FYI, have also sent this to the Better Business Bureau:
Bottom line: "Deceptive practice has resulted in the inability to register a vehicle and transfer its title to new owner"
My son purchased a used vehicle from a broker named Lem Frankel at Rosehill Motor Company AKA "Autos, Trucks and Classics", on FM 2920 in Tomball) about 60 miles from our home. The asking price was $2100. Vehicle was boldly advertised as having "COLD A/C" (written on windshield).
Broker (Lem) claims to have driven it there from Navasota, TX, in Grimes county, a "non-emmissions" county.
Broker & buyer are located in "emmissions-certification-required" counties. He in Harris, us in Fort Bend.
Inspection revealed that all "under-hood" A/C parts & emmission controls had been removed. The catalytic converter was also missing from the exhaust system. Due to the above, it was not possible for the vehicle to pass inspection in either his or our county.
The vehicle was in very poor condition. I pointed out the above discrepancies & many other defects as well & offered him $1800, thinking we could address these items ourselves. He accepted with one caveat, which he wrote on the "Buyer's Order and Invoice": "Bronco II needs Cat Converter". The "drive-out" cost was $2012.42.
We spent just under $400 on having a catalytic converter installedd, & aproximately $2K on other repairs.
As of 8/21, (155 days later) he has not registered the vehicle in my son's name. We've made literally dozens of requests, complaints, demands etc, and each time revieved a different story & one lie after another. TX law allows 30 days for registration from the date of sale, & 5 days grace period after expiration. The vehicle's registration expires 11/30. The saftey inspection expires on 03/31.
After "sifting thru the lies", we found it impossible for him to transfer the registration because both our & his counties require emmission-certification as a pre-requisite to the registration-transfer process. This vehicle cannot pass without having the rest of emmision-controls re-installed (thousands of dollars). 101 days from now, the registration expires & the vehicle cannot be legally driven. He's refusing to do it, nor refund any money. Claims it's our responsibility. Need help. Thanks.
Desired outcome:
In order of preference:
1) Want *him* to have *all* emmision-equipment re-installed at his cost & emmision-certified in Harris county, then legally transfer registration to my son, BEFORE 11/30/04. Want monetary reimbursement for cost of gas for the several trips made there to address subject issues in person (120-miles round-trip per visit) & either loan us a car or pay for a rental for the entire duration while the vehicle is being repaired and inspected.
2) Reimburse purchase price, gas costs (see above) $2300 in repairs & take truck back.
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