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Star Auto Sales LLC Manager Evan George Fraudulently Sells Unsafe Cars Even If It Endangers Children's Lives Rochester Minnesota
I purchased a Black 2006 Honda Pilot from Evan George at Star Auto Sales LLC on Saturday, May 4th, 2019. Evan George and his father (I did not catch his name) said I was buying a Honda Pilot EX-L. The carfax I ran says it is not an EX-L. It says it’s just an EX. They stated in word and writing that this car was in mint condition inside and out. They said there were no problems, no damages. The fact of the matter is it has a lot of problems.
When we bought the vehicle, Evan George told me all that was wrong with it was that it needed an ABS sensor. So we immediately made an appointment with our trusted mechanic to get that replaced and do a full inspection. We did not drive the vehicle between driving it home Saturday and dropping it off at the mechanic on Tuesday which was the earliest we could get an appointment. And am I ever glad we didn't drive it any more than we had to! As soon as our mechanic put it on the lift, he immediately saw the problem. He was shocked and disgusted that anyone would have ever sold this vehicle, especially a business claiming to be a car dealership. He said the damage was done a long time ago and that there is no way this was a recent break. They absolutely sold it to me like this.
I will not bore you with every problem found by the mechanic. There is only one that really matters. The biggest problem is the rear suspension that is completely broken off from the frame. The two bolts that connect the suspension to the frame broke out of the frame. It was all rusted up in there. The only thing holding the rear suspension to the frame was the shocks. This is a very dangerous problem, and my mechanic says that for safety reasons he will not even attempt to fix it nor is it safe for me to drive. We could have been in an accident and been killed or seriously injured. Driving down the road with other cars on the road we could have killed or seriously injured other drivers.
Just before we bought the vehicle, Star Auto Sales had it inspected and serviced. I don't know how they could not have known this vehicle was a death trap. Yet, they still let me put my family (three children under ten years old and my wife) in it and drive an hour home on the interstate. Can you imagine what would have happened if it had broken free completely while driving 70 mph? We could have been in a severe accident and been killed or seriously injured. Also, driving down the road with other cars on the road we could have killed or seriously injured other drivers.
I called Evan George at Star Auto Sales and asked him if he knew about the issue. Of course, he claimed he did not. I explained the danger he put our lives in and I asked him what he was going to do to make this right. He asked for pictures of the damage, and I sent them to him immediately. He texted me that he would have an answer for me the following day. He never called back.
In addition to this, they sold me the vehicle without a valid title in their possession. They claim it is being mailed to them, but they didn't have the title in their possession at the time of sale which means, to my understanding, they could not even legally sell the vehicle to me in the first place.
They are clearly unwilling to work with us on this. They are saying that the only way they will take the car back is if the title comes back as a salvage title. I wanted to believe that Evan George and his family at Star Auto Sales are good, honest people who do the right thing by their customers. I wanted to believe that this was all just an unfortunate mistake. But good people who make mistakes admit their mistakes and make them right. Evan George's and Star Auto Sales continued actions have forced me to conclude that they are pathological liars who will do anything to sell a car, even if it puts the lives of children in danger.
Not only did they misrepresent the car I was buying, they recklessly endangered my family and I. I only wish that it didn't have to come to this. I wish we could have worked this out professionally and between us. And I still hope that they will do the right thing and prove to me they are the good, honest people I want to believe they are. But I am not getting my hopes up.
I have included pictures of the damage on the vehicle, supporting documentation from the sale and my mechanic, and a picture of Evan George, the Manager at Star Auto Sales who sold me this vehicle and is now refusing to do anything at all to fix this.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Brandon
Albert Lea,Minnesota,
United States
Issue Resolved Satisfactorily
#4Author of original report
Wed, May 15, 2019
Star Auto Sales worked with me to resolve the issues in this report. They helped me find a vehicle that suited my needs, is in good condition inside and out, runs great, and has no problems. They said they were not aware of the issues when they sold me the vehicle. In the end they exchanged a better car for the first one they sold me which had problems. They were very accommodating.
I brought 2 mechanics with me to inspect the cars I wanted to look at. Auto Star Sales even allowed us to use some of their equipment to go over the vehicles and look at the computers in the cars. I have had the new vehicle for almost a week now and my wife is pleased with it. I want to say thank you to Star Auto Sales. I believe that this was all just an honest mistake. Thank you for working with me to find me the car we needed for our family.
Brandon
Albert Lea,Minnesota,
United States
Missing the Point
#4Author of original report
Fri, May 10, 2019
These are all good questions but I think you're missing the point. Does it make it okay for someone to lie and steal from you just because there are loopholes in the law that let them do so? I'm not saying I didn't make a single mistake as a consumer, and that's on me.
I have learned far more lessons than just what you're implying from this transaction. But that does not make what happened okay. Are you suggesting that it was okay for them to defraud me if I had made some mistakes as the consumer? I certainly hope that is not what you're implying. Misrepresentation of a product, lying, fraud, reckless endangerment, etc. are never okay.
The Dog
United StatesSome Questions Are In Order
#4Consumer Comment
Thu, May 09, 2019
You say you have a good relationship with a trusted mechanic. Why would you have it inspected by him AFTER you bought it when COMMON SENSE would tell you to have him look at it BEFORE you agreed to buy it? Did you buy this thing with a warranty it "As Is"? If it was an "As Is" deal did you ask him if it was in such great condition, why wouldn't he warrantee this sale? That would have told you right then and there BEFORE you bought it he knew it was a problem car, otherwise there would be absolutely no reason to NOT provide a warranty!