Showcase Auto Sales LLC sold me a car, next day found out the engine was shot, told me it was in my name now and they won't do anything about it Chesaning Michigan
I purchased a 1997 Cadillac Catera from Showcase Auto Sales in Chesaning, MI on Friday February 27th, 2009. When I bought it I was told that it had been looked at by a mechanic for an entire day and the only thing he said was wrong with it was a lifter that made a faint ticking noise for the first 30 seconds or so after a cold start. I was also told that it shouldn't affect the longevity of the engine and would probably go another 100,000 miles without a problem. The salesman said that since this problem existed he would take $800 of the asking price in case I decided that I wanted to get it fixed.
I bought the car and drove it home that afternoon. Upon arriving home I noticed a white smoke coming from the hood and a smell that smelled like burning oil. I thought that maybe it was burning off the engine cleaning solvent and figured I would check on it in the morning.
When I started it the next morning, there was more that the usual amount of exhaust smoke and the smell was back. I took it to an oil change center thinking maybe it just needed an oil change. Within about 5 minutes of my arriving at the oil change center the gentlemen there said that they thought I had a cracked head gasket because there was exhaust smoke coming out of the oil dipstick hole. I took it to my mechanic and his assistant checked it out for about 5 minutes and said that it probably was a cracked head gasket as well.
I then called the owner of Showcase Auto Sales and explained the situation to him. He said that his suggestion would be to find out from the mechanic how much it would cost to repair and have it repaired. I asked if he was willing to do anything as far as a return since it hadn't even been 24 hours since I bought the car and that I thought I probably had some legal recourse under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. He said that he would not do anything and that he would suggest looking into my legal recourse.
Now, just to be clear, I did buy the car as is. However, I bought the car based on the information provided to me by Showcase Auto Sales. And there is a big difference between what I was told, that the only problem was a lifter that makes a slight tick sound for 30 seconds and then goes away, and what was actually the case, a cracked head. The owner of Showcase Auto Sales says that the lifter problem was the only problem that the mechanic reported to him. I have no way to prove that is not true, however, what I do know is that the service tech at the oil change center and the assistant at my mechanics shop were both able to diagnose it by looking at the car for 5 minutes, and once my mechanic looked at it for about 3 hours he was able to fully diagnose it. Showcase Auto Sales had told me that their mechanic had it for an entire day.
Well, I ended up taking the car back to my mechanic to get a full diagnosis. I told him that if it was going to be $500 - $800 I would just pay for the repair and move on. However, after diagnosing it for about 3 hours, my mechanic called and said that I have 2 options. First, I could have both heads replaced for a cost of $2000. Second, I could have an engine with lower mileage put in it for $2700.
That's the story of my one and only experience with Showcase Auto Sales in Chesaning, MI. I am not telling you not to buy a car there. I just want everyone to read of my experience and then decide for themselves if they want to do business with this company.
Chuck
Chesterfield, Michigan
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Jleonard28
Chesaning,Michigan,
U.S.A.
Very one sided story im the owner of the company please hear my side!!!
#3REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, March 13, 2009
I am the owner of Showcase Auto Sales LLC and i am the one who handled the transaction of the 1997 Cadillac which is in question. This vehicle was puchased by the gentleman who has made the post but his story is very much one sided.... We had this vehicle for sale and notified the purchaser when he made first contact through an add on auto trader and it was told to him that the vehicle had a problem with the engine before he ever even came out and viewed the vehicle i told the purchaser if he was interested in the purchase of the vehicle that i would take $800 off the asking price so that if there was a serious issue with the car it would give him an allowance to make a repair to the vehicle. He then came to our dealership and test drove the vehicle and said he heard a noise in the motor but that the car felt is if though it still had all its power and seemed to run fine and as he drove the vehicle the noise went away in the engine (these are his words on his opinion of the vehicle after test driving it at our dealership before the purchase). I then told him i would stick to what i told him over the phone and take $800 off the vehicle if we wanted to go through with the purchase. He then said it seemed like a great deal on the car at a price of $2,195 and he would take his chances on the car. So we then went through with the transaction which he signed 6 documents through Initialing and signing his name to AS-IS no warranty! we even went as far as to put right on the sales reciept that there was an issue with the motor in this vehicle and that it was being sold AS-IS no warranty no warranty implied under michigan laws! I then recieved a call the next day from the purchaser and he was informing me that there was an issue with the engine on the car... Which he knew before he ever bought the car and then he proceeded to tell me that he thought he was going to have to put more money into it then he originally thought. And that he was hiring an attorney and going to sue me and contact the business bureau. I truely do not understand what more i could have done i disclosed is much information on this vehicle before it was ever purchased and i nor any of my staff forced him to buy the vehicle. I also dont understand why he didnt bring and or have a mechanic with him to inspect the vehicle prior to the purchase??? I just wanted to reply to this post this Man has decided to set about my dealership cause it was very one sided in his message. I have been in this business for 7 years and i work out of a small town and have a very good reputation for selling good cars for a very good price in a down economy. All of our vehicles are typically 5-10 years old with anywhere from 70k miles to 200k miles. All of our vehicles are out of factory warranty thats why their all AS-IS no warranty and we welcome all mechanics to come to our lot and inspect a vehicle for the purchaser! we are very open and honest about our vehicles and disclose anything that we know about them. Well i hope anyone who has an issue concerning this write up please feel free to contact me at jleonard528@hotmail.com and i would be more then happy to assist or explain anything further.
Flynrider
Phoeix,Arizona,
U.S.A.
Not exactly
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, March 03, 2009
"Now, just to be clear, I did buy the car as is". However, I bought the car based on the information provided to me by Showcase Auto Sales."
No, you bought it "as is". "As is" means that you've accepted the condition of the car as it is at the time of sale. It doesn't matter if the salesman told you that gold nuggets will occasionally pop out of the exhaust pipe.
Buying a car "as is" that you have not thoroughly checked out is like throwing the dice. You don't know what you're going to get, but whatever it is, you're stuck with it. Used car salesmen love buyers like this. It allows them to unload their junk cars at a nice profit. In your case, 5 min. time with a good mechanic before the sale would have revealed what you were actually buying.