Back in July, I contacted this dealer about a 2011 Honda Crosstour that I saw on the AAA referral page for used cars. Since I was referred by AAA, I felt comfortable visiting this dealer. I had looked at similar vehicles in my area that were more money, so with comparable mileage, I felt the price was fair.
I called and met Steven at the dealership. I know a little about cars, but I'm not a mechanic, though I should have brought one with me.
The car seemed to drive okay, with the exception of a shimmy from the right front wheel, which I attributed to wheel balancing. Car was clean, engine was all clean & shiny (more on that later)
Anyway, after driving, I said I'd like to purchase the vehicle at the price that AAA had offered it for. He asked me for that price, and after seeing another ad, gave him a higher number than the AAA price. He didn't correct me, but shame on me for not returning to the AAA price on my phone to keep him honest. As a result, I ended up paying $500 more than the AAA price. Additionally, right before we concluded the transaction, Steven told me that he had to sell the vehicle "as is", since he'd lowered the price "so much" for this sale. More on this soon....
After paying for the car, I drove it home, and Steven told me that he'd forward the paperwork to register the car in NJ and get my plates. The day before my temporary plates had expired, I called the office because I still hadn't received my paperwork, and wanted an extension on my temp plates. Steven agreed to send them to me (why did I have to call at all?), and they were sent via FEDEX the next day, with no temp extension.
I had to take a day off to get to NJ Motor Vehicles, only to have them tell me that they couldn't register the car because the transfer wasn't notarized (It's not required in CT, where the vehicle came from).
Called their office again, and they told me to bring it to another MVC office, and it would be approved. I had to visit 3 different offices to get this done. Why wouldn't they tell me this could be an issue in advance? They're the auto sales experts, not me.
I don't use conventional oil in my cars, so I brought the car to National Tire & Battery for a synthetic oil change. Oh, that "clean" engine? Well, it was clean on top, but underneath had a really bad leak, due to a bad gasket (they showed it to me prior to my approving the replacement).
Okay, time for inspection. Day before I bring it, the check engine light comes on. They inspect the car, and give me the codes I failed for (emissions issues). I had to replace both Catalytic Converters, as well as all 4 of the O2 sensors, at a total cost of $2300 (I have all the receipts). This is when I began to look online, and found a lot of people complaining about this dealership. One even claimed the same thing happened with regard to a vehicle warranty, to which they responded that all vehicles under $3000 are sold as is, and carry no warranty. Well, my vehicle cost nearly 3 times that, why was I not given a warranty?
So, the car I thought was a "bargain" compared to comparable vehicles (same car/year/similar mileage) wasn't a bargain at all. In fact, I've ended up spending more money than I would have if I purchased on of the vehicles that I shopped for closer to where I live.
I would have rated them a 1, but part of the responsibility is mine, for trusting them, especially with a AAA recommendation. I'm pretty sure there will be a response from them, because they usually do any time someone gives them a poor review. With that said, I can assure you that this was my experience there. I see some of the reviews that claim this dealership is somehow scamming. I'd like to think they aren't, but the only other explanation I can give you is that they're incompetent when it comes to the conditions of the vehicles. I would strongly urge you to have a mechanic look at the car you're considering for purchase from these guys. All used cars need a little $ put into them after you buy them, just not as much as I had to pay. read more