Complaint Review: Petrie Auto Sales

     We went to Petrie Auto Sales in Ft Worth to buy a vehicle for our 17 year old son. We had spoken to them on the phone extensively before going because we wanted to make sure evrything was understood before making a wasted trip. He was trading his first vehicle in on a truck because he needed a dependable truck for his new job and he drove a 2005 Camaro. He had worked his butt off to pay for the car on his own so it was not an easy decision but he needed a truck.....

     The vehicle had to be put in my name since he was still under age but the agreement was that when he turned 18 it would be transfered. I do have bad credit which is the only reason that we went to this type of place at all. The sales woman seemed nice enough. Her name was Maddie (spelling?). While shopping for trucks I noticed that more than 1/2 of them on the lot had bald tires. It was actually hard to pick one out that had tires good enough to last a few months. We finally chose a 2005 truck that looked nice and sounded good. Maddie talked us in to buying the additional bumper to bumper warranty that covers everything (mechanically) as long as we are still paying for the truck. It was 200.00 cash immediatly and 50 added to each payment.

     We knew going in that we would not get what our car was worth and that we would pay more than their vehicle was worth. I have bought enough vehicles to understand how that works but I am still going to mention it. They "credited" us 1/2 of our vehicles worth. We paid DOUBLE what the truck was worth just knowing what we knew at the time. I looked the tires over and thought we could get 3-4 months out of them at least. We bought the truck on a Saturday right before closing time.

     We left the lot and stopped to eat at a resturaunt less than five miles away. By the time we got out it was staring to get dark. We get in the truck to leave and discover the headlights do not work. Before we get to an auto parts store, we get pulled over. Once back on the road, we realize that the heater does not work. The ac does not work either. The truck is pulling to the right so bad that we can barely keep it on the road. We left messages that evening for Maddie to call on Monday. Within a few days a friend that is an auto body man told me that the truck had been wrecked. We took the truck back to get the stuff fixed that need fixing. We were told that we used up all our warranty in one trip(it was supposed to last the whole contract). When we left the truck STILL pulled to the right. I still did not think it was that big of a deal (I figured it was an easy fix) until two weeks later I notice that the thread is showing on the tires already. We went to a tire shop to purchase tires and we were told that the frame was bent on the truck and that they could not with a clear concious sell us new tires because they would not last more than 4-5 months. A TIRE SHOP REFUSED TO SELL US TIRES! Then we had a mechaninc look at it and we were told the same thing. The frame was bent and the truck had been totalled.

     I do totally expect to pay more at a "tote the note" car lot. I GET THAT! I even expect to not get a trade in value from them but when you add all that in to the whole story, I feel like my son was screwed. The took my sons vehicle and paid him considerably less than its worth to trade it in on a truck that has been totalled. How is a 17 year old boy that works for minimum wage supposed to be able to pay a truck payment plus insurance plus bills AND have to fix a totalled truck(because we used up all our warranty in one trip) and buy tires every 4-5 months?

    Before the tire shop confirmed that the truck had been totalled I had already sent my other son to them to buy a vehicle too. I am not someone who bad mouths people online but I felt this story needed to be told. As of right now, the truck is at my house waiting to be repossesed. I will not make another payment on it nor will I pay insurance on it. It was a very expensive lesson for my son who now has no vehicle that he can drive since he cannot afford to fix the frame and buy tires. 

   It is sad that businesses cannot be trusted to be truthful. I would not be able to sleep at night if I worked anywhere that ripped people off on a daily basis. So...if you are reading this, please check the carfax report before buying from Petrie Auto Sales (or anywhere else for that matter). I WISH THAT I HAD!