I purchased a 2005 Jeep Liberty Limited from Larry Hill Pontiac GMC approximately two weeks ago. The vehicle had only 14,500 miles on the odometer and was told the vehicle was in excellent condition, "just like new."
I specifically asked if the vehicle had ever been wrecked and was assured that it had not, and that they had a clean car fax. I printed the fax myself and there were no indications of any problems with this vehicle. I paid retail price for the vehicle.
The salesman told me that all their newer low mileage vehicles were checked out and qualifed under the "Gold Check" policy. The day after I purchased the vehicle my wife drove it and noticed the door on the driver's side did not fit properly. I looked under the hood of the vehicle and immediately could tell that it had been repainted.
I took the vehicle to a local body shop and learned that (1) the Jeep had had a rear clip installed. (the vehicle was cut in half and a rear section from another vehicle welded on), (2) The work was poorly done, (3) the vehicle was not safe to drive, (4) the cost to repair this vehcile would be more than the vehicle is worth.
I took the vehicle back to the dealer and told the sales manager that I wanted to return it because it had been materially misrepresented to me making the contract invalid under Tennessee law. Nowhere on the sales invoice or any paper work we were given does it state the vehcile was sold "as is". There is approximately 21,000 miles left on the original new car warranty, but because of the extensive repairs to the vehicle, I'm not sure how valid this warranty is.
The plate on the inside of the driver's door has been removed, and the other serial numbers on the rear portion of the vehicle have been covered up. The body shop owner stated that the rear portion could be a 2004 model and probably is not a limited edition. The seats are also pobably not the original seats and are not seats that come with the Limited package.
The sales manager at Larry Hill told us that they were unaware the vehicle had been wrecked although they had had the vehicle for several months. Everyone that has seen the vehicle has stated that anyone in the automobile
business would known after looking at the vehicle for five minutes that it had been wrecked. The sales manager said they would let us trade the vehcle in on another vehicle, but they could not give us the retail value for
the Jeep. We asked for a refund, but were told they "were not going to lose any money on this vehicle.
I have a written statement from a very reputable body shop in Knoxville of the condition of this vehicle and am trying to find a way to have the sales contract voided. This vehicle came from Alamo Car Rental in Denver, Colorado, and was sold at a dealer only auction in Chattanooga, TN - Auto Auction/Chattanooga. Obviously, this vehicle was totaled but this was not reported to the DMV in Colorado. One attorney we spoke with in knoxville stated that he has a client in Knoxville with the same situation, and the vehicle was also previously ownedby Alamo Rentals and has a clean car fax.
I want everyone to be careful when puchasing a vehicle that was formerly owned by a commercial leasing company because the car fax may be unreliable. The car fax will only show damage that has been reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
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