Blackwell Motors Bonne Terre How many knives can one back hold? Bonne Terre Missouri
Oh my, where to begin? I had purchased several automobiles from Blackwell Motors and my fifth was to be a large, black 2007 Chevrolet Suburban LT. Custom wheels, dark window tint, she was beautiful. Now this is after I had already purchased four other vehicles, my brother and my father-in-law also having each purchased a vehicle. They were asking 19,995 but we had a trade and an additional $1500 cash. For some reason, the financing demanded additional funds so Blackwell showed the price of $23,995 so the financing would go through.
Within several days after our purchase, I began to notice an oil leak. I called them and told them about this problem and they wanted me to bring itback down. Now Bonne Terre is about 40 miles from where I live, but I did it anyway. About a week went by and we never heard anything from Blackwell. By now we were also hearing a muted screeching noise from under the hood. This vehicle had 92,000+ miles on it when we bought it.
I took it in to a local repair shop where I knew the guys and asked if they could look it over. Immediately, they heard the noise and began looking into it. Seems the water pump was shot, which on a 5.3cu Chevy motor was uncommon. That was $1400. The oil leak, yeah, a cracked valve cover and oil tube, $877. The custom HID headlights had the high-intensity bulbs duct taped into position. My cost for new headlights and body control module, $672. At a little over 96,000 miles, one of the hydraulic lifters collapsed. Luckily, Firestone Automotive was able to replace the single side at a cost of $2100.
Finally, the four speed transmission broke a band at 102,000 miles resulting in a $1475 bill to repair. So our $19,995 sexy beast ended up costing us $6500 maintenance and repairs over a two-year period. But, Blackwell's mechanical inspection department cleared this vehicle as mechanically sound and functional. Ant dealer that would treat repeat customers this way would have no qualms sticking the knife in a new customer's back. The ownership of Blackwell Motors stated that he always sold vehicles at below market value. In some cases that may be true.
However, we did research on the ownership of our Suburban, and the only other owner had been a limo service in Sarasota, Florida. Our mechanics said the vehicle looked like it had never seen an oil change...in it's life, until we bought it. In essence folks, beware Blackwell Motors. Good people used to work there until the owner became more involved. Those folks aren't there any longer and it is obvious. Blackwell Motors has become one of those dealerships that cater to those trying to build or rebuild their credit, usually taking them for their trust and their money.
4 Updates & Rebuttals
Robert
Irvine,California,
USA
Trying to figure out what you were expecting..
#5Consumer Comment
Sat, March 19, 2016
I am really trying to figure out what you were expecting here. As you bought an 6-7 year old car(at the time) with close to 100K miles on it. Did you really think that you were going to be repair free? Did you get any sort of warranty with it or was it "As-Is".
When you purchased the car, as pointed out even though they increased the sale amount you did go along with it. So one has to wonder why.
You say this was your fith car from them. So did the other 4 have issues? If they did why would you keep going back? If they didn't are you somehow infering that they were just setting you up with the other 4 vehicles to take advantage of you on this 5th one?
You stated that they declared the vehicle as mechanically sound and functional. Okay what does that mean? That is so generic does that mean you could drive it off the lot or that it was in 100% perfect working order? Unless you have something specific and IN WRITING that states a part that failed was specifically determined to be in perfect working order you have absolutly no claim. If you do, you also have a hard time especially for the parts that failed later.
As for your mechanic who stated that it looked like the oil had never been changed. Yea, go ahead and sue this company based on that and tell your mechanic that you are going to use him as a witness where he is going to have to swear to that under oath. Let us know if he still stands by that statment.
The point on this...you are trying ot use a statement like that as "shock" value. But because it is so unreasonable no one is going to believe it. Because I can tell you that if a vehicle never had an oil change after 92K miles you would be having a heck of a lot more than $6500 in repairs. Such as you saying good bye to about $7,000-$10,000 for an engine. Oh and not sure if you noticed but only ONE of the repairs you listed was engine related.
All very good points.
#5Author of original report
Sat, March 19, 2016
Yes, this was the fifth vehicle we purchased from this dealer. The other four, a 1998 Ford Escort for my son, 182k, a 1996 Chevy Cavalier for my daughter, 171k, a 2005 Nissan Frontier, 52k, and a 2008 Dodge Nitro, 38k. No trouble with any of these, and I mean none. The Escort made it to 214k before the motor let go, the Cavalier, 232k, the Frontier was sold in favor of a 2008 Cobalt, and the Nitro was traded in as part of the deal for the Suburban. Now, it really doesn't matter whether you believe any of this or not. It's just not relative. The Suburban did come with a warranty which, if you would have read, was the reason the truck was at the dealership for a week.
Our mechanic, while replacing the water pump 41 days after we bought the vehicle, found the source of the oil leak and the repairs made by the dealership in the form of silicone adhesive around the oil breather tube. Now, that being said, let it be known that I finally accepted that I was screwed by a dealer I had trusted. I could never afford a new Suburban, but I still enjoy a nice vehicle for family getaways. Two engine problems, the water pump and the collapsed lifter really frustrated my feeling of security in this truck, with 106k when I finally got rid it. The difference in this purchase was the location. This vehicle was purchased at their main dealership. The others were purchased at a satellite dealership. Since that purchase, our financial stability has greatly improved so my vehicles are new, both with full warranties. Two 2015 Chevys adorn my driveway.
I was glad to have found Blackwell after my divorce when my 1990 Chevrolet pickup gave up the ghost. I wish that things had turned out differently so I could tell others who are in the predicament I was in how Blackwell could help them, too. But, when mechanics tell me that the condition of the vehicle was poor even before I purchased it, I can't help but believe that the dealership knew this also. I learned my lesson about buying used vehicles. No one is looking out for me, except me, and any dealership that offers assistance is only out for themselves. What is ironic is that I still receive mailings from this dealership to "save thousands" as a reward for my loyalty. I usually chuckle and feed it to my trashcan. But, I can relate my experiences to someone who may be considering this option. Even if they find it hard to believe.
Really? That's what you got out of that?
#5Author of original report
Sat, March 19, 2016
It seems dealers do this all the time. My point, regardless of what you seem to have gotten out of the example, is that if this company would treat us like that, after having spent roughly $85,000 with them prior, they would have no problem stealing anyone's trust along with their money. But, thank you for that off-kilter commentary. I see what kind of folks read this now abd I am starting to realize that maybe this is not such a good forum.
Jim
Florida,USA
Trust???
#5Consumer Comment
Fri, March 18, 2016
As per your EXACT words: "For some reason, the financing demanded additional funds so Blackwell showed the price of $23,995 so the financing would go through."
That statement tells the world they DEFRAUDED the lender with false information in order to obtain financing.
Do you know what else it tells the world? It says YOU were willing to go along the the deception and were a party to a fraudulent loan application.
...And YOU want to tell us about "TRUST", right???