Complaint Review: CalCars

I think before you go spouting off this gibberish you need to first walk a mile in the shoes of the person who had no other choice but to go through CalCars/CarBiz.

Has your world ever fallen apart and you lost everything through no fault of your own? Have you ever lost a job, company gone bankrupt, wife/husband left ya and took ya for everything?

Hate to break it to ya but this isn't a perfect world for everybody. These are the ones that fall prey to CalCars/CarBiz. The ones who are struggling to make it on their own. Let's say your credit has been ruined by a shady spouse. How are you going to go to just any used car dealership and have them just hand you over a car, financed at a decent rate, priced at a decent price? It doesn't work like that. Let's say you've gone to five different places and still no luck. The same story, credit. But guess what? CalCars/CarBiz will help you when you're down and out. So you consider them. How else are you going to get a vehicle to get you to work everyday? You've got to have one. So you're willing to take just about anything. You are desperate. Let's just put it out there. You have nobody else to help you. They're gonna put you in a car that day! Crazy! So yeah the interest is high, the overall cost of the vehicle is high, they're a bunch of sleezes but you really need this car to make it. You have bills to pay, you/your children need to eat. Nobody else is willing to give you a chance. So you fall prey.

Have you heard that story yet? Well I've heard it many times, always a lil different but the same basic circumstances. Nobody else will help. That's sad. We live in a world that only helps those that are most fortunate. What about the good ones that slip through. Well, they've always got CalCar/CarBiz/ some other fly-by-night dealership that's bound to change their names twenty different times so that they can make a buck off the less fortunate.

I think we all need to open our eyes and really see. Maybe in your world it doesn't make sense for anybody to go through one of these companies but the reality is that we don't all live in that same world.

Dear Anthony,
I am not nor was I ever employed by CalCars......so how could I have been fired ? You really need to check your facts, which I suspect YOU are an employee.......as for CalCars, which filed for bankrupcy .......they are now open under a new name.......so buyer beware probably same people, just different name to lure unsuspecting buyers in to be ripped off!

Loretta, ladies and gentlemen, was fired for stealing. She needs to take a hard look at herself before judging anyone. If you dont like them, then dont buy from them. No one asked you to get into your car and drive to calcars and buy a car. And if you do want to buy, then USE your head and get the car checked out. Come on, are you kidding me. Do you really think a 4-6k car is going to have no problems? Your not that stupid are you?..lol..

I had to buy a car in a hurry about a year ago, and there was no way I was going to get a halfway decent loan. Although, perhaps I shoulda looked. Anyway, I bought a Toyota Corolla at the Cal Cars on Liberty and Reading in Cincinnati.

I know the car was overpriced and I know the interest was INSANE. But, the guy who sold me the car was decent and honest. He made it VERY CLEAR that I was buying a used car as is, and that I would be responsible for paying off the loan no matter what happened to it. Incidently, they also made me sign something to the effect of promising I wouldn't use it to deliver pizzas or some other heavy use-thing like that.

Anyway, the car pretty much ran fine. Well, it's a Toyota, what do you expect?

They were always very pleasant to me, and I did OK by paying several weeks ahead at all times. I ended up paying it all off within a year.

Then, I inherited a better car and sold the Toyota for less than a third of what I'd paid for it. But, that did not surprise me.

I don't think they were ripping me off. They were very upfront about it. I even said "You know, you guys aren't really selling cars... you're selling high-interest loans, using cars to keep people paying." The guy laughed and said "THAT'S RIGHT!"

Oh, and I was allowed to test drive the car alone and was encouraged to go to a mechanic, which I did.

i used to work for calcars (calcot) in Omaha Nebraska as a mechanic....TAKE MY ADVICE DO NOT EVER SPEND MONEY WITH THEM!!!!!!! they are very crooked in there business methods. in my area due to the bankruptcy we owed other shops and parts stores THOUSANDS. and if i needed parts instead of buying new like a respectable shop would do i was forced to either fix the old part or go to a junk yard and find it and then i ended up loosing my job because production was bad. i was forced to put cars on the sales lot that we all new would break. but they are desperate. there was several times i told my boss that a car is no good and he told me to make it work......with no money put into it. and for any gear heads out there........hardley posible. once again DO NOT DO BUISSNESS WITH THEM!!!!

Say what you want. I bought a car from Cal Cars. And they didnt disclose anything about the vehicle. They told me at the time of the sale that the car had no problems. The next day, I smelled antifreeze and found that they head was leeking. I had to pay for the repairs. One day after buying the car I already had to put over $400.00 into the car. My point is that if I was the owner of a car lot like Cal Cars, I would go through each vehicle and check it from top to bottom to ensure that the customer buying the car didnt have to put any money into it other then normal maintance. Sure, things do go wrong, but if most problems can be prevented, then they should be. Like for instance brakes. Breaks should be checked on the vehicle. If they need replaced before the car is sold then replace them. If the water pump leeks, replace it. If the transmission is bad, then either fix it or send it back. By doing these things will save you trouble and ensure satisfied customers. Heck, my uncle ran a car lot for over 20 yrs, and never ripped off a customer. Thats because they bought quality used cars and made sure they were in great condition before selling them. Oh, and it wasn't my self that went back to cal cars a month later. It was my Brother-n-law. He saw a Ford Explorer that looked nice. But when he drove it, he found that the front end was bad. As soon as he put it in 4 wheel drive and made a turn, the wheel jurked right out of his hand. Plus he found that the water pump was leeking. When he told them about it at Cal Cars, they told him that they would not fix the problems, but if he bought it, then they would fix it and add it to his loan. So he told em to shove the thing. The next day, someone had bought it. I bet I see it sitting on the side of the road this winter.
I'm not saying all Cal Cars lots are bad. But there are some that are out there that are taking advantage of people who do not know anything about cars.. As you and I both know, most people just get in and drive. They dont ever think of noises they hear because they have no clue and think its normal.

Wow Dave! You're talking about integrity issues and salespeople, but you said they acknowledged the problem, and then told you they wouldn't fix it. That sure seems pretty straight to me. I want to make sure I'm clear on this - you went to Calcars once, didn't like the answer you got, and went back a month later - right? AND - it sounds like you got the same answer both times. I'm thinking they're being above board.

Now it's time for "The Lesson" - I once ran a used car operation in Northern Illinois. A customer walked up to one particular vehicle and said he was interested in it. The salesperson told him it smoked, and may not be the right choice for him. The customer asked the salesperson to start it anyway. He started it, and it smoked, just exactly the way the salesperson said it would. The customer said - It don't smoke as bad as the one I drove here in! He bought it and became one of our best customers. Just because a vehicle doesn't seem right for you, doesn't mean there it should not be sold to ANYONE. It just means your tolerance for those types of problems is much less than another persons.

I know for a fact that Calcars discloses everything - OVER DISCLOSES in most cases. Why? To protect themselves or course, but to protect the customer too. It takes in the area of 10 spaces initialed, and 7 or 8 full signatures to buy from Calcars. Don't think they aren't telling the customer everything. Some just don't pay attention.

To the last Person's response, I know for a fact that Cal Cars knowenly sells cars with mechanical problems. I know this because I spent a weekend with my brother-n-law looking for a second car for his self. We went to Cal Cars and test drove several vehicles. Each we found something wrong with. When we reporte the problems to them, they said that they wouldn't fix them. Three of the vehicles had transmission problems ( slipping, not shifting correctly, Over Drive not working) etc. When we told them they said that they would not fix things like that and send them back to where they were bought. Boy that was a lie. I seen someone driving that vehicle a week later. I asked them if they liked it, and they said that the transmission was going out and they had to pay to have it repaired. My brother-n-law also test drove a Ford Explorer about a month later. The water pump was leeking and the front end was going out. He told them about it and asked if they would fix it because he was concidering buying it. They said that they wouldnt fix it because of the cost. But yet told him that if he bought it, they would fix it then, but put the repairs on his contract and he would have to foot the bill. HOW Fair is that? So dont give those of us who have been ripped off that we should take responsibility. We arn't the ones out there taking advantage of people. Cal Cars is. And it would also make sense that a Car Sales person would make the kind of statements you made. Your commission depends on making a sale no matter what. So you have to bend the truth or leave out little details just to make the sale. So I say that it is you the Car Sales people that need to take responsibility for your actions and quit ripping off the consumer. Start being honest to the customer. IF you KNOW that a car you have on you lot is junk, get rid of it. Dont sell it to some unsuspecting customer then stick them with something that will not be reliable. You want your money every week or month, and we want a car that we can trust will start and move everyday.

After reading the above responses, the only one that made sense was the bottom one with the ase mechanic. The only part i question is how a mitsubishi motor would even fit in the front end of an s-10 much less how you would ever wire something like that. Any how, Calcars is not the only dealership around. there are 8500 other licensed used car dealership in the u.s. and everyone of them will sell you a car that will need work and will break. As a former new car salesperson in my younger days, i do beleive that the new cars we were selling broke more often than the used cars we sold.Now, i could see you getting upset when you purchase a 42,000$ cadilac and the trans goes the first week. Imagine the irony, a car breaking. Remember, you do not have to buy a car from anyone, and in illinois, you can have a mechanic look at it first. Any grade A mechanic will point out the basics you will have to repair like brakes,mufflers and such. But they do not have a crystal ball as to when certain parts may fail. the normal time for any mechanical part on a new vehicle to last is 30000 miles depending on the type of driving. Hence the normal 30000 mile warranty that comes with new cars. secondly how could anyone buy a used car without getting it checked out and secondly be upset when it needs work down the road. This bogles me. anyways remember, check out the car before buying, NO MATTER WHERE YOU BUY, because in Illinois, noone cares about your car needing brakes with 100000 miles on it. Oh yea, as to the cost, please help me understand this. Why does the cost upset people after the purchase. Do you honestly think that new car buyers dont go home and later regret what they paid. Noone made you buy it except yourself. Accept soem responsibilty and your life will go so much smoother than if you go through life blaming people for your mistakes.My pastor told em that one too along time ago. Good luck

I went to Cal-Cars here in Cincinnati as to check and see what they where selling for the fact that my mother was looking at a chevrolet s-10 that they had... Keep in mind I'm a ASE Certified Tech. I looked under the truck it looked desent. It ran desent. I wanted to look under the hood and the salesman kept changing the subject finally I popped the hood my self and looked under the hood to my surprise to see a Mazda engine in a 1988 Chevrolet S-10. I looked at him and asked since when do they put Mazda engines in a S-10.. His response was" They just started a couple of years ago" Then I asked him Why does all your cars in the back have orange stickers on them? he had no reponse. Here in Ohio abandon cars on the highway's get orange stickers.. All I can say about them is BEWARE look the car over very well take a mechanic with you or take it for a test drive with the salesman and pull in to a garage and let the garage check it out while the salesman is there. BEWARE and good luck to all....

I am buying a car through CalCars and I do feel that the cars are overpriced. I also feel that if you do not look at your receipts you will be a victim of your receipts not matching week to week. I highly recommend that all of you buyers look closely at your receipts. I have been lucky because the Blazer that I have purchase has been running very good... "Thank God".

The men at CalCars in Davenport off of Locust Street are very friendly though. I just wished that the main company in Rockford would get it together because I have been a victim of the Principle and the Interest not matching. I look thoroughly over my weekly receipts to make sure everything matches and lately it has not.

They are looking into this to see why it keeps happening. I would suggest that they get and updated computer system. Again, I do stress that every customer look over there receipts

I would be willing to bet that any positive responses to Calcars is from current employees trying to protect their name so they can continue to sling the junk out. Trust me when I say JUNK!! They resell repoed cars that customers quit paying on because they didn't run, some cars resold several times. They will offer to refi your car and add in service costs so that you will not sent it back, sometimes rewriting the contract 3 to 4 times making the customer so upside down that it's just crazy. The Calcar deal is this, sell the junk to poor prople, keep them on the book the a long time by adding service repair cost to their loan (costs that they should of paid for before they sold it). Then they will scare the customer to pay or they will repo you 1 day late( trust me they won't because the company is in bankrupcy). All I can tell you is stay away!!! If you buy from them it's your fault.

IN THE PAPER WORK IT OFFERS YOU TO HAVE MECHANIC CHECK OUT THE CAR BEFORE YOU BUY IT. I DID IT WITH MY TWO CARS AND YES IT BROKE DOWN. BUT IT WAS EXPECTED TO. I NOW HAVE A NEWER CAR BOUGHT FROM A NEW CAR LOT AND IT HAS BROKE DOWN MORE THE MY CALCAR.:)

I just bought a 1996 Olds Cutlass from our New Cal Cars Dealer whose name is Team Ford Pay Days. The same day I bought the car and drove it off the lot, I started to notice problems. First I found it had a Gas Leak on the Top half of the motor. I called, and told them of the problem and even took it to them. Then, I found that the Intake was leaking AntiFreeze. I again called them and took the car to them. The scheduled an appointment at Team Ford to have it looked at. They found that the intake needed to have a new gaskett. However, it was going to cost me $200.00. How is that Fair? But needing the Car for transportation, I agreed. So they fixed the intake. However, DID NOT fix the gas leak. Then Today, 12/31/03, I found that there was still a water leak on the same side that was leaking before. I called them and told them about it. I then told them I either wanted a differant car, or this fixed the right way. Their response was, its a used car. You by as is. "we dont check the cars for mechanical problems, just road safty". A gas leak must not qualify as a safty issue to them at all. So I guess if I blow up in the car, then its my fault. I know Cal Cars sells to those who cant by any place else, but hey, Dont Rip us Off by selling Junk. You need to remember, this is OUR Hard Earned Money that we worked hard for. I am also in the process of contacting an attourney about this matter. I am sure that there are many others out there that were ripped off like this and stuck with a piece of junk. Help me fight to prevent Cal Cars from Ripping off others and selling junk cars. If you are a victum, please email me your information along with a picture of the car and where you bought it. This is crap and needs to be stopped.

Calcars sell these cars striat from the auction block, they do not do anything to their cars. The only thing they put into them as is a price tag. An over priced one at that.

As a former manager for a Calcars, I find it funny that anyone is complaining about putting, in most cases, $350.00 down on a less than $4000.00 vehicle. What a deal! You get to pick a car out, have it checked by someone who knows the mechanics of a vehicle, and you only have to pay $55.00 (in most cases) a week for payments. No one forces you to buy the vehicle! I will say one thing for Calcars, the collection efforts are a little "thuggish", but they were always fair when it came to mechanical problems involving the customers cars.

I just picked up the new car from CalCars. I signed AND initialed on each line a form stating, among other things, that I knew I could have the car inspected by a mechanic if I so chose. I even had to write out a few lines stating that I was buying the car "as is, as shown". I know that it's going to need a few repairs in the near future, but it's nothing major...in fact, nothing a couple of my friends can't handle! CalCars did have a new radiator put into it after I decided to buy, which I really appreciated, since I did agree to buy it "as is". They had the radiator done before I had to sign anything!

I've known for some time that it's a good idea to have any used car inspected before buying it. Sometimes I choose to do this, sometimes I don't. I know that if I was married to a mechanic, he would certainly be with me to check it out before I bought it!! The guys at CalCars have encouraged me to have the car checked...both times! I believe they go with customers on test drives to keep the car from driving away before being bought!

If I were to buy a dozen eggs without looking into the carton before buying them, I couldn't blame anybody but myself if I got home and found any number of them broken. That seems to be the case here as well. Don't buy anything "as is" without having it inspected by a professional, unless you are willing to risk dealing with the consequences later.

SEems to me, that brakes, brake rotors are a MAJOR item that needs to be replaced before sending an unwary customer out in a vehicle that has rotors that has completly rusted into, as far as I know most Used car dealerships I have checked with since purchasing this vehicle from cal cars , would have replaced brakes, rotors, tires plug wires plugs, air filters oil filters , and checked the vehicle over for any serious problems before putting the vehicle onto the lot for sale. We have done maintence on this vehicle, as soon as it was brought home we replaced the oil, filters,plugs, since the brakes "felt" good we didnt replace those. Two weeks later ... no brakes, looking into it, rotors on rear brakes were rusted and split into two parts. Now, let me ask you parents out there, would you want your son or daughter to drive something like this, rotors are a Major part of the brake system. Luckily my son was only a mile from home when the brakes failed, and his father was here to look at it. Imagine our surprize as to the condition.

As to the salesmen, I dont recall the young mans name, however he was of Spanish descent, and we were not told we could take this vehicle to be checked out by a mechanic. I have looked thru our papers, there is not a signed paper stating this, least not in MY papers that they gave me.

Take responsibility for my mistakes ? You can bet I do, after listening to the other horror stories of people who have purchased cars there, I wish I had talked to them before I stepped onto the lot. Because I will certainly go elsewhere next time, after hearing some of the comments by other dealers in the area. "Nice salesmen" perhaps, but it's their job to unload these junkers onto us. Perhaps they will want the car back in a few months after it's paid off, they've offered a "trade -in" since we owe less than $1000.00 now. Thanks but no thanks Cal Cars.

I bought a Chevy Cavalier from CalCars in December, 2002, that had over 150,000 miles on it. I had no major problems with it until earlier this month, when the water pump went out and the engine overheated before I could make it to a service station.

I had been hoping to trade in the car in a few months, as soon after I bought it, I found out I was pregnant with twins. Since I also have a toddler, I was hoping to get a mini van or station wagon in order to fit all the car seats in.

Originally, the plan was to finance the engine repairs into the loan, however, I found out that the car needed a whole new engine. Just when I had about given up hope of ever getting a car for the whole family to fit in, imagine my surprise when CalCars agreed to re-work my loan to get a new car instead of financing major repairs! This was especially welcome since I had bought this car when a car that I purchased at a new and used car dealership needed major repairs that I had no way to afford. I will be paying for that driveway-bound car for about 3 more years!!

I know of no other dealership that would help out the way CalCars did! I'm excited to say that I will be picking up my "new" used car later this week!

I was a founding manager at Calcars. They offer used cars at reasonable prices to people who can't by anyplace else. Sure some fo the the cars break down, but just exactly how long do you expect a 10 year old car with miles near or over 100,000 to last without needing maintenance?

Every vehicle was reconditioned before it came into a lot's inventory. Even so, we allowed - in fact - encouraged customers to take the vehicle to a disinterested 3rd party mechanic so they knew the real deal when they took delivery of their vehicle. We also told our customers the cars would break down at some point (all used vehicles do), and they signed a form that disclosed that point IN WRITING. We even offered a program where the customer who was tight on cash could have major repairs done at an independent shop, and with a small down payment, include that amount in their financing - we helped people keep their cars running.

We provided a valuable service to our customers - reasonable prices, reasonable payment amounts, and the truth at delivery. I never lost any sleep about what I did, and was proud of the level of service we offered our customers.

It's unfortunate that Loretta had a bad experience, but of the thousands of customers through the years, there are bound to be some customers who feel they've been wronged. The other side - there are way more who feel they've been treated fairly and continue to do business with Calcars.

I was a customer there in 97 and 98. i Purchased 2 cars form them. I realized after my divorce i couldnt get a new car and that is the price me and the ex payed for mismanaging our money. No different than when we bought a house.

My car broke too, but i am driving a new car and guess what, it broke too. I paid alot more than she did, why should it break? They break especially the older they are. Surprise. And overpriced. Who forced her to buy there? I had a choice and so did she.

When my washer broke last week i wasnt mad at shermans appliance where i bought it, i got it fixed. They didnt make it or break it.
And i know for a fact they made me and still do everyone sign a pape offering to take to a mchanic we wanted too.

I still stop in and see the guys there. They are a greatt bunch and let me tell you, they are more honest than the guy that sold me a new car. I really hate to see conpanys hurt by negative people that can't accdept any blame for thier mistakes. i still reccomemnd to my friends and thier kids to start there if they cant buy new.

I also hope this website is fair in thier postings. p.s. i do not put my phone # on anyweb site but feel free to talk to these guys. Oh yea i noticed something when i wa a customer there. They are proud to be a member of the BBB> and i checked in and they have no problems unsolved. Thanks