I purchased a van from K & A Quality Auto on April 12th 2013. I drove down from St. Louis to check…read morethe vehicle out. Although I am no mechanic, the van looked to be in reasonable condition and the 15 - 20 minute test drive also suggested the vehicle was in good condition. The salesperson, named Jason, also assured me that the van had passed inspection and that they have a mechanic who goes over all their vehicles to make sure they are good.
The van had a front headlight out - something that would have prevented the vehicle from passing a state inspection so I became wary. After looking under the hood, it was revealed that the transmission fluid looked as if it had never been changed. I personally don't know enough about transmissions to have immediately noticed that the dark fluid meant a completely shot transmission. I just assumed it needed a flush, Jason agreed, and he took the amount a transmission flush off the total - bringing the car sale to $3500, a price I would later learn is what the vehicle I purchased should sell for in excellent condition.
I didn't even make it to Sullivan, Missouri (just shy of a 45 minute drive) before the transmission started skipping. At stop signs it would get stuck in gear and would suddenly jolt forward. I figured it was because the fluid needed to be flushed and took the van promptly into the shop the next day. The mechanic at Meineke wouldn't even touch it. He said that the fluid had bits of clutch in it and that no flush would save it. "Take it to an actual transmission shop."
I took it to a nearby transmission shop, and after an hour the guy told me the entire transmission was burnt up. It completely needed to be replaced. I hadn't had the car for even 48 hours. The transmission shop continued to look through it to see if certain parts could be replaced, but the tranny was so bad that he literally told me everything was destroyed. I called the dealership immediately.
Jason expressed concern, and then offered to sell me a warranty (after the car's purchase and after it had already be looked at) that would "completely" cover the cost of a new transmission. I asked about trading in the car or just selling it back. I was ignored and again prompted with buying the warranty. I had little to no choice. I'm a poor college student, and was in dire need of a car after an accident cost me my last vehicle. I didn't want to pay for the warranty nor did I feel I should have to. Jason offered to cover half.
Once the warranty was purchased, I had to wait an additional two weeks to receive the warranty card to get work started on my car. Once it was received, I went back to the shop. The warranty also turned out to be a total sham, and at minimum the new transmission would cost me $1,000 at minimum should the warranty company actually decide to pay out - a decision they would come to after I paid $300 to have the transmission completely torn down and itemized even though 2 different mechanics could tell by looking at it, that it was bad.
I called the dealership again. Jason stated he would call the warranty company. I received this excuse for a week before he simply stopped returning my calls. While it is speculative to say that Jason knowingly sold me a car with a bad transmission, it is hard to think otherwise. Both St. Louis mechanics told me that anyone who regular deals with cars - dealers and their mechanics that run through their cars to make sure they check out - would have immediately known the transmission was bad. And ultimately, it is just bad business to sell a car to someone which turned out to have a bad transmission 48 hours later. No reputable dealer would let a customer be that upset with their purchase shortly after the sale when their business is so word-of-mouth.
K & A Quality Auto seems to not care about their reputation, and that is the worst type of dealer to buy from because they will literally sell you anything without any moral responsibility. I feel swindled, and that I was repeatedly told "we'll get this taken care of" to simply keep me off their backs. I didn't even get the title until after the inspection was expired.
Shocked, taken advantage of, and out $3500+. Sold a car in terrible condition at an excellent condition price.