I was looking for a Geo Tracker. After looking at several I came across one on eBay that caught my eye. I ran a carfax which came back indicating it was not a salvage or wrecked vehicle. After viewing the pictures and running a carfax decided to contact the seller asking if the car had rust, (since it was located in the Philadelphia area), smoked or had any engine leaks (indicating excessive engine wear). Told them where I lived and asked that if I flew in to pick the vehicle up if it would get me home without breaking down. This was the response:
"Hello! No rust. No smoke. No known leaks. There should be no problems driving it for thousand miles it runs and drives very good. Thank you!"
Trying to have faith in my fellow man, since flying over a thousand miles just to look at a vehicle might prove impractical, I purchased the tracker.instead of flying out to pick it up decided to have it shipped to my location. Upon arrival I immediately took it to have the oil changed. When they began to drain the oil, the technician stated that the rear main engine seal was leaking "badly". The rear main seal was so bad it was actually leaking on the guy while he was attempting to change the oil. The front seal was leaking too but not as badly. There was an another "small" leak coming from the transmission.in addition, the front boots on the 4 wheel drive were rotted and non functional.
After speaking with my mechanic, was informed that the problem was significant and would probably cost around $1,000 to be repaired.
Needless to say I was upset since I had specifically asked if the vehicle had any leaks before purchasing. I decided to contact Hot Ride motors to plead my case and see if they would do the honorable thing and at least be willing to cover a portion of the expenses.
I just got off the phone with “Frank” who told me it was asinine for me to be contacting them since I bought the vehicle “as-is”. He swore the vehicle didn’t leak when they inspected it. After pressing him on the issue and stating there was no way they could have *not* known it was leaking, he stated that they did not inspect the vehicles but that it was my job to (fly or drive over a thousand miles) inspect the vehicle before I purchased it. I explained that I would not have made the purchase knowing it was leaking and that I felt as though they had misrepresented the vehicle in order to make a sale. After a heated exchange where he basically yelled at me that they were not about to do anything further I was placed on hold and refused further communication. Since, I have attempted to call back several times. After the phone rings once it is picked up then hangs up. I love caller ID. Tried to call their cell phone but cannot leave a message as their mail box is full.
Feel as though I am another victim of Hot Ride motors and want to warn as many as possible about their unethical practices.
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