Here is my picture album of the day we went to San Jose to get the car, a lovely 1992 Ford Taurus GL with just 65k on the clock. Finally bought it for $1978 plus fees and tax.
and with a problem.
Catherine at the dealer in San Jose waiting for the "dealing" to begin
The dealer did nothing, so we all had to wash the car ourselves at the dealer!!!
Dayla sprayed Catherine with the dealer's hose!!!
Here is the car up on the rack the next day at Jim Burke Ford in Bakersfield, getting the brake rotors machined. It had new brake PADS, but ALL FOUR brake rotors were warped and bad.
The replaced a bad brake switch also that caused the brake stoplights and high mounted 3rd brake light to fail to illuminate.
As you probably know, I feel strongly the dealer took unfair advantage
I feel strongly the dealer took unfair advantage of my girlfriend's daughter, and me (who paid for the car), well knowing we had come all the way from the Lake (Isabella in Kern County) to San Jose to look at the car (227 miles!!!) and we were treated badly because of this on many levels.
They reneged on their promise to at least have the car washed if not fully detailed and cleaned up, so the three of us actually used their dealer equipment and washed up the car ourselves, while laughing and trying to put a good face on this.
On the price they hammered us as hard as they could, so Catherine, the 20 y o daughter, who watched silently, saw all that, on the negotiating part, and could say how it went, ---- it was hard, grueling, tough work, to get anything out of them. Their asking price was 2250, but taking into account tax, licence, document fees, smog fees and other things it came out over 2600. This I refused to pay, and with that in mind, withdrwe 2200 cash and put it in an envelope from the Bank, and showed them THAT when it came right down to nuts and bolts time.
They still managed to extort another 175 out of me to finish the deal, and it was CLEAR to me that they put NOTHING into this car when they got it from the auction. They did not even top off the automatic transmission fluid which needed it, and I had to ask the Ford dealer to take care of that.
I purchased the car from a dealer, with the idea that at LEAST they would go through it, first before selling it, as they are required to do, to make it road safe before selling it. (not like private parties that can sell you ANY piece of junk).
This would include making sure the tires, lights, brakes, horns, turn signals, and all fluids are safe.
THIS THEY DID NOT DO. We noticed on the test drive the brakes juddered badly, (I suspected front brake rotors were bad.)
On the drive home we noticed that the brake lights and high mounted 3rd brake light NEVER worked when Catherine would step on the brakes, and Catherine can tell you we tested this in the parking lot outside Mimi's in Gilroy and elsewhere several times to be sure.
These two faults should have been corrected at the DEALER'S EXPENSE -- which they refused to do!!!!
Therefore as they were immediate concerns, I took the car to Jim Burke Ford in Bakersfield, and had them corrected, for a cost of about $365.
Unbelievably, this selling dealer made Catherine sign a paper (A "due bill" that is part of every dealer used car or new car sale) that said "Dealer will pay for NO REPAIRS after sale."
I never saw this, because I was outside still washing the car when Catherine went inside to sign all the papers.
I would NEVER HAVE agreed to this, as by that paper they were actually attempting to foist upon Catherine the responsibility THEY have by LAW to fix those brakes and lights BEFORE selling the car. Yes it is true that she will have to fix the air conditioning herself, I understand that.
I will set out today to start writing letters of complaints, because nobody is absolutely sure which has the jurisdiction, and I asked in person at the DMV offices in Lake Isabella and Bakersfield and got different answers.
It is either the Office of Investigative Services of the DMV; the State Department of Consumer Affairs, or the Bureau of Automotive Repair that has jurisdiction, and maybe all of them.