My father was a used car dealer. He said the 30 day warrantee that Maryland requires dealers to provide helped him sell more cars. People were reassured that the car they were buying would not break down immediately after driving it off the lot, and that within 30 days they could discover any major faults a car may have.
There's 12 people at this time that liked this Bus Guy comment plus Bus Guy... from the comment.. "the 30 day warrantee that Maryland requires dealers to provide".. it was not just a policy he had because he didn't sell junk.. it is a requirement on all dealers in the state
@@ZEPRATGERNODT nothing.. I simply noticed that Bus Guy read it wrong and lots of people liked that.. Bus Guy seems to feel that the policy was that of the owner and that younger owners would act differently instead of the truth.. that it was a state mandate that all dealers have to follow
I went to the dealer with my now ex so she could purchase a vehicle, we wheeled and dealed as usual and i made a comment early on about the tire tread being at end of life levels, they told me that the tread was fine and that they would know because they used to work for a large tire company chain. I protested and eventually my ex made a deal with them that they would check the tread depth and if it was low enough they would replace the tires. I asked the salesman to let me know what the tread depth was when they inspected the vehicle and he told me he would (he did not). Fast forward 3-4 months and there is snow on the ground, my ex is driving to work and on a slight bend in the road the car just keeps driving straight into the safety railing, come to find out, they sold her the vehicle with 3/32" of tread depth. They leaned heavily on the salesman's work history, that he knew the tires were safe, otherwise he wouldnt have sold her the vehicle... TLDR: I hate dealerships
@@turnerg I know one shouldn't blame the victim, but whyyy did you guys not check the profile depth yourself? Preferably before buying the car?? You don't need any special knowledge to do that and it takes less than a minute. Sure you can blame the salesman for lying to you, but your ex is definitely at fault for driving with shot tires.
People don't realize that most courts have the discretion to revoke a contract if it's terms hit that magic phrase "offends the conscience of the court" or words to that effect.
I had to explain this recently to a TH-cam commenter who swore I was an idiot when I said there's many things that can cause a contract to become void. And that a contract isn't a magic bullet. Contracts are agreements UNDER the LAW. As is this case here intentionally selling an unsafe vehicle to a family and trying to skirt the issue is something that would definitely void an as is contract. Because well as is is wasnt fit to be sold under the law.
@@parkerlong2658also don't forget, people think a contract can waive the law. Ex employers having you sign an employee contract that says you won't ever take a lunch.
Contracts as a concept would fail if courts always enforced them absolutely literally. They would have a lot less value if "evil genie" word tricks were allowed to work.
@@parkerlong2658 I've lost count how many times I've had this argument with someone who thinks contracts are 100% ironclad no matter how one-sided or outrageous. They don't believe me when I say that a contract can be voided for being "unconscionable".
Supposedly this happens a lot with prenups when there's a vast difference between the income between the two parties. Which to me is ironic since that's when you would most want a prenup.
Interesting house sale story. A coworker was buying a house in Colorado. Was suspicious that it didn't look well insulated. The seller showed utility bills for several years. He bought the house and the bills to heat the house were astronomical. Talked to neighbors and found out that the seller spent the winters in Florida.
I bought a house that was wood electric. The seller informed me that for ease, the last year they ran it all electric. Through my R/E agent they requested the previous year's bills (legal to do so) and he let them slide and said "it cost $2500 to run it all electric". I ran it all electric in one month. The bill totalled $900. The lying sellers helped by MY R/E agent.
@@jamesbael6255 thanks for the info but doesn't apply. The year's temps didn't change nor did the usage. In fact, my usage was less because I was 1 person, they were 2 plus a newborn. There is NO way in HELL they kept the house at 55 deg with a newborn inside.
@@muskokamike127 you're making an accusation that your real estate agent violated his fiduciary duty, as well as committed fraud in the form of deception by misrepresentation. Both of which would result in the loss of his license and one of which is a misdemeanor crime of moral terpitude in most states...which would barr him from any position of public trust. That's a serious allegation. Unproven. Easier assumption is you run the thermostat hotter than they did. There is a big difference between 55 and 68.
@@jamesbael6255 Well, I had proof.....he didn't confirm the details I requested, he didn't confirm the property was actually "on the river", he didn't even confirm that the location on the map was correct. Where I live, it is common for R/E agents to outright lie on offers and listings. The only ones held accountable are ones who "abscond" with funds held in escrow. As for the temps, no way no how a sahm with a newborn baby is going to keep the house at 55. Not only that, she did laundry during the day (at peak times) twice a week (confirmed by the neighbours) and never dried the clothes on the line, always used the dryer. Why are you so defensive of the sellers? You related to them or are you one of those flippers who repeatedly hose the buyer?
I worked for a used dealer (as long as I could stand), and can tell you that they do some horrible things to these vehicles. They like to finance in house knowing that it will come back and sell it numerous times! The “warranty” doesn’t cover the issues they know about and usually only lasts a few weeks if that. I had to quit because as the service manager I was instructed to lie to customers about issues with the vehicles just so they could get the car back and sell it to someone else.
I just found out last night that my son's fiance took her Honda Accord to a local Honda dealership to replace rear brakes and rotors and 1 caliper. My son and I were going to do it, but he has been working two jobs and couldn't get to it right away. We could have done it for about 300 dollars and an hour and a half labor. They added additional items through scare tactics and the bill when all was said and done was over 3000 dollars! This is another costly scam that unsavory dealers perpetrate primarily on women, when they come in.
And next week they'll sell it for $7000 with boilerplate language that says "[everything] could go wrong with it", buy it back for $3000 a month later, and sell it again for $6000 a week later. Punitive damages and awards of attorney's fees exist for a reason.
I wonder what effect it would have if this dealer and the salesman who sold it were slapped with a few months in jail. Would other salesmen decide the risk isn't worth the penalty?
As a former technician for multiple dealers, see if you can get a tech to talk to you. Whenever a potential buyer got me aside, I told him the truth "off the record."
"... but your honor, for decades now, our reputation for bad-faith is legend! Anybody buying from us SHOULD get screwed, and we continue to prove that point. This suit should be dismissed WITH PREJUDICE!"
One of my long-ago school teachers told our class about the benefits of looking at newspaper archives.... He and his wife had looked at a house for sale in a neighborhood that had partially flooded a few years earlier. The homeowners said the water came up to their front walk but no further. Well, the teacher went to the newspaper and found a front-page photo of those very homeowners rowing a boat away from the house (which was most definitely flooded). Needless to say they did not buy the house. The next flood in that neighborhood was 38 years later and it flooded again 2 months after that. So whoever bought the house at least got 38 flood-free years in it....
A coworker’s house would flood every 5 years or so. He started doing all the work himself after the first flood and got very good at the work so he would make improvements and he would make a good profit each time. After a half dozen or so times he finally got too old to do the work so he moved. And it flooded not much later.
A long time ado, my Mother-in Law's Chevy Malibu's engine was going bad. It wasn't worth replacing, so we sold it for scrap. A few days later we were contacted by a woman who had purchased it from the guy we sold it to, when it finally got to the point it would no longer start. He had misrepresented it as a good car to her. I never did find out what happened. I hope she got her money back.
Back in the day junk yards used to resell cars, but I think it was illegal. You should never have been contacted by the next buyer. The junk yard forged your Mother in Law's title and resold it.
@@markg7030 ..It was legal for them to resell the cars(not forging titles),depends where you are and even places where its illegal only once the car is put into the scrap system at the yard.. Lots of people scrap good cars,either minor body damage or minor issues with them..As long as you know you bought from a junk yard and you know what you get,they are not hiding the fact its at a junkyard,probably safer that way than buying from a overpriced used dealer selling the same car for 100x the price! In the 90's I bought many 1970's and early 80's cars that were perfect,looked great,ran drove great they just failed emission testing because of a simple repair. Usually the carburetor needed a rebuild so a $10-$15 carburetor rebuilt kit the car passed! Some cars the catalytic convertor was the issue,just replaced it with another from the junkyard for $50..Other cars transmissions that was the biggest issue besides the other 2 I mentioned...I repaired many..Made good money and sold good cars not junk..But thats not the case these days,cars are not as good,more complex and cheaper build..
When I worked for a federal judge, we had a tampered odometer case involving a used car with a reconstructed title. The dealer failed to disclose the nature of the title or that the odometer had been reset to a lower mileage and the car had been in a serious accident. The judge awarded the buyer a substantial recovery of damages (about what he paid less an amount for use while in the buyer's possession) but what the seller really complained about was the attorney's fees, which exceeded the total damages by several thousand dollars. The case was affirmed on appeal and the Court of Appeals praised the district court's opinion.
Our daughter was house hunting about a year after our city had a 500 year flood. I specifically asked the realtor about water in the basement and received a noncommittal grunt. When we were outside, I asked a neighbor if the basements in the area had water in them. The realtor didn't appreciate that I asked the question.
No, happened to the honda dealer in my small town to my co-worker. He told me the story AFTER I bought a used car from them (the a hole) lol. His daughter bought a car, 10 days later engine blew, dealer said "too bad, as is". She went to the local newspaper, and hired a lawyer, they bought it back simply due to the pad press they were getting. EVERYONE who came in to buy a vehicle brought it up and the newspaper reporter hounded them daily. The thing is, the guy who owned the honda dealership also owned the subaru and (I think) the toyota. So he'd get killed if people stopped trusting him.
Awesome video again! Love the fact that finally a judge said that just selling something "as-is" does not simply imply you can sell a lie just because of the "as-is" label.
can you sell something as is with more detailed language, like with no warranty express or implied, and seller not responsible for any defects, and the buyer had a third party due an inspection? would the seller then be immune?
@Wendy Moto Based on the video you have to disclose all material defects you are aware of that would potentially impact the deal. Otherwise you could be found to be intentionally misrepresenting the item for your benefit which is not allowed. Most bad sellers get away with this by claiming ignorance, but when there is actual proof the seller knew they will have to refund.
Yeah, the whole trick is proving they knew, fortunately the vehicle had a known history of failure that could be shown that the dealer was aware of unlike with the previous purchaser.
@@gsigas That makes sense, thank you. So if I listed all the defects I'm aware of, I'd be safe even if more defects I was unaware of would manifest themselves later?
I had a positive experience with a used car dealership. I knew the sales manager--he was not there that day. I wanted a white Chevy--they had one. Short test drive--seemed ok. I did not get an inspection--car was three years old with very low miles. I bought it. First time out at freeway speed, I discovered a shimmy in the front end. I went back to dealership and was able to speak with sales manager. After a bit of back and forth, he advised me to take car to their reconditioning contractor (3 miles away). Dealership provided a loaner. When I picked up the car, I was told "(Dealer) put four new tires on it." Apparently the car had 3 different brands of tires on it. With the new tires, car drove like a top. Replacement tires were budget brand but lasted 40,000 miles. So, I got lucky--and car still runs like a top 4-1/2 years later. Thanks, Steve.
You've described the house my parents bought on the banks of the Kishwaukee river in Illinois! Nice view & it came with a flat bottom aluminum boat & an ancient Farmall Cub tractor. I was a teen & thought it was fun.
I also know people who have also swapped the engines in their Terrain/Acadia. It's hard to believe a company that's been around for over 100 years can build such crap.
@@gillgetter3004 count your blessings. I know plenty of folks that took impeccable care of their high feature 3.6 and it still shit the bed around 100k miles. Maybe you have more highway miles? Less idling? Are from a warmer climate? idk... lots of variables.
That is an amazing story- crazy. Around here in the North East, used car dealers are required to sell cars with at least a warranty of inspectability. Of course, they can get around that by selling problematic used cars as "For parts only". Buyers don't even realize since its just another form in a stack of forms.
I like what Beau of the Fifth Column does and wear t-shirts related to the topic. In the spoof film "Mafia" the opening line is, "When you buy a used car, you're buying somebody else's problem." Advice I've taken to heart.
Sounds like this dealership needs to not just buy the vehicle back but give her double her money back as well. Then the oversight board (or whatever its called) needs to make sure the dealership has the vehicle destroyed....properly, according to whatever relevant environmental statutes are on the books. I hope the judge also slapped these guys with extra costs as well. Side note: Steve, I love the different shirts you always wear. It is actually nice seeing the different shirts cause you have ones I have never seen before.
Not just this, that dealership needs to have its business license permanently revoked, and the owners barred from owning any business every again .. maybe even jailtime would be appropriate for these thieves.
This was precisely my thinking. Additionally investigate their business practices and any other used vehicles that have been returned/resold. Following that, additional penalties as appropriate in accordance with the law, and ANY GMC Acadia be completely destroyed by crushing, along with the Chevy equivalent. they're terrible vehicles unfit for even selling as parts.
We were looking at houses for sale. When we got in the garage/basement area I said This has had water in it.” I was told no, it’s been fixed. I could only respond no it hasn’t the mildew is still here, I could smell it!
Outstanding video! I’m a Canadian used car dealer and I’m sharing this with every dealer and customer I Know. The laws here are very similar in respect to misrepresentation and fraud but most dealers think “As-is” saves them from any liability and not disclosing known issues to potential buyers. They prey on the uneducated and trusting people that take there word “it’s an easy fixer upper”, then kaboom something major blows up. Hence why the dealer didn’t fix it up and certify it too make more $$$$. Thank you for posting this. I wish every used car buyer could see it. You’re the Man Steve :)
11:44 this was one issue I had with a house that I bought. I never explicitly asked if the water that the house was on, was actually part of the big east river. They said "river view". After I purchased the house I discovered that the body of the water it was on was landlocked and was a swamp rife with beaver fever, leaches, and even the town listed it as "warm water". I was "this" > < close to suing to negate the sale. I expected to be able to come home after work and take a dip in the river. I eventually sold the house and told the listing agent In NO uncertain terms do NOT say anything about river in the ad. Say "water view" if you want. She posted an ad saying "river view" and I immediately told her to take it down and re-write it......
This is why it's so important to get a pre purchase inspection. They usually run about $70 -$80 where I live but when buying a used vehicle, especially one that has a lot of miles on it the money you spend will save you in the long run both in your wallet & aggravation. If the seller (private or dealer) doesn't want to let you get it inspected then walk away because any reputable seller will have no issue with you having it done.
Your are 100% correct! My son was looking at a car and took it for an inspection. The first thing noted was the frame was rotten. Roads are salted in Wisconsin. On the way to return it, the check engine light came on. He ran from that deal. Drove by the dealer a few days later, and there it was back on the lot. Maybe the check engine light issue got fixed, but certainly not the massively corroded frame. Buyers be very, very nervous.
Not everyone has the money. Obviously, these people probably shouldn't be buying a vehicle. Some have no choic tho. A majority have no odea what they are looking at anyway. Also, unless the ppi is warranting their work, thats almost worthless too. I.e., if i get a ppi from a reputable company. They say thebcar is good. Engine blows from an obvious fault, are they responsible to help me or pay for it? They gave the green light? Of the answer is no, then I'm not paying a company for an inspection they are not responsible for.
A PPI is functionally useless though, since they're unlikely liable if they misreport to you. Somewhat defeats the purpose of the inspection if all you've got is another face tell you it's good, regardless of the actual state of the product.
@@Drunkenvalley the difference is why is an uninvolved party going to lie? The dealer will because a sale is on the line. The third party is being paid for the inspection and good or bad report they make the same amount. They have no reason to be dishonest, and dishonesty by a non-dealer mechanic hurts their business.
regarding the house tangent, I am aware of a house that a guy had built along a flood prone river. he specifically built the house so that when it flooded every year, he could unscrew the bottom four feet of drywall, pull out the bottom four feet of insulation, mop out the interior of the walls, dry it out with a dehumidifier and put in new insulation and drywall.
It’s cases like these where I class myself very, very lucky I have my dad (knowledgeable on cars) and my mechanic brother in law to come with me when I need to get a new car. I loved watching one sales guy’s face when my dad and bro in law asked for the hood to be opened and then pull out a Camera the see the brakes and start tearing the car apart (verbally). In their words…..it was a death trap and they where surprised it passed it safety tests. (Mot here in Scotland). At the time I had my baby son with me. That was almost 17years ago. I don’t think that dealer stayed open for very long after that. Not sure if they where reported or not. But I know they did close down soon after as they where located in the village my parents lived then and now.
i got lucky i worked at a used car dealership as a lot person arranging cars keeping them clean and lined up well ect..... the place i worked at was actually honest not all dealerships act like this
Years ago I bought a Jeep CJ7 from a used car lot. Within a week the engine quickly overheated and blew a head gasket. The dealer agreed to fix it. A few days after I got it back, same issue. The dealer refused to talk to me. After some investigation I found that the block was cracked and the crack had been filled with RTV and painted over. I turned the turn in to the state DMV fraud department and their license was revoked.
I feel for people who get scammed by these horrible dealers. I had clapped out cars until I graduated school and started my business when I was 30. I could never trust whether or not my ride would get me from point A to point B without dying and most of that came from people lying to me about the condition of the vehicle they sold me. Predators lurk out there searching for poor people who can't afford to come after them when things go badly
Great video! I have a used van I am thinking of selling. I bought it cheap. However, I put around $5,000 into fixing it up to keep as my 2nd vehicle. It runs well and was in a hail storm and due to the severe damage on the hood and a few other dings on top and on the sides, my ins company totaled the van. I bought it back from the Ins co for $1400 and replaced the hood with a pretty new to me one and fixed a few of the more obvious dings. If I sell it I will be disclosing everything I know and have fixed and give someone a good deal on it. I have put around 18 months of time and money into the van and it's in good shape. The previous owner did not disclose that it had $3,600 front end damage and car fax didn't have it either. A different company had that info. This guy had gutted the catalytic converter and then lied to me about why it had a check engine light. The entire new exhaust system cost $1,350 and that was just the start. I have all the receipts for the major things I fixed or had fixed and they will go with the van, if I don't decide to keep it.
Car Wizard has preached to stay away from GMC Acadias. Pre-purchase inspections are also very important. Scotty Kilmer and Car Wizard preach that heavily.
my local auction house had two levels of warranty. items that he couldn't test on site, the buyer had a reasonable time to test it and be sure it worked. other stuff, he sold "as-is, where-is." and it was typically stuff that the buyer could check the condition of it before the auction started.
I worked at a Chevy dealership for 6 months lol. The Chevy traverse, gmc Acadia and Buick enclaves are all the same vehicle. Every single one that came in for oil change had out of wack alignments and bald tires at less than 30,000 miles. The oil filter was jammed so close to the catalytic converter that it was impossible not to burn your hand and you could not tighten it correctly so a lot of oil filters were loose and leaking onto the cat when they came in. I think that was why alot of them burn to the ground.
I bought a used car 25 years ago and literally an hour after I bought it going down the interstate the engine blew up but the dealership sent out a tow truck towed it back. Put a motor in it gave me how are you loaner car fantastic great dealership.
We sold a car site unseen as is. It was a Audi coupe. We took it back after multiple engine and transmission issues and sold him a c200 instead. I'll never forget the look on the head of the dealerships face, you could tell we fd up. Edit: it was on the 30th day of sale as well.
Years ago I looked at a house that was for sale. It was on 6 foot piers. There was a river about a quarter mile away. I put 2 and 2 together and walked away. Drove by a few months later, the house was gone. There was a sign on the property stating the property had been condemned and was not suitable for building due to frequent flooding.
Steve, I absolutely love your opinions and commentary. Started watching your channel after an issue with my car. While your advice did not help me in that moment, the increase in knowledge I have for the future is valuable.
Love this channel. We need more stories like this so that people dont abuse the as is.... or at least sell a car for less and say that it needs repairs. People or salesmen should not be able to hide behind the "as is"
@ProjectReindeerGames you are correct!! I have been working on cars professionally for 30 years. Never seen a good used car. Lol. Nor one worth book value.
I had a Condo to Rent. A lady Separating from husband both looked at Condo. At some point, I mentioned, I Don’t Like Car Dealers. He mentioned he was a Car Dealer. My Response was, I still Feel exactly the Same. 😬👍
In my misspent youth, I worked at a auto body shop, which would buy two totaled vehicles, same year and model, and then cut them apart on the factory weld lines, and weld the good parts back together. A few years later I was looking at cars at a dealer, and they tried to sell me a car with all of the signs of having been reassembled from two totaled cars, while claiming it had never been in an accident.
A coworker's kid had a side gig doing exactly that, except he was completely honest with the buyers. They knew they were getting half of a car hit in front and half of a car hit in back. Titles properly said rebuilt salvage. He made money, his customers got affordable cars.
@@patrickdrier4707 - - -Mic #3, Steve's "Left Hand Side" And I'm sure it's not mic #7, because counting your way that is mic #9(there are two behind Steve's head and I'm betting you missed the black and chrome mic #2 Steve's RHS)😉😎
Steve, just so you know, there is at least one company out there that will take your old t-shirts (in good condition & clean) and turn them into a quilt.
I purchased a used Ford escape 10 years ago. The day after I purchased it the car jerked and the check engine light went on. I took it back and they said it was all good. I still have the car and it still runs fine.
Amazing what dealers will still try to get away with. I had one try to pull the old bait and switch on me recently. Found exactly the Durango I'd been looking for. They said that they had to look it over before I could buy it. 2 weeks later, I drive an hour to pick it up. When I get there the one they have is the same year but it's a base model and it has quite a bit of body damage to boot. They tell me that the one I'm wanting to buy is actually at another site and why don't I go look at this one instead. I told them I wasn't interested but they still wanted me to fill out all the paperwork without ever driving the one I wanted. I took my $ elsewhere as a result.
Funny - when we bought our house a few years ago, in the disclosure page the seller checked the box saying there had not been any issues with water intrusion/grading/etc. Two weeks after closing, we got a lot of rain and ended up with 6 inches of water in the crawl space. Neighbors were like 'oh that happened again? they had that issue last year too'. We threatened to sue the sellers for fraud and ended up settling, but I couldn't help but laugh when you mentioned that story since it's so close to home.
Over 20 year GM tech here...... do not, under any circumstances EVER buy a 07-2012 gm R/V platform vehicle. GMC Acadia,Buick Enclave, Saturn outlook, chevy traverse etc. These are absolutely some of the worst vehicles ever made. Dont get me wrong.... I'm grateful for them as I've made so much money on them over the years but they will financially ruin a owner. You cant make them good no matter what you do. They were junk new and 10 fold junk now.
I bought Nissan Sentra back in the early 90's "as is" but dealer give a 30 day 1000 mile warranty on any used car. Took it back 2 days after I bought it told them there was someting wrong with the front end on the drivers side. Makes a lot of noise when I hit bumps in the road. (test drive was directed by sales guy and happened to be a really smooth road.) Dealer called me the next day and claimed it was fixed. Said it was a loose motor mount. (I was young 20, didn't know much about cars yet.) On my way home from dealer after picking up the car the drivers side front tire and spindle came off when the lower ball joint broke. Caused me to end up in an accident. I got 75k and a new car from the dealer after taking them to court.
So, at 18, I made a mistake. I bought a Nissan Sentra from a private seller for around $9,000, unaware of the "As Is" clause in the purchase agreement. When the faulty transmission needed a complete replacement, I went back to the seller, but got no response. Taking him to court was unsuccessful, as the judge simply saw it as a learning experience for me. Despite the horrible ordeal, I managed to sell the car to a dealership for $5,000, recouping some of the money. However, after accounting for the initial purchase price, car checkups, and legal fees, I still lost around $4,000. This experience taught me a valuable lesson: always be cautious when signing any paperwork, especially watch out for "As Is" clauses, which limit your legal protection as a buyer. PS> The transmission was at fault, and it required a whole repair… What a nightmare. ALSO, many dealerships out there have no warranty and SELL vehicles As Is. So, keep an eye out.
In 2019 I got t-boned by a drunk driver in my 96 GMC K1500 on my way home from work (Graveyard at a cherry warehouse I fix the sizer / washer / forklifts / production line and help clean them. Screw the cherry vision. Heing 6'4 and working on it sucks lol.) I bought a 2008 Volkswagen Touraeg V10 TDI. I tow a lot and also wanted a car i can transport my disabled mother and great Dane in. One of the best used car dealers around its where i got my 2016 Passat that I got crashed into head on while I was sitting at a stop sign on November 28. I had all the carfax and matainance history. I checked up underneath the Touraeg was beautiful. No rust, damage, fluids, or leaks of any kind. What I didnt know even after the 10 mile test drive (the dealership was right on the interstate.) Is that the entire exhaust was clogged. The V10 TDI's DPFs were oil cooled and not cheap. What would happen is that the backpressure from the clogged exhaust system would push the turbo cartridges out of place and make it leak oil. The boost wouldn't drop much if at all. Then the carrier barring failed which after I pulled the driveshaft it was Jb welded together! Being a broke student I didn't have the money to fix it. I sold it and bought a 93 D350 from a family friend. The car market sucks right now where I am. So I'm stuck driving my fiancée's Saturn SL1. If you don't know Saturn's are TINY. I do not fit and it hurts to drive more than an hour lol. I'm being very cautious on what car I buy, where from, and from who.
We ran into this with our 2017 Pacifica in 2023. A week after driving it off the lot it threw a rod through the engine block. Luckily we had bought an extended warranty through our credit union and the deal came through and paid half of the $800 for the "new" engine swap.
The problem was buying a GMC Acadia. Get a 4 runner. Yes, you will pay a lot more for it upfront, but you will end up paying more with the Acadia for repairs. There is a reason the Toyota's go for a lot more money with the same features and miles.
Steve. Do you ever wear a shirt twice, because there is one you wore some time ago with "the laws of cricket" written on the front that I would dearly love to see again ... 😎 As ever, keep up the good work and remember Milo and Wolfy ...
For some reason, I'm now intrigued by the concept of the "flood party." It _almost_ makes me want to buy a small place on a flood plain just for the excuse to throw a party regularly. 😛
There are auctions in D.C that do not let the buyers examine the vehicle before purchase. A friend did purchase one and it had major frame failure. Easily seen when examined in person, and something the dealer couldn't have missed. They did get their money back, and considered themselves lucky. Had to pay to tow it off the lot, and back to the lot.
I had a similar situation with a 2009 chevy aveo. I should have ran from the deal, the warranty in the lot was limited, but changed to as is, in the finance office. Also their website showed 5995, but on the lot it was 6995. They said they would fix it, but then almost had me sign paperwork for the 6995 price. Aveos from that era suffered bad gaskets, causing oil and coolant to mix, one was mine, and I feel like they knew. Car lasted a few months before my 5 year loan ended.
@@fisqual now when I look for cars, I read up on them, for known issues, etc. I also check the coolant reservoir for sludge. Mine had sludge, cause coolant oil mixing. I have a 2004 Honda Odyssey now, best 2200 I spent on anything.
The thing with buying an as-is vehicle from a dealership instead if there's an issue that the dealership knows about that was not disclosed to you at the time of purchasing then many times it's constituted as fraud. Where I live in Massachusetts we have something called the Lemon Law which makes it so that if a dealership sells you a car even if it's as is and you find that there was a misrepresentation of the Year Choo, that dealership has to do a few things whether it be fix the issues that were not disclosed or buy back the vehicle. Now I think that only protects you for something like 30 days or something like that so it's not the type of thing where you can come back six months later and say oh this thing broke you didn't tell me about it. It's more so that if something pops up immediately or if you bring it to another mechanic to have them look it over or if you buy the vehicle and it fails the state inspection
Here in nh we have an issue with dealers selling as us and not realizing, we have a dealer plate law. If sold with temp plates, it must pass state inspection for 30 days. So safety issues and inability to drive it is required by law warranty.
I had literally the same thing happen to me with my Pontiac G8 with the 3.6 the day I drove it off the lot. Went through the exact same problem with the dealership… it’s crazy 😢
you talking about basement and floods a very very long time ago i tried to buy a hotel place and the first winter i found the oil furnace in the basement merrily working away..under water.. turned out the floor crack was direct to the river floodplain at any level above normal. i was glad to just give that place back even though i lost out kinda hard
WA has a form for declarations such as lead paint, mold, etc. or Form 17 which is quite extensive or good old Form 34 which can list just about any condition. Seller Disclosure Statements (Form 17 and 17C) Just make sure you always use form 35 anyway.
No, they don't. They're intentionally ignorant so they can "honestly" claim they don't know of problems. If they don't know of a problem, they don't have to tell you anything.
I have a vehicle that had catastrophic engine failure. I have a power train warranty on the vehicle through the dealer I bought from. They are refusing to honor that warranty. I told them to just come get the car. Is there somewhere I can report the engine damage so it is documented? I don’t want them to try to put a bandaid on it and turn around and sell it to someone else and screw them over.
I was looking to get a used car not far from this dealer that was advertised "guaranteed to pass inspection". Lemon law actually required that it did pass. I had to put a deposit for it to be held a day until i could look it over the next day. Mostly good but had several lights out which any 1 would fail, so i told him he needed to replace them. He complained he may not have them but i told him i wouldn't take it unless he changed them because it was false advertising and the law. He found them.
Good ol' GM 3.6 V6 I am willing to bet. If you are ever offered anything with one of those engines, don't walk away RUN lol. They all have defective timing chains and it's a wonder that there hasn't been a class action lawsuit against GM for it.
So many thieves and scumbags out there. Finding a trustworthy mechanic or a moral used car dealership is almost as hard to find now as a new car being sold as MSRP nowadays.
When I bought my previous car, I’m fairly certain the dealer knew it was bad. The day after I bought it, the check engine light came on, requiring new 02 sensors. Less than a month later, it came back on, requiring a new catalytic converter, and the transmission temperature light came on, requiring a flush. (It should have been rebuilt, but I couldn’t afford it.) I also had to replace the engine mount, driver’s side window actuator, engine coils and spark plugs, pulleys and belts, a second transmission flush, six tires, and more that I can’t recall off the top of my head. The car’s horn also randomly stopped working. I had that car for just under four years, and just barely made it to the dealership to buy the vehicle I have now.
That shirt situation at the end blows my mind. I see someone wearing a shirt I would never wonder why they are wearing it as I would assume they wear it because they want to.
I went to China to visit my wife's family, not a tourist area. Was amused to see people walking around wearing shirts with English writing on them but often nonsensical, misspelled or even vulgar. They didn't know what they said, they just thought it looked good or was cheap. Probably no different if you or I buy a shirt with Chinese writing. It could say "dumb foreigner" for all we know!
![“อ.เบียร์ คนตื่นธรรม” มาตามคำเรียกร้อง แหกศาสตร์ฮวงจุ้ย เตือนสติอย่างมงาย | แฉ 7 พ.ย. 67 [1/3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5fc4S3xBNfc/mqdefault.jpg)
My father was a used car dealer. He said the 30 day warrantee that Maryland requires dealers to provide helped him sell more cars. People were reassured that the car they were buying would not break down immediately after driving it off the lot, and that within 30 days they could discover any major faults a car may have.
That's a good dealer and man! But the kids they have now would lose a customer over $100
There's 12 people at this time that liked this Bus Guy comment plus Bus Guy... from the comment.. "the 30 day warrantee that Maryland requires dealers to provide".. it was not just a policy he had because he didn't sell junk.. it is a requirement on all dealers in the state
@Voice of Reason
What did you write that the original writer didn't?
@@ZEPRATGERNODT nothing.. I simply noticed that Bus Guy read it wrong and lots of people liked that.. Bus Guy seems to feel that the policy was that of the owner and that younger owners would act differently instead of the truth.. that it was a state mandate that all dealers have to follow
@@voiceofreason7558 people just blindly comment without even reading. Sometimes I feel like they’re just bots
Sadly for every case where someone files a complaint and follows through, there's many many more sad stories where people just give up 🙁
because "justice" in the just-us system is a fluke.
They count on you to give up.
I agree, instead of complaining in the comments and then giving up, more people should send him shirts. 😸
I went to the dealer with my now ex so she could purchase a vehicle, we wheeled and dealed as usual and i made a comment early on about the tire tread being at end of life levels, they told me that the tread was fine and that they would know because they used to work for a large tire company chain. I protested and eventually my ex made a deal with them that they would check the tread depth and if it was low enough they would replace the tires.
I asked the salesman to let me know what the tread depth was when they inspected the vehicle and he told me he would (he did not). Fast forward 3-4 months and there is snow on the ground, my ex is driving to work and on a slight bend in the road the car just keeps driving straight into the safety railing, come to find out, they sold her the vehicle with 3/32" of tread depth.
They leaned heavily on the salesman's work history, that he knew the tires were safe, otherwise he wouldnt have sold her the vehicle...
TLDR: I hate dealerships
@@turnerg I know one shouldn't blame the victim, but whyyy did you guys not check the profile depth yourself?
Preferably before buying the car??
You don't need any special knowledge to do that and it takes less than a minute.
Sure you can blame the salesman for lying to you, but your ex is definitely at fault for driving with shot tires.
People don't realize that most courts have the discretion to revoke a contract if it's terms hit that magic phrase "offends the conscience of the court" or words to that effect.
I had to explain this recently to a TH-cam commenter who swore I was an idiot when I said there's many things that can cause a contract to become void.
And that a contract isn't a magic bullet.
Contracts are agreements UNDER the LAW.
As is this case here intentionally selling an unsafe vehicle to a family and trying to skirt the issue is something that would definitely void an as is contract.
Because well as is is wasnt fit to be sold under the law.
@@parkerlong2658also don't forget, people think a contract can waive the law. Ex employers having you sign an employee contract that says you won't ever take a lunch.
Contracts as a concept would fail if courts always enforced them absolutely literally. They would have a lot less value if "evil genie" word tricks were allowed to work.
@@parkerlong2658 I've lost count how many times I've had this argument with someone who thinks contracts are 100% ironclad no matter how one-sided or outrageous. They don't believe me when I say that a contract can be voided for being "unconscionable".
Supposedly this happens a lot with prenups when there's a vast difference between the income between the two parties. Which to me is ironic since that's when you would most want a prenup.
Interesting house sale story. A coworker was buying a house in Colorado. Was suspicious that it didn't look well insulated. The seller showed utility bills for several years. He bought the house and the bills to heat the house were astronomical. Talked to neighbors and found out that the seller spent the winters in Florida.
I bought a house that was wood electric. The seller informed me that for ease, the last year they ran it all electric. Through my R/E agent they requested the previous year's bills (legal to do so) and he let them slide and said "it cost $2500 to run it all electric". I ran it all electric in one month. The bill totalled $900. The lying sellers helped by MY R/E agent.
@@muskokamike127 there's a big difference between 55 degrees and 68
@@jamesbael6255 thanks for the info but doesn't apply. The year's temps didn't change nor did the usage. In fact, my usage was less because I was 1 person, they were 2 plus a newborn.
There is NO way in HELL they kept the house at 55 deg with a newborn inside.
@@muskokamike127 you're making an accusation that your real estate agent violated his fiduciary duty, as well as committed fraud in the form of deception by misrepresentation.
Both of which would result in the loss of his license and one of which is a misdemeanor crime of moral terpitude in most states...which would barr him from any position of public trust.
That's a serious allegation. Unproven.
Easier assumption is you run the thermostat hotter than they did.
There is a big difference between 55 and 68.
@@jamesbael6255 Well, I had proof.....he didn't confirm the details I requested, he didn't confirm the property was actually "on the river", he didn't even confirm that the location on the map was correct.
Where I live, it is common for R/E agents to outright lie on offers and listings. The only ones held accountable are ones who "abscond" with funds held in escrow.
As for the temps, no way no how a sahm with a newborn baby is going to keep the house at 55. Not only that, she did laundry during the day (at peak times) twice a week (confirmed by the neighbours) and never dried the clothes on the line, always used the dryer.
Why are you so defensive of the sellers? You related to them or are you one of those flippers who repeatedly hose the buyer?
I worked for a used dealer (as long as I could stand), and can tell you that they do some horrible things to these vehicles. They like to finance in house knowing that it will come back and sell it numerous times! The “warranty” doesn’t cover the issues they know about and usually only lasts a few weeks if that. I had to quit because as the service manager I was instructed to lie to customers about issues with the vehicles just so they could get the car back and sell it to someone else.
I just found out last night that my son's fiance took her Honda Accord to a local Honda dealership to replace rear brakes and rotors and 1 caliper. My son and I were going to do it, but he has been working two jobs and couldn't get to it right away. We could have done it for about 300 dollars and an hour and a half labor. They added additional items through scare tactics and the bill when all was said and done was over 3000 dollars! This is another costly scam that unsavory dealers perpetrate primarily on women, when they come in.
A practice commonly known as "churning"
"We can finance anyone, even YOU!"
oh man dude, thanks for that info, dang! heard these horror stories on scotty kilmer channel on yt all the time.
@@jamesrecknor6752 No you can’t! You lie! lol 😝
They sold this twice, once for $9000, and then resold it again for $8000 after it was returned.
And next week they'll sell it for $7000 with boilerplate language that says "[everything] could go wrong with it", buy it back for $3000 a month later, and sell it again for $6000 a week later. Punitive damages and awards of attorney's fees exist for a reason.
I just had to hear this story, the headline amazed me! Yes! I am extremely happy for her, a Court that did something right? WOW
The dealership admitted the matter was a total fraud. I don't know what they expected after that.
Imagine going to a car dealer and expecting honesty .
That would be the end of times having a honest car salesman
That is when you go back to the same dealer If and a big if you can find one.
I wonder what effect it would have if this dealer and the salesman who sold it were slapped with a few months in jail. Would other salesmen decide the risk isn't worth the penalty?
As a former technician for multiple dealers, see if you can get a tech to talk to you. Whenever a potential buyer got me aside, I told him the truth "off the record."
"... but your honor, for decades now, our reputation for bad-faith is legend! Anybody buying from us SHOULD get screwed, and we continue to prove that point. This suit should be dismissed WITH PREJUDICE!"
One of my long-ago school teachers told our class about the benefits of looking at newspaper archives.... He and his wife had looked at a house for sale in a neighborhood that had partially flooded a few years earlier. The homeowners said the water came up to their front walk but no further. Well, the teacher went to the newspaper and found a front-page photo of those very homeowners rowing a boat away from the house (which was most definitely flooded). Needless to say they did not buy the house. The next flood in that neighborhood was 38 years later and it flooded again 2 months after that. So whoever bought the house at least got 38 flood-free years in it....
The gis should show you the floodplain today. It’s pretty accurate
A coworker’s house would flood every 5 years or so. He started doing all the work himself after the first flood and got very good at the work so he would make improvements and he would make a good profit each time. After a half dozen or so times he finally got too old to do the work so he moved. And it flooded not much later.
A long time ado, my Mother-in Law's Chevy Malibu's engine was going bad. It wasn't worth replacing, so we sold it for scrap. A few days later we were contacted by a woman who had purchased it from the guy we sold it to, when it finally got to the point it would no longer start. He had misrepresented it as a good car to her. I never did find out what happened. I hope she got her money back.
Back in the day junk yards used to resell cars, but I think it was illegal. You should never have been contacted by the next buyer. The junk yard forged your Mother in Law's title and resold it.
@@markg7030 ..It was legal for them to resell the cars(not forging titles),depends where you are and even places where its illegal only once the car is put into the scrap system at the yard..
Lots of people scrap good cars,either minor body damage or minor issues with them..As long as you know you bought from a junk yard and you know what you get,they are not hiding the fact its at a junkyard,probably safer that way than buying from a overpriced used dealer selling the same car for 100x the price!
In the 90's I bought many 1970's and early 80's cars that were perfect,looked great,ran drove great they just failed emission testing because of a simple repair. Usually the carburetor needed a rebuild so a $10-$15 carburetor rebuilt kit the car passed! Some cars the catalytic convertor was the issue,just replaced it with another from the junkyard for $50..Other cars transmissions that was the biggest issue besides the other 2 I mentioned...I repaired many..Made good money and sold good cars not junk..But thats not the case these days,cars are not as good,more complex and cheaper build..
When I worked for a federal judge, we had a tampered odometer case involving a used car with a reconstructed title. The dealer failed to disclose the nature of the title or that the odometer had been reset to a lower mileage and the car had been in a serious accident. The judge awarded the buyer a substantial recovery of damages (about what he paid less an amount for use while in the buyer's possession) but what the seller really complained about was the attorney's fees, which exceeded the total damages by several thousand dollars. The case was affirmed on appeal and the Court of Appeals praised the district court's opinion.
Our daughter was house hunting about a year after our city had a 500 year flood. I specifically asked the realtor about water in the basement and received a noncommittal grunt. When we were outside, I asked a neighbor if the basements in the area had water in them. The realtor didn't appreciate that I asked the question.
Anytime a sales person tries to brush you off run fast.
I think this is the first time I heard of a used dealer having to buy back an as is car.
This should be the case a lot more often.
No, happened to the honda dealer in my small town to my co-worker. He told me the story AFTER I bought a used car from them (the a hole) lol. His daughter bought a car, 10 days later engine blew, dealer said "too bad, as is". She went to the local newspaper, and hired a lawyer, they bought it back simply due to the pad press they were getting. EVERYONE who came in to buy a vehicle brought it up and the newspaper reporter hounded them daily. The thing is, the guy who owned the honda dealership also owned the subaru and (I think) the toyota. So he'd get killed if people stopped trusting him.
Awesome video again!
Love the fact that finally a judge said that just selling something "as-is" does not simply imply you can sell a lie just because of the "as-is" label.
If you sell as is you need to completely honest in writing and all forms of communication.
can you sell something as is with more detailed language, like with no warranty express or implied, and seller not responsible for any defects, and the buyer had a third party due an inspection? would the seller then be immune?
@Wendy Moto Based on the video you have to disclose all material defects you are aware of that would potentially impact the deal. Otherwise you could be found to be intentionally misrepresenting the item for your benefit which is not allowed. Most bad sellers get away with this by claiming ignorance, but when there is actual proof the seller knew they will have to refund.
Yeah, the whole trick is proving they knew, fortunately the vehicle had a known history of failure that could be shown that the dealer was aware of unlike with the previous purchaser.
@@gsigas That makes sense, thank you. So if I listed all the defects I'm aware of, I'd be safe even if more defects I was unaware of would manifest themselves later?
I had a positive experience with a used car dealership. I knew the sales manager--he was not there that day. I wanted a white Chevy--they had one. Short test drive--seemed ok. I did not get an inspection--car was three years old with very low miles. I bought it. First time out at freeway speed, I discovered a shimmy in the front end. I went back to dealership and was able to speak with sales manager. After a bit of back and forth, he advised me to take car to their reconditioning contractor (3 miles away). Dealership provided a loaner. When I picked up the car, I was told "(Dealer) put four new tires on it." Apparently the car had 3 different brands of tires on it. With the new tires, car drove like a top. Replacement tires were budget brand but lasted 40,000 miles. So, I got lucky--and car still runs like a top 4-1/2 years later. Thanks, Steve.
Get an inspection!
I noticed that almost every time I watch Steve's vids all the way thru, I wind up smiling with him.
That's a nice talent. Thanks Steve!
You've described the house my parents bought on the banks of the Kishwaukee river in Illinois! Nice view & it came with a flat bottom aluminum boat & an ancient Farmall Cub tractor. I was a teen & thought it was fun.
Get well soon Mr Lehto
Thank you for the great content every day!
'The Lawyer could not be reached due to a family emergency,' ah, the defendant hired Richard Liebowitz I see.
I also know people who have also swapped the engines in their Terrain/Acadia. It's hard to believe a company that's been around for over 100 years can build such crap.
A lot of times it’s the lack of maintenance of previous owner, I have a traverse basically same thing with 200,000 miles still going
@@gillgetter3004 count your blessings. I know plenty of folks that took impeccable care of their high feature 3.6 and it still shit the bed around 100k miles. Maybe you have more highway miles? Less idling? Are from a warmer climate? idk... lots of variables.
@@gillgetter3004 Like winning the lottery huh?
@@fisqual Are you taking about the LY7 3.6? They're a grenade, with the pin pulled.
GM is run by the same sort of excreable bean counters that bankrupted the company the first time.
5:05 the Dealership was truthful in saying “it’s a total fraud”.
That is an amazing story- crazy. Around here in the North East, used car dealers are required to sell cars with at least a warranty of inspectability. Of course, they can get around that by selling problematic used cars as "For parts only". Buyers don't even realize since its just another form in a stack of forms.
I like what Beau of the Fifth Column does and wear t-shirts related to the topic.
In the spoof film "Mafia" the opening line is, "When you buy a used car, you're buying somebody else's problem." Advice I've taken to heart.
This is obviously right in your wheelhouse. Very informative.
Sounds like this dealership needs to not just buy the vehicle back but give her double her money back as well. Then the oversight board (or whatever its called) needs to make sure the dealership has the vehicle destroyed....properly, according to whatever relevant environmental statutes are on the books. I hope the judge also slapped these guys with extra costs as well.
Side note: Steve, I love the different shirts you always wear. It is actually nice seeing the different shirts cause you have ones I have never seen before.
Not just this, that dealership needs to have its business license permanently revoked, and the owners barred from owning any business every again .. maybe even jailtime would be appropriate for these thieves.
This was precisely my thinking. Additionally investigate their business practices and any other used vehicles that have been returned/resold. Following that, additional penalties as appropriate in accordance with the law, and ANY GMC Acadia be completely destroyed by crushing, along with the Chevy equivalent. they're terrible vehicles unfit for even selling as parts.
We were looking at houses for sale. When we got in the garage/basement area I said This has had water in it.” I was told no, it’s been fixed. I could only respond no it hasn’t the mildew is still here, I could smell it!
Outstanding video! I’m a Canadian used car dealer and I’m sharing this with every dealer and customer I Know. The laws here are very similar in respect to misrepresentation and fraud but most dealers think “As-is” saves them from any liability and not disclosing known issues to potential buyers. They prey on the uneducated and trusting people that take there word “it’s an easy fixer upper”, then kaboom something major blows up. Hence why the dealer didn’t fix it up and certify it too make more $$$$. Thank you for posting this. I wish every used car buyer could see it. You’re the Man Steve :)
11:44 this was one issue I had with a house that I bought. I never explicitly asked if the water that the house was on, was actually part of the big east river. They said "river view". After I purchased the house I discovered that the body of the water it was on was landlocked and was a swamp rife with beaver fever, leaches, and even the town listed it as "warm water". I was "this" > < close to suing to negate the sale. I expected to be able to come home after work and take a dip in the river.
I eventually sold the house and told the listing agent In NO uncertain terms do NOT say anything about river in the ad. Say "water view" if you want. She posted an ad saying "river view" and I immediately told her to take it down and re-write it......
This is why it's so important to get a pre purchase inspection. They usually run about $70 -$80 where I live but when buying a used vehicle, especially one that has a lot of miles on it the money you spend will save you in the long run both in your wallet & aggravation. If the seller (private or dealer) doesn't want to let you get it inspected then walk away because any reputable seller will have no issue with you having it done.
Your are 100% correct! My son was looking at a car and took it for an inspection. The first thing noted was the frame was rotten. Roads are salted in Wisconsin. On the way to return it, the check engine light came on. He ran from that deal. Drove by the dealer a few days later, and there it was back on the lot. Maybe the check engine light issue got fixed, but certainly not the massively corroded frame. Buyers be very, very nervous.
Not everyone has the money. Obviously, these people probably shouldn't be buying a vehicle. Some have no choic tho.
A majority have no odea what they are looking at anyway.
Also, unless the ppi is warranting their work, thats almost worthless too.
I.e., if i get a ppi from a reputable company. They say thebcar is good. Engine blows from an obvious fault, are they responsible to help me or pay for it? They gave the green light? Of the answer is no, then I'm not paying a company for an inspection they are not responsible for.
@@todtalk3912 if you don’t have the money for a PPI then you don’t have any buying a car. There’s a such thing as priorities.
A PPI is functionally useless though, since they're unlikely liable if they misreport to you. Somewhat defeats the purpose of the inspection if all you've got is another face tell you it's good, regardless of the actual state of the product.
@@Drunkenvalley the difference is why is an uninvolved party going to lie? The dealer will because a sale is on the line. The third party is being paid for the inspection and good or bad report they make the same amount. They have no reason to be dishonest, and dishonesty by a non-dealer mechanic hurts their business.
regarding the house tangent, I am aware of a house that a guy had built along a flood prone river. he specifically built the house so that when it flooded every year, he could unscrew the bottom four feet of drywall, pull out the bottom four feet of insulation, mop out the interior of the walls, dry it out with a dehumidifier and put in new insulation and drywall.
too bad he didn't think to just build it 6 feet up...
Sounds like this is one of those situations where bringing a mechanic along to evaluate the used car for you would have saved a ton of hassles.
It’s cases like these where I class myself very, very lucky I have my dad (knowledgeable on cars) and my mechanic brother in law to come with me when I need to get a new car. I loved watching one sales guy’s face when my dad and bro in law asked for the hood to be opened and then pull out a Camera the see the brakes and start tearing the car apart (verbally). In their words…..it was a death trap and they where surprised it passed it safety tests. (Mot here in Scotland). At the time I had my baby son with me. That was almost 17years ago. I don’t think that dealer stayed open for very long after that. Not sure if they where reported or not. But I know they did close down soon after as they where located in the village my parents lived then and now.
i got lucky i worked at a used car dealership as a lot person arranging cars keeping them clean and lined up well ect..... the place i worked at was actually honest not all dealerships act like this
Years ago I bought a Jeep CJ7 from a used car lot. Within a week the engine quickly overheated and blew a head gasket.
The dealer agreed to fix it. A few days after I got it back, same issue. The dealer refused to talk to me. After some investigation I found that the block was cracked and the crack had been filled with RTV and painted over. I turned the turn in to the state DMV fraud department and their license was revoked.
I feel for people who get scammed by these horrible dealers. I had clapped out cars until I graduated school and started my business when I was 30. I could never trust whether or not my ride would get me from point A to point B without dying and most of that came from people lying to me about the condition of the vehicle they sold me. Predators lurk out there searching for poor people who can't afford to come after them when things go badly
Great video! I have a used van I am thinking of selling. I bought it cheap. However, I put around $5,000 into fixing it up to keep as my 2nd vehicle. It runs well and was in a hail storm and due to the severe damage on the hood and a few other dings on top and on the sides, my ins company totaled the van. I bought it back from the Ins co for $1400 and replaced the hood with a pretty new to me one and fixed a few of the more obvious dings. If I sell it I will be disclosing everything I know and have fixed and give someone a good deal on it. I have put around 18 months of time and money into the van and it's in good shape. The previous owner did not disclose that it had $3,600 front end damage and car fax didn't have it either. A different company had that info. This guy had gutted the catalytic converter and then lied to me about why it had a check engine light. The entire new exhaust system cost $1,350 and that was just the start. I have all the receipts for the major things I fixed or had fixed and they will go with the van, if I don't decide to keep it.
Most educational videos for consumers on TH-cam! You are making countless people better consumers!
Car Wizard has preached to stay away from GMC Acadias. Pre-purchase inspections are also very important. Scotty Kilmer and Car Wizard preach that heavily.
Yep they're on every "don't buy" list
First-time listener. Appreciated how you spoke in everyday lingo. In search of more videos. Thank you for that info. Be blessed.
Hope you feel better Steve. Thanks for keeping us informed even while you are under the weather. I appreciate all of your insights.
my local auction house had two levels of warranty. items that he couldn't test on site, the buyer had a reasonable time to test it and be sure it worked. other stuff, he sold "as-is, where-is." and it was typically stuff that the buyer could check the condition of it before the auction started.
I worked at a Chevy dealership for 6 months lol. The Chevy traverse, gmc Acadia and Buick enclaves are all the same vehicle. Every single one that came in for oil change had out of wack alignments and bald tires at less than 30,000 miles. The oil filter was jammed so close to the catalytic converter that it was impossible not to burn your hand and you could not tighten it correctly so a lot of oil filters were loose and leaking onto the cat when they came in. I think that was why alot of them burn to the ground.
Many of this cars and SUVs are designed to fail at at certain mileage by the car manufacturers, plan obsolescence.
I bought a used car 25 years ago and literally an hour after I bought it going down the interstate the engine blew up but the dealership sent out a tow truck towed it back. Put a motor in it gave me how are you loaner car fantastic great dealership.
We sold a car site unseen as is. It was a Audi coupe. We took it back after multiple engine and transmission issues and sold him a c200 instead. I'll never forget the look on the head of the dealerships face, you could tell we fd up.
Edit: it was on the 30th day of sale as well.
C200?
I have no sympathy for anyone that would buy a used Audi or even a new one
Years ago I looked at a house that was for sale. It was on 6 foot piers. There was a river about a quarter mile away. I put 2 and 2 together and walked away. Drove by a few months later, the house was gone. There was a sign on the property stating the property had been condemned and was not suitable for building due to frequent flooding.
Steve,
I absolutely love your opinions and commentary. Started watching your channel after an issue with my car. While your advice did not help me in that moment, the increase in knowledge I have for the future is valuable.
1:00 "GMC Acadia". Those things are just generally awful. It shocks the conscience that anyone can get away with selling them.
@Steve: Especially good and useful explanation by a known expert. Thanks!
Love this channel. We need more stories like this so that people dont abuse the as is.... or at least sell a car for less and say that it needs repairs.
People or salesmen should not be able to hide behind the "as is"
I literally see this ever day!! Not the lawsuit side but junk cars knowing sold to unsuspecting people. And they just get away with it.
when they tell you it is 'as is" that right there tells you its junk
@ProjectReindeerGames you are correct!! I have been working on cars professionally for 30 years. Never seen a good used car. Lol. Nor one worth book value.
I had a Condo to Rent. A lady Separating from husband both looked at Condo. At some point, I mentioned, I Don’t Like Car Dealers. He mentioned he was a Car Dealer. My Response was, I still Feel exactly the Same. 😬👍
"Don't worry. Expensive remediation takes care of most of it."
The dealership has the suv back again. What's to keep them from selling it as is for a third time?
Dude I started dying laughing when you said "the neighbor swam out to meet him".
In my misspent youth, I worked at a auto body shop, which would buy two totaled vehicles, same year and model, and then cut them apart on the factory weld lines, and weld the good parts back together.
A few years later I was looking at cars at a dealer, and they tried to sell me a car with all of the signs of having been reassembled from two totaled cars, while claiming it had never been in an accident.
A coworker's kid had a side gig doing exactly that, except he was completely honest with the buyers. They knew they were getting half of a car hit in front and half of a car hit in back. Titles properly said rebuilt salvage. He made money, his customers got affordable cars.
Ben trying to reach the transmit switch on Mic #3, Steve's LHS
Are you sure it’s not mic 7 lol
@@patrickdrier4707 - - -Mic #3, Steve's "Left Hand Side"
And I'm sure it's not mic #7, because counting your way that is mic #9(there are two behind Steve's head and I'm betting you missed the black and chrome mic #2 Steve's RHS)😉😎
I knew this would come down to failure to notify the consumer of known defects.
Steve, just so you know, there is at least one company out there that will take your old t-shirts (in good condition & clean) and turn them into a quilt.
A GMC Acadia is a vehicle that is expected to break down and a large repair bill can be expected at any time.
Good show!
This is a legal line worth hearing about. Thanks
I purchased a used Ford escape 10 years ago. The day after I purchased it the car jerked and the check engine light went on. I took it back and they said it was all good. I still have the car and it still runs fine.
After reading owner comments and reviews I would not touch an Acadia. True POS.
Amazing what dealers will still try to get away with. I had one try to pull the old bait and switch on me recently. Found exactly the Durango I'd been looking for. They said that they had to look it over before I could buy it. 2 weeks later, I drive an hour to pick it up. When I get there the one they have is the same year but it's a base model and it has quite a bit of body damage to boot. They tell me that the one I'm wanting to buy is actually at another site and why don't I go look at this one instead. I told them I wasn't interested but they still wanted me to fill out all the paperwork without ever driving the one I wanted. I took my $ elsewhere as a result.
Funny - when we bought our house a few years ago, in the disclosure page the seller checked the box saying there had not been any issues with water intrusion/grading/etc. Two weeks after closing, we got a lot of rain and ended up with 6 inches of water in the crawl space. Neighbors were like 'oh that happened again? they had that issue last year too'. We threatened to sue the sellers for fraud and ended up settling, but I couldn't help but laugh when you mentioned that story since it's so close to home.
Buying any GM product with the 3.6 engine that doesn’t have a warranty should be considered criminal lol
Buying any GM product should be criminal.
Over 20 year GM tech here...... do not, under any circumstances EVER buy a 07-2012 gm R/V platform vehicle. GMC Acadia,Buick Enclave, Saturn outlook, chevy traverse etc. These are absolutely some of the worst vehicles ever made. Dont get me wrong.... I'm grateful for them as I've made so much money on them over the years but they will financially ruin a owner. You cant make them good no matter what you do. They were junk new and 10 fold junk now.
I never buy American scrap. I owned Lexus's over 20 years great cars and mad in Japan.
I bought Nissan Sentra back in the early 90's "as is" but dealer give a 30 day 1000 mile warranty on any used car. Took it back 2 days after I bought it told them there was someting wrong with the front end on the drivers side. Makes a lot of noise when I hit bumps in the road. (test drive was directed by sales guy and happened to be a really smooth road.) Dealer called me the next day and claimed it was fixed. Said it was a loose motor mount. (I was young 20, didn't know much about cars yet.) On my way home from dealer after picking up the car the drivers side front tire and spindle came off when the lower ball joint broke. Caused me to end up in an accident. I got 75k and a new car from the dealer after taking them to court.
So, at 18, I made a mistake. I bought a Nissan Sentra from a private seller for around $9,000, unaware of the "As Is" clause in the purchase agreement. When the faulty transmission needed a complete replacement, I went back to the seller, but got no response. Taking him to court was unsuccessful, as the judge simply saw it as a learning experience for me.
Despite the horrible ordeal, I managed to sell the car to a dealership for $5,000, recouping some of the money. However, after accounting for the initial purchase price, car checkups, and legal fees, I still lost around $4,000.
This experience taught me a valuable lesson: always be cautious when signing any paperwork, especially watch out for "As Is" clauses, which limit your legal protection as a buyer. PS> The transmission was at fault, and it required a whole repair… What a nightmare. ALSO, many dealerships out there have no warranty and SELL vehicles As Is. So, keep an eye out.
In 2019 I got t-boned by a drunk driver in my 96 GMC K1500 on my way home from work (Graveyard at a cherry warehouse I fix the sizer / washer / forklifts / production line and help clean them. Screw the cherry vision. Heing 6'4 and working on it sucks lol.) I bought a 2008 Volkswagen Touraeg V10 TDI. I tow a lot and also wanted a car i can transport my disabled mother and great Dane in. One of the best used car dealers around its where i got my 2016 Passat that I got crashed into head on while I was sitting at a stop sign on November 28. I had all the carfax and matainance history. I checked up underneath the Touraeg was beautiful. No rust, damage, fluids, or leaks of any kind. What I didnt know even after the 10 mile test drive (the dealership was right on the interstate.) Is that the entire exhaust was clogged. The V10 TDI's DPFs were oil cooled and not cheap. What would happen is that the backpressure from the clogged exhaust system would push the turbo cartridges out of place and make it leak oil. The boost wouldn't drop much if at all. Then the carrier barring failed which after I pulled the driveshaft it was Jb welded together! Being a broke student I didn't have the money to fix it. I sold it and bought a 93 D350 from a family friend. The car market sucks right now where I am. So I'm stuck driving my fiancée's Saturn SL1. If you don't know Saturn's are TINY. I do not fit and it hurts to drive more than an hour lol. I'm being very cautious on what car I buy, where from, and from who.
Somehow I knew before clicking this video that it was going to be about an Acadia or Traverse. We do a lot of timing chain work on those 3.6s.
We ran into this with our 2017 Pacifica in 2023. A week after driving it off the lot it threw a rod through the engine block. Luckily we had bought an extended warranty through our credit union and the deal came through and paid half of the $800 for the "new" engine swap.
Steve, wear what ever you want!
That’s why we live in America.
The problem was buying a GMC Acadia. Get a 4 runner. Yes, you will pay a lot more for it upfront, but you will end up paying more with the Acadia for repairs. There is a reason the Toyota's go for a lot more money with the same features and miles.
Steve. Do you ever wear a shirt twice, because there is one you wore some time ago with "the laws of cricket" written on the front that I would dearly love to see again ... 😎 As ever, keep up the good work and remember Milo and Wolfy ...
For some reason, I'm now intrigued by the concept of the "flood party." It _almost_ makes me want to buy a small place on a flood plain just for the excuse to throw a party regularly. 😛
There are auctions in D.C that do not let the buyers examine the vehicle before purchase. A friend did purchase one and it had major frame failure. Easily seen when examined in person, and something the dealer couldn't have missed. They did get their money back, and considered themselves lucky. Had to pay to tow it off the lot, and back to the lot.
I had a similar situation with a 2009 chevy aveo. I should have ran from the deal, the warranty in the lot was limited, but changed to as is, in the finance office. Also their website showed 5995, but on the lot it was 6995. They said they would fix it, but then almost had me sign paperwork for the 6995 price. Aveos from that era suffered bad gaskets, causing oil and coolant to mix, one was mine, and I feel like they knew. Car lasted a few months before my 5 year loan ended.
God aveos were so bad. Sonics (their replacement) aren't much better but the Aveos were just SO BAD.
@@fisqual now when I look for cars, I read up on them, for known issues, etc. I also check the coolant reservoir for sludge. Mine had sludge, cause coolant oil mixing. I have a 2004 Honda Odyssey now, best 2200 I spent on anything.
Also like to snap their timing belts and if that happens kiss that engine goodby.
As soon as they tried to keep the higher price you should have left!
Ben on the third mic on the right
Ben behind the 71 car.
Dodge Daytona
That flood party sounds like a good time!🤣🤣🤣
The thing with buying an as-is vehicle from a dealership instead if there's an issue that the dealership knows about that was not disclosed to you at the time of purchasing then many times it's constituted as fraud. Where I live in Massachusetts we have something called the Lemon Law which makes it so that if a dealership sells you a car even if it's as is and you find that there was a misrepresentation of the Year Choo, that dealership has to do a few things whether it be fix the issues that were not disclosed or buy back the vehicle. Now I think that only protects you for something like 30 days or something like that so it's not the type of thing where you can come back six months later and say oh this thing broke you didn't tell me about it. It's more so that if something pops up immediately or if you bring it to another mechanic to have them look it over or if you buy the vehicle and it fails the state inspection
Cold or not .. terrific explanation. Well done.
Here in nh we have an issue with dealers selling as us and not realizing, we have a dealer plate law. If sold with temp plates, it must pass state inspection for 30 days. So safety issues and inability to drive it is required by law warranty.
Truth be told though... Any GM vehicle with the 3.6 is a ticking timebomb anyway. 🤷♂️
I had literally the same thing happen to me with my Pontiac G8 with the 3.6 the day I drove it off the lot. Went through the exact same problem with the dealership… it’s crazy 😢
you talking about basement and floods a very very long time ago i tried to buy a hotel place and the first winter i found the oil furnace in the basement merrily working away..under water.. turned out the floor crack was direct to the river floodplain at any level above normal. i was glad to just give that place back even though i lost out kinda hard
WA has a form for declarations such as lead paint, mold, etc. or Form 17 which is quite extensive or good old Form 34 which can list just about any condition. Seller Disclosure Statements (Form 17 and 17C) Just make sure you always use form 35 anyway.
Hmm…what happens to the car now? Hopefully not a third sale!
I used to work in a used car industry and believe me they know everything that's wrong with a vehicle when they're selling it to you
No, they don't. They're intentionally ignorant so they can "honestly" claim they don't know of problems. If they don't know of a problem, they don't have to tell you anything.
I have a vehicle that had catastrophic engine failure. I have a power train warranty on the vehicle through the dealer I bought from. They are refusing to honor that warranty. I told them to just come get the car. Is there somewhere I can report the engine damage so it is documented? I don’t want them to try to put a bandaid on it and turn around and sell it to someone else and screw them over.
I loved the subtle shirt fishing promo...lol.
I'm pretty sure the GM Lambda Platform SUVs rolled off the assembly line defective.
Ben length wise. Mic behind 71 car
She bought an Acadia. Loads of problems with those.
I was looking to get a used car not far from this dealer that was advertised "guaranteed to pass inspection". Lemon law actually required that it did pass. I had to put a deposit for it to be held a day until i could look it over the next day. Mostly good but had several lights out which any 1 would fail, so i told him he needed to replace them. He complained he may not have them but i told him i wouldn't take it unless he changed them because it was false advertising and the law. He found them.
Good ol' GM 3.6 V6 I am willing to bet. If you are ever offered anything with one of those engines, don't walk away RUN lol. They all have defective timing chains and it's a wonder that there hasn't been a class action lawsuit against GM for it.
The newer ones are much better over the 2011 or so and down with the timing chains. But the traverse/Acadia is a toilet car.
So many thieves and scumbags out there. Finding a trustworthy mechanic or a moral used car dealership is almost as hard to find now as a new car being sold as MSRP nowadays.
This vehicle was sold as "AS WAS".
When I bought my previous car, I’m fairly certain the dealer knew it was bad. The day after I bought it, the check engine light came on, requiring new 02 sensors. Less than a month later, it came back on, requiring a new catalytic converter, and the transmission temperature light came on, requiring a flush. (It should have been rebuilt, but I couldn’t afford it.) I also had to replace the engine mount, driver’s side window actuator, engine coils and spark plugs, pulleys and belts, a second transmission flush, six tires, and more that I can’t recall off the top of my head. The car’s horn also randomly stopped working. I had that car for just under four years, and just barely made it to the dealership to buy the vehicle I have now.
That shirt situation at the end blows my mind. I see someone wearing a shirt I would never wonder why they are wearing it as I would assume they wear it because they want to.
I went to China to visit my wife's family, not a tourist area. Was amused to see people walking around wearing shirts with English writing on them but often nonsensical, misspelled or even vulgar. They didn't know what they said, they just thought it looked good or was cheap. Probably no different if you or I buy a shirt with Chinese writing. It could say "dumb foreigner" for all we know!
You Tube....