Complaint Review: Silver Eagle Auto Mall

Perhaps people on a tight budget should avoid purchasing such a large vehicle with a big engine, a young family with a single child does not need a 7-passenger van unless it is to be used for work (as in carrying tools). Even by minivan standards the Windstar is large, heavy and a notorious guzzler. That said it is a popular vehicle for those who are *really* mechanically inclined because you can make it last forever as attested by the multitudes of them still on the road today. I should know, I own two Windstars (a 96 and a 2000) that I purchased "as is" in poor shape (I had the 96 towed home from the seller's lot because I didn't think it would make it in one piece on its own) and restored both to mint condition because I need large vehicles and want them to be reliable and pleasant looking. The Windstar happens to be one of the very few minivans that doesn't scream "soccer mom", especially the 2000 which has an almost ridiculously overpowered 260 hp engine.

But as mentioned even the more modestly powered 96 is not economical to operate and poorly suited to the needs of a young couple living on a shoestring budget unless they can ID and fix most problems themselves. It costs almost $100 to fill up and you're lucky if you can get 15 mpg out of it on the highway.         

A lot of people knowingly buy vehicles that need extensive repairs because they have the knowledge required to properly evaluate if they can fix the vehicle at a reasonable cost. This knowledge also gives them an edge to haggle the price down to a realistic level, when you know the product it is not that difficult to roughly guess how much the dealer paid for the vehicle. Moreover, any fix'er upper sold "as is" is to be considered in barely working condition. You can reasonably expect to be able to drive it home but certainly not to pass any state inspection without doing some work fixing it first. If you barely know what you're doing then steer clear of such "deals".       

To the OP: what your son-in-law is going through is a very common and very useful learning experience for a first-time buyer, it has happened to many of us when we were young and naive. Now he has to face the prospect of having to fix his van himself, which will require him to seek the necessary knowledge and expertise to get the job done on his own. And that, my dear Mrs, is priceless.      

OP- since you do not deny that is a picture of the actual people involved here, i think you case is over. If you look at it you can see that the girl is holding the sign right under her own nose. Now you're saying the dealership shoved the sign in there at the last minute? Or that they didn't see what the sign said? Thats ridiculous.

PS--Is that a guy peeing in the backround of the picture??? Kinda looks like it.

But, when being funny,make sure you don't insult the audience's intelligence-----        In the first paragraph you say we gave them the sign and snapped the picture!  heeelarious!   Look at their faces! There's no look of shock or surprise! They are confident in their decision-- That sign is used when someone buys a car that needs work----That's sign exists so people realize what is happening-- We have been here for 28 years-- We know the difference between road ready and fixer uppers---Just like housing! had momma-in law been here,she would have said stay out of that row of vehicles---Don't buy a house with a cracked foundation---unless you can handle that---   Lets see---You go on to say these people who see what you are up to--and voice their opinions on this site are from silver eagle?? Ridiculous! and really funny!  i guess in a lightbulb world,some are forty watters--- In summary---18 year old buyer bites off more than he can chew---mom in law points finger at dealership as bad men--                       

So now its a case of trick photography...the salesman lied...there's now this mysterious wonderful car dealer as a contrast. Give it up lady...the more you continue in denial, the more foolish you appear. Pride comes before a fall. What has happened here is very obvious to many of us from all parts of the country. Your son in law bit off more than he can chew. To save face, rather than admit his limitations, LIED TO YOU, claiming the dealer defrauded him. You swallowed hook, line and sinker. When it became apparent you were wrong, rather than do the adult thing and admit it, YOUR PRIDE becomes a barrier and now you are on the bandwagon of spewing out excuses. These tactics, at one point or another, are used by countless others on this website, especially by those who don't pay their bills. Its sad when someone can't see the forest thru the trees. You are probably a good, loving mother who wants the best for your daughter however, your son in law has you wrapped around his finger in regards to this matter and YOUR PRIDE PROBLEM is the barrier in your growth as a result of this situation.

Tell the truth.  You know that you had the kids in front of the van to take their picture AND THEN you quickly put the sign in front of them and quickly snapped the picture.  And you told them that the sign just said the name of the dealership.  Should they have read it first?  Yes, they should have.  Did you give them a chance?  No, you did not.  You are bad people.  I never failed to mention there were problems with the vehicle that my son in law agreed to fix.  But the problems were waaay beyond what was discussed that he could and was willing to fix.  I never failed to mention that they should have had a mechanic look at the car.  I never failed to say they were not part of the problem.  What I have mentioned is this: Your dealership preys on people that have little money and you are dishonest with them.  This vehicle had major, major problems and should not have been on the lot for sale.  People need to stay away from your dealership because it is a POS lot of cars with salesmen that do not care about the consumer.  When we attempted to talk to you to find a solution you didn't care.  We were willing to possibly look at a different vehicle, have it checked out of course (and most likely due to the type of cars you have, wouldn't have found a suitable one) and trade it back.  You all are such idiots that you did not see the benefit of working with a customer to negotiate a remedy. Nor did you care about another negative mark on your reputation.  You are crooked salesmen.  If you cared at all about the consumer or your reputation you would have attempted to work something out.  You do not care about the customer.  The fact that my kids did not have a mechanic look at the vehicle and that they were inexperienced is small in the comparison as to the way you do business.  The biggest mistake they made was walking onto your car lot.  

Are all dealerships bad?...no, they are not.  But dealerships like yours is what gives the social negative opinion of car salesmen.  This last weekend, I purchased a vehicle at a reputable car dealership.  And this is the 3rd car I have purchased from them.  Why?  Because they have earned my business because they treat their customers very well.  They will get high remarks from me.  This is a dealership that I will refer to other people.  They treated me well, showed me respect as a customer and did not screw me over.  And they did all of this and still made money on a sale.  My kids were with me when I purchased the vehicle.  One huge lesson they learned is the difference between a reputable dealership (where I purchased my vehicle) and sales people who care about their customers versus a dealership like yours that employs crooked salesmen that lie and cheat all to make a buck.  They are now dealing with a salesman that is working with them to purchase a safe car and in their budget.  He has given them info on the safety factors of a car, reliability, even which vehicles would be cheaper on insurance.  Now, that is a good salesman that cares about his customers.  If you want to make a living as a car salesman, at least do it honestly.  You don't have to screw people over to do it.  You should take a lesson from salesmen at reputable dealerships.  You might just find out that you can make more money even just for the fact of repeat business and referrals because you treat a customer with respect.   

I am even more convinced now that the posts on this issue have been from people that work for and/or are somehow affiliated with this lot.  It has baffled me from the beginning that someone from a city far, far away would be interested and/or search for information on a dealership as small and "podunk" as this one and then would take time to make posts as they have, steer away from the issues at hand and make it more about the kids lying.  Anyone on here knows that you can sign up with an email and say you are from anywhere you want.  Hmmmm...very interesting. 

I have now made my point about your dealership.  You are worthless.  There have been enough posts on here to let the public know to stay away from your lot.  Thank you for your comments as you have more than helped to prove my report.  You are crooked salesmen, you do not care about customers and your dealership is not a reputable one.  I am now done with my report.  I have said my peace.   I have accomplished my goal to report your dealership. I will no longer read and/or otherwise engage in this petty b.s. in your desperate attempt to justify your actions.  If a consumer reads this and still chooses to go to your dealership it is on them when they get screwed over by you.   They have been warned. 

...when you have a picture of the "happy" couple.

If this is them and for real, I would say that what ever credibility the OP had left has now gone down the drain.  Somehow I don't think that we will be hearing from the OP again.

She won't EVER get it until she gets her attitude corrected. She is in denial. She was lied to by the kid and she accepted his lies. Because of that fact, she is too prideful to admit she was "HAD" by this kid. She is in an excellent position to have taught him some lessons about buying a car but her pride stands in the way. There is nothing wrong with buying a fixer upper if you can handle the job. I've done it many times. The key is knowing what you're getting involved with and what your limitations are. The dealer appears to have been honest to have correctly defined the type of car and conditions. I cannot fault them for their honesty. Thanks for the picture!

Thanks for the picture silver eagle.

Maybe the buyer doesn't understand the term salvage. Maybe the buyer thinks the words AS-IS should be in larger print. Maybe now kmb will finally get it.

        What she fails to mention, Her son in law picked a van from our "fixer-upper" row of vehicles--Gabbed for almost an hour about all the repairs he can make--wheedled the price down--Then he takes the van back to mother in law and forgets how to "fix" cars and all the promises he made---now she's saying we took advantage of him--He is over eighteen--able to make his own decisions? maybe not---Here he is holding a sign in front of the van---

"   But that does not and I repeat DOES NOT relieve this dealership of their part of the responsibility of putting a piece of junk on a lot for sale.  "

   If that is your standard, then every used car dealer is crooked.   I'm not kidding.   They buy most of their cars at auctions, where they have less opportunity to check out a vehicle than their customers have.    If it turns out that they bought a junker, they have to unload it on someone who does not bother to do basic due diligence (such as your son in law).   See, if they just decided to eat the cost of every junker bought at auction, they'd be out of business in a matter of weeks.

  So, I'm not surprised that some used car dealer sold your son in law a bad car.   It is how the industry works.  Hopefully, the kids have learned an expensive lesson about how not to buy a used car.   When it comes right down to it, a car dealer can only sell you a lemon if you are willing to throw common sense to the wind and buy one from him.

Based solely on the OP's latest comment:

How were they able to test-drive a vehicle that had no oil pressure? The engine would have been knocking within the first mile. This implies the buyer did not test-drive the vehicle.

No where in any of my posts have I said anything against the fact that they should have had it checked out.  Matter of fact, I mentioned in my posts that they should have and I hold them partly responsible for this issue.  I also mentioned that I told them prior to buying a vehicle they should have a mechanic check it out.  My son in law has not lied to me...he told me what happened and that he made a mistake.  He didn't lie about buying an "as is" vehicle and realizes now his greater mistake.  It confuses me as to why you feel the need to muddy the waters with those statements...it just doesn't relate to the issue at hand.  This has nothing to do with being lied to by anyone in my family nor is it about being told I am wrong about something.  It is of great concern that you spend more time taking pot shots at young kids and me to divert the attention away from the issues.  All I have done is attempt to correct statements that you have posted that are incorrect.  It appears to me that you are the one that has a problem being told that you are wrong.  I was here dealing with the situation...you, however, were not.  If you can't handle someone making corrections to your incorrect posts then maybe you should quit posting. 

Let me try this again and I will make it as simple as I can for you.  Please...read carefully this time so that you don't again contribute something incorrect and/or irrelevant and cause more confusion to those consumers seeking information.  If you have something legitimate to post I am completely willing to converse about it.  If not, then maybe you should just stay off the website. 

This young and inexperienced couple purchased a car...they did test drive it.  I have already stated several times they failed in the area of having a mechanic check it out.  The dealership added chemicals of some sort to mask certain issues temporarily.  I never said one thing about additives to the serpentine belt which was mentioned in a previous post...which is totally ridiculous.  Matter of fact...I specifically said that additives were added to the radiator and the oil.  But that is what happens when someone doesn't carefully read a post and then adds more confusion to the issue.  Once again, diverting it from the true issues.  You obviously are a typical male in that you dont want to, or maybe you are incapable of staying focused on the issues at hand and send everything off to the right or left. 

Now...back to once again detailing the issues that were originally posted.  It is in the best interest of the consumer to stay away from this dealership.  They lie about their cars and because of that reality, they are the type of salesmen that give good salespeople a bad name.  Did you read my post about the mechanic who previously did work for this dealership?  If you did, then you would know that this mechanic refused to perform unethical work for this dealership and now refuses to work on their vehicles.  Doesn't sound like a reputable dealership to me.  This type of dealership is what makes it difficult for legitimate dealerships to be trusted.  I believe there is a post on this website about their false advertisements as well...adding to the reasons to stay away.  Also...did you read the post regarding this dealership previously operating under a different name?  And that there are several lawsuits on file?  Once again...solidifying the fact that this dealership is unethical and unreliable.  When the public figures out what type of dealership they are, they just pull up stakes, change names and move across town.   

Once my husband and I found out about the purchase, we had a mechanic look at it.  At that point, we found out the engine is bad, the water pump, the serpentine belt, the timing cover, no oil pressure and the radiator will not hold fluid and those are just a few of the major issues.  Could this problem have been avoided if my son in law had it checked out prior to buying...certainly.  That has never been disputed...EVER.  The problem lies that whether my kids bought the vehicle or someone else...this vehicle should have never been on a lot for sale.  It should have gone to the junk yard.  But because this crooked dealership was more interested in making a buck than being a reputable dealership with concern for the consumer they put it up for sale.  Once the issues were found, we went back to the dealership, let them know of the problems and they were completely unwilling to find a solution.  They had already made their money and DID NOT care about putting a young couple (and the fact that my daughter is 7 mths pregnant) in an unsafe vehicle.  Do I hold my kids partly responsible...yes i do and I have mentioned that several, several times.  Were they trying to do something on their own and learned a very valuable lesson...yes they did.  And the biggest lesson they learned is not to trust car salesmen.  But that does not and I repeat DOES NOT relieve this dealership of their part of the responsibility of putting a piece of junk on a lot for sale.  And the fact that they are not a reputable dealership should not be dismissed. 

It has been asked in a post why I am making the report and not my kids.  Well, I do have that right as a consumer.  And I do have that right as a parent.  If my kids want to make their own report that is totally up to them.  And I believe they have made their own report on another website.  Really confused as to why that is even an issue but I guess it is another attempt to divert from the issues at hand.  

It has also been asked why I think previous posts were posted by someone affiliated with the dealership.  The reason being is there was a comment made that was very similar, almost exact to what the salesman said...a little strange don't you think?  And good cause to make a person wonder.

I still stand strong that this dealership is crooked.  The salesmen do not care about the consumer.  They practice unethical business.  And their customer service SUCKS!!!  Now, if you have something worthwhile to say on those issues, please be my guest.  Otherwise, just let it go.   

(it would not hold antifreeze...at all!),

Let me see; serpentine belt shot, radiator shot, water pump shot and yet you believe they TEST DROVE this vehicle simply because on or both of them is telling you this?  I doubt there was any test drive at all.  With any of these problems in existence, the van would have overheated within 10 minutes of a test drive.  Additionally, when they returned from this phantom test drive, there should have been physical evidence that "it would not hold antifreeze...at all!"-liquid on the ground or steam emanating from under the engine hood.

It seems to me that these kids LIED to you about any test drive.  Further, even after you wisely cautioned them, they went behind your back and purchased this hoopty without your knowledge.  What makes you think that the dealer lied to them?  Were you there at the time to hear the conversation?  Or are you basing your belief on what the kids told you?  Seems to me that the kids are lying to you on several fronts.

This van is 16 years old-it's going to have problems-serious problems.  I don't know about the laws in your state, but here in NY, the vehicle must be suitable for the purpose in which it is sold-pass state mandated safety inspection.  This may be true in your state and might be a cause of action.  I suggest you contact your State Attorney General or your state licensing authority that regulates auto dealers to see if the kids have a cause of action.

In the meantime, the problem was created in part by the kids because they did not follow your good advice.  Remind them of this frequently.  You might also take the time to remind them of the virtues of HONESTY.

You still don't get it...do you? You don't like what you've been told so find fault with those who say it. Since you have no defense, sound stupid and accuse us of working for them. Smart...real smart. Did the dealer sell a problem car? ABSOLUTELY! There is no question about that! Did your son in law practice the skills of being a smart consumer? ABSOLUTELY NOT! What's worse is these OBVIOUS problems this car has could have been caught in a test drive and mechanic's examination BEFORE purchase. I would bet he DID NOT do a comprehensive test drive and certainly did not have the car inspected by his own mechanic. In order to save face, he lied to you. He probably did not read the AS IS clause or fully understood what it means. There are IMPORTANT LESSONS here that you can use to educate him so this doesn't happen again. However, it would appear your main thrust is to grasp at straws to find fault with those of us who can clearly see what's happened. What is also clear is he in all probability has lied to you to save face and you are finding fault with us in order to save face. Well my friend, it isn't going to work.

As much as I welcome your comments I would appreciate you reading a post and understanding it before you reply.  Nowhere in my post did I say anything about an additive to the belt...seriously?  Are you just reaching?  As far as my son in law; how did this go from a report on a dealership that has bad customer service and POS cars to a lesson in family values?  Please stay on subject if you are going to post.  I have no problem if someone disagrees with the subject at hand.  I am fine with a good debate about a subject.  However...it needs to be about that.  If you need to go back to the original post to remember what the subject is about, and for everyone's sake, please do so.  Bottom line, this dealership is one to stay away from.  They misrepresent their vehicles and they have terrible customer service.  And yes, the way you side your comments, I do wonder if you are affiliated with them somehow and wonder that even more now or at minimum that you own/operate a similar dealership and "trying" to justify your own actions.  As mentioned...this is about misrepresentation and terrible customer service.

"Why can't the daughter and/or son in law make the report?"

Because they are two people that aren't smart enough to test-drive a 16 year old car prior to purchase.

Why can't the daughter and/or son in law make the report?

I do realize this happens alot, doesn't make it ok.  That fact doesn't mean that the people that practice business this way are not crooks.  As I mentioned in my previous post...this is the type of dealership that gives all dealerships a bad name.  I told my daughter and son in law to have our mechanic look at any vehicle before they purchased one.  Unfortunately, kids don't always listen.  My husband and I did not know about the purchase until after the fact.  If you will notice in my post I said I hold the kids partly to blame.  If you will also notice, I said the biggest issue was that this dealership lied to them and were not willing to try to work with us to remedy the situation.  They had already made their money and they don't care about consumers...stay away from them.  Yes, the kids have learned a very valuable lesson.

I don't think anyone is siding with the dealer.  Would it be great if every dealer was 100% honest and upfront..of course.  But that is not reality, so if you find one you can truly trust stay with them. 

The situation you described is one that is repeated at hundreds of other dealers when the buyer does NOT do their homework BEFORE they buy a car.  If you search this site you can see report after report with an almost identical situation of people who did not do their homework and are now stuck with a car they bought "As-Is".

This was a cheap car and they were aware that there were minor mechanical defects (blown stereo speakers, replace windshield wipers, radiator flush, oil change) and my son in law was willing to do those repairs
- What's minor for a 16 year old car with probably over 150K miles?  Inexperienced or not, there are several things that your son should have noticed and at least questioned.  How did he know it needed an oil change?  Did he open the hood?  If so how come he missed the belt or other things you said were "trashed"?  How come he didn't question the A/C or heat that didn't work properly?  Or is all of those things part of the "minor" defects that he was going to take care of and you just forget to mention?

If he was truly that inexperienced, why didn't you go with them to "teach them the ropes"?  If you went I am sure you would have made sure that you had a mechanic fully check it over...right?

Again I don't think anyone is defending the dealer, but hopefully they have now become quite experienced and use this as a learning experience for the future.

Before I began my profession I worked on a lot of cars, trucks and buses to make ends meet. I am unaware of any additive to "rejuvenate" a bad belt! Do you pour it on, take the belt off and soak it in the stuff, spray or paint it on? Do they sell it in the same department where you will find rebuilt windshields? When a belt is bad, you see why it is bad...fraying, cracks, tears. As for the water pump, if the car overheated at IDLE in just 45 minutes, then UNDER LOAD during a test drive, it would have overheated much quicker! I think you've been lied to. Secondly, when this kid bought the car he would have signed paperwork designating this as an AS IS purchase which means no warranty. Thirdly, because either you disagree with the response you get here or simply are too prideful to accept you might be wrong is NOT grounds to accuse us of working for them. Quite frankly, I think you've been lied to by this kid and you are banking on what he told you rather than what the evidence indicates. I know he is now family but trust me, even family members lie to family members to gain sympathy and support! My files are FULL of such instances.

They did test drive the vehicle.  Are you really siding with the dealership?  Do you own/operate a similar dealership and justifying these actions?  If you know anything about cars, additives can be added to temporarily band-aid an issue, which is what was done in this case.  Unfortunately, after the fact they did take this vehicle to a mechanic and there were additives to the oil and the radiator fluid.  The water pump was not only leaking but totally shot.  The mechanic let it idle for about 45 min. and it did overheat.  I spoke to the original owner of the vehicle and he said he told the salesman he traded it to of the problems.  He said he traded it because he did not want to spend money to fix the problems.   What if it was your child/grandchild?  I don't think you would be so defensive of this dealership.  I am curious if you are affiliated with this dealership.  Believe me, I hold my daughter/son in law partly to blame for this.  BUT...this dealership knew there were major problems with this vehicle.  They completely took advantage of a young, inexperienced couple, expecting a baby and they didn't care as long as they made money.  They have no regard for the consumer, integrity or human decency.  They are crooks.  I am sure locals started figuring that out and that is why they closed one shop, moved locations and changed names.  Hopefully, these continuing responses/rebuttals will keep someone from going to this dealership.  Check out their ads on craigslist.com...every ad talks about how good their cars are.  But...when we were at the dealership, the manager of lot did at least admit, after the purchase, that all of the cars have issues, some worse than others.  People work hard for their money, it is a shame that other people swindle them out of that money.   

The vehicle would have overheated quickly with a bad serpentine belt or a bad water pump or a bad radiator; so it's evident that they did not test-drive the 16 year old car.

Yes, of course I want a safe vehicle for my daughter.  Yes, they test drove it. I told them several times to take any vehicle to a mechanic before they buy one.  Unfortunately, they did not listen.  That is not the complete story.  This dealership lies to people all for the sake of making a buck.  The employees at this dealership added chemicals to the fluids to make it sound better, they said the spark plugs were changed, they were not among many other issues.  This vehicle should not have been allowed on a lot to be purchased by an individual.   It will not pass a safety inspection.  The bigger issue here is we approached the dealership to attempt to work something out to get them into a different vehicle that was safe.  They are such idiots that they would not attempt to work with us.  Not only did they hurt themselves for a possible additional sale but they now have yet another complaint on their record.  Prior to going to the dealership, we asked several salesmen at other dealerships, mechanics and an attorney what the best approach would be.  Every answer was that if they are a reputable dealership at all they will work with us to solve the problem.  It is obvious they do not care about the consumer.  They knew what they did. Check out the BBB, the Attorney General's office, yahoo, there are multiple complaints on this dealership.  Unfortunately, my husband and I were not aware of the purchase until it was too late.  This is a young couple that had very little money to purchase a vehicle, they are inexperienced and this dealership totally took advantage of them.  Additionally, the mechanic that we did take the vehicle to has previously done work for this dealership.  He quit working for them because the dealership kept asking him to do unethical work to vehicles for the purpose of selling.  They are crooks from the get go. 

You wanted this vehicle to transport your daughter safely, right? Did your "mechanically" inclined son in law bother to even check this car over and do a test drive? Did he have this thing checked over by a real mechanic before buying?