Complaint Review: Mario's Used Cars

Some time in February of 2013, I purchased a 2006 Impala from Mario's Used Cars. When I went to the lot, Jack showed me a particular Impala. I told him I really didn't like the color of it, but he insisted it was a good car and everything I wanted. I asked about a few other Impala's there on the lot, but he said that I could not afford it and this particular Impala was the only one they had in my price range. So, I bought it. I put $1500 down. First 3 payments had tax and title as well included.

The night I pulled my new Impala off the lot, I noticed my headlight was out. So, I figured it was nothing to bother my dealer about. Headlights aren't too expensive. I went to the nearest Auto Zone and bought a lamp. I had my uncle , a certified mechanic, replace the light for me. He brought to my attention that the car was wired very badly. There was nothing wrong with my headlight. It had a shortage from the way the wires had been poorly wrapped, tied, and tangled. As I drive sometimes the light will go out and I have to get out and shake it around for it to come back on. There are even wires hanging from underneath the car!

I also noticed that the cover for my fuse box was missing. Jack told me to come back in and he'll take it from another car. I just went to the junkyard and found one that would fit. Also, upon accelerating the car would jerk. For instance, at a red light once I accelerated for the green light, the car would jump before picking up speed. I informed Jack. He said it was the motor mounds and they should be simple for ME to fix.

A couple days into having the car, I noticed yet another problem. It was freezing in temperature. This was mid February. I turn on the heater and it does not work on my side of the car. Heat only came out of one vent. I immediately called Jack the next morning. He said to call in two weeks and the mechanic would fix. I called in two weeks and he tells me my warranty is up that I have to fix it myself!

In April, I took the car in to get the inspection sticker. The car would NOT pass! When they plugged in the machine there was 4 lights to come up! I ended up paying extra so they'd let me make it.

Also, in my trunk for some reason when it rains everything in there gets wet! It smells terrible and I can't determine what the problem is. The trunk also is missing hydraulics, so when you close it, it slams. I definitely make sure my child's fingers are out of the way because it would definitely do some damage.

In May, I noticed my car not wanting to stop even after braking. I let my uncle have a look at it and the brakes of course were terrible. I had to have them replaced. Even after fixing the brakes, the car still is hard to stop! There always was an extreme shaking upon braking. Felt like my brakes were going to fall off.

Another issue came along as well shortly after this. I got to work and as I was pulling into the parking lot my car overheated! It told me to turn the A/C off and stop the engine. I put water in to make it home. My uncle took a look and I had a cracked radiator. I had to pay for a brand new radiator and thermostat! Not less than two weeks later, my car overheated again even with the brand new parts. I found this odd. I called Jack and told him that I would not pay another car note until it was fixed! He said that I could come in and trade for another car, but only if I pay tax and titles again for the new car. I refused. I explained to him that I already paid tax and titles for my current car and it is having several problems. Why would I pay for another? Still to this day, I am pouring water into my car every single day to get from A to B. Once I'm at B, I have to put more water to get back to location A!

In June, my steering wheel became hard to turn. It was almost impossible to make turns. I went into O'reilly and purchased power steering fluid. The problem was solved, so I thought. The wheel began to cry and become hard to turn once again only days later. There must be a problem in that area as well.

On Father's Day, I went to a family outing and somehow I lost my car key. I had to call a locksmith of course to make another car key. Making the key was no problem. Programming was! He could not find the correct wires to program the key because of the way that the car is poorly wired. After several minutes of looking under my dashboard, he finally found it! In the wrong place! He told me that the car was wired terribly bad and it will cause me big money in the future. Also, as far as the wriring and things, my speakers fluctuate. Sometimes they work on the right side and sometimes on the left.

I am behind 2 payments now because my car is still overheating and I refuse to pay for a broken car! I had my mother call and speak to "Mario". He told my mother that if I do not make the car payments, they will be picking it up. They also force you to keep full coverage on the car. I just found a job from being laid off from my last so I could not afford the insurance this month. He says if I cant afford insurance to come and park it on the lot until I can. Also, he told my mom that they will trade my broken car for a new one, but I MUST pay tax and titles first and my mother refused that as well. So I'm guessing that at this point I will have to contact a lawyer since they are not helping me with this issue.