Complaint Review: Martino Oldsmobile Lansing Illinois.

I seen an ad on tv for this car dealership back in 2002 and thought i should give them a call being that i needed a car. I had no bad credit but then again i didn't have any "good" credit which is one in the same. they called me back about an hour later and said "come on down and drive off with the car of your choice" so i asked my father in law if he could drive me down because my credit was approved and i would be driving back with my new car, lucky me!

got to the place after what seemed to be a forever drive, maybe 2 hours max. got there and they ran my credit, according to them they "ran it when i called and it was a go!" come to find out due to my lack of "good" credit i did not qualify and would need a co-signer. my father in law being the kind hearted man he was signed with me. I was told i could pick any car on the lot so i did, a pontiac grand prix.. the second i saw it, i loved it!

took it out for a test spin and all was great.
the whole process took several hours with endless paperwork to sign but finally i got the keys and was on my way.

after about a week my "check engine light" came on and i called the lot, it was under warranty or so i thought. it just so happens that the bogus warranty i had "didn't cover" my problem.

i was later to find out this little "added bonus" cost me $1,500.00 included in the sale price of course and they never fixed a d**n thing on that car.
over the years i have ran into some nasty little problems with this car despite keeping it up as a car owner should.

the last problem i had with it was some "mysterious electrical problem" that would cause the car to go nuts and die on me so i ended up paying $600.00 in electrical work to have a $5 switch put in to start the car up. as of today my $9,075.00 financed car with a 17.45% intrest rate throwed in to line the pockets of the dealers/ bank with, for a grand total of $13,757.92 Car is sitting, parked with a coolant leak, possible head gaskets blown? or even worse..a cracked engine! yikes! Thanks dex-cool :) I will once again take it in and try to have it fixed so i can wait a few months for something else to break on it. i will enjoy driving around in my piece of s**t grand prix with the broken ac/heater and driver side window, yes..my window is broke:( the wires are "burned out" one of my doors cannot be open at all due to yet another "mysterious problem" being the good detective that i am i suspect it has been hit before on that side..actually anyone with eyes can see that is has been hit before with the crappy paint job that was done, the one clue left behind was a single drip of paint that had dried on that door it just screams BODY SHOP REPAIR! if i only knew then what i know now...

lesson learned! anyone who contacts one of these dealerships and get's "approved" should be very leery, they are usually a good ways away and will sweet talk you to death until you get there and find out your "approval" will need a co-signer they will also accept your first born ;)

not only is the above mentioned a scam, rip off place but bob watson in harvey illinois is on the same game plan as well. be warned! cos i told you so.

Mrs. Lopez
chicago, Illinois
U.S.A.