In late May of we traded in an immaculate 2000 GMC Sierra XLT for a 2005 Chrysler Sebring Convertible which was listed on eBay as a manufacturer vehicle with low miles for sale by Steve Rayman Chrysler Jeep in Union City. As part of our purchase, we bought an extended manufacturers warranty as well as a folding boot for the convertible top. We financed the Chrysler Sebring Touring Convertible with a 4 year loan & paid off the bank loan in May. Shortly after paying off the car loan, we received a clean Georgia Certificate of Title in the mail.
We continued driving the Sebring for a couple of years after paying it off, & planned to sell it or trade it in on a vehicle for my daughter after she graduated from Hugh school in May. After my daughter's graduation, we began looking to see what was available so that we could buy her a car to take to college.in late June of I took the Sebring to CarMax to have it appraised & to possibly sell it. CarMax professionals inspected the car & ran an AutoCheck Report which revealed that the car had a salvage title out of Texas.
As a salvage-titled vehicle, the car appraised for $700, & Steve Rayman's position was that they had no obligation to tell me & had no liability since the statute of limitations on fraud had expired. CarFax reports a clean title, but the report used by dealers, AutoCheck, reports that the car was purchased at a salvage auction about a month prior to being listed as a manufacturer vehicle on eBay. So, Steve Rayman took possession & ownership of our clean-titled truck which is currently (more than 6 years later) worth about $10,000 & sold us a totaled, salvaged, rebuilt car with extended warranty & accessories for over $21,000 including interest.
We've consulted an attorney & have been advised that it would be a very expensive & time-consuming battle to take Steve Rayman to court should we decide to file a lawsuit against the dealership. At this point, we feel like Steve Rayman has probably done this to many other people, & they keep getting away with it. The statute gives the consumer two years to file charges or fraud, but most cars aren't paid off within two years, making it impossible to know you've been defrauded until after its too late since you don't get the title until the vehicle is paid off.
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