The statement was not clear and was listed in with other items like a check list. They told me that it meant that they went over everything with me, including previous damage and that I saw the "Car Fax" report. So... I signed. I also signed a form where they had lightly checked off that I understood that the car was a prior rental car (no biggy to me). I wasn't given a copy of that form (A shabby over copied old typed form). Later, this form would be changed to have a box over "x'd" where it states that the vehicle had previous damage including frame/unibody damage!
The ONLY reason I found this all out was because I was made aware that the title I got in the mail, though the same kind of car, was not MY car. The VIN's were different! I paid for a different background car check and found that in less than two years of this car's life, it had been in 2 accidents! The dealer laughed when I finally was able to reach him and said I signed papers and oh well. I bought the car in November and to date, (April) I am still not registered to the correct car. The dealer knows a lawyer is too expensive and if someone does sue, they will simply close shop and open up next door (as in the past I have found out).
What started out as a great deal has now turned around to where the car is not worth what I paid by a few thousand dollars.
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