Complaint Review: 21st Century Auto Group - springfield New Jersey

I must say as a middle aged young women,  it amazes me that people purchase used cars and do not purchase an extened warranty, I am sorry but thats just common sense.

To the 17 other people who wrote comments here.  They validate the idea that the original poster bought a car she had no business buying, damaged the car herself, and tried to put it back on the dealer somehow.  If you can't afford to own one of these cars, DON'T BUY ONE!!!  We generate HUNDREDS of satisfied customers here a month.  People should be ashamed of all the non-factual accusations and rumors they post here.

I went to this dealership this past summer after checking out thier website.  I wrote down all the information to the cars I was interested in.  When I got to the dealership, I was really impressed by the high quality cars and lay out of the inside of the dealership.  So a sales person approachs me (heavy accent) and proceeds to show me cars.  I'm interested in the 3 series.  Gray interior and exterior.  Nice... The price on the window is 26k+.  But the price on the website is 15k.  He then tries to tell me its not the same car but I wrote the vin# down and show him with my SG3.  I then start looking around.  Almost every car was marked up at LEAST 10k from the website.  I felt a strong urge to tell everyone walking in the door to check the website first.  Okay then the sale person was not only hitting on me but was pushing me towards a black on black 5 series outside.  06 around 14k.  He brings me the keys and guess what? The car doesnt start.  He told me and it made me giddy it was so funny.  "I know what happened, the last person wanted to see the interior lights and must have left them on!"  I own a BMW.  I drove to thier lot in my 3 series.  Never has that happened to me.  There is a timer for just such nonsense.  After a few moments the lights turn off by themselves.  I said nothing and watched him try to jump start this car to no avail.  A few salemen gather around watching and offering advice.  They used another 5 series parked next to it to attempt a start and another sales man says to me, "Why don't you get this one?"  lmfao!  I said, "Why? Because it runs?"  I was glad everything happened the way it did.  If it's to good to be true it usually is.

I went to this dealership this past summer after checking out thier website.  I wrote down all the information to the cars I was interested in.  When I got to the dealership, I was really impressed by the high quality cars and lay out of the inside of the dealership.  So a sales person approachs me (heavy accent) and proceeds to show me cars.  I'm interested in the 3 series.  Gray interior and exterior.  Nice... The price on the window is 26k+.  But the price on the website is 15k.  He then tries to tell me its not the same car but I wrote the vin# down and show him with my SG3.  I then start looking around.  Almost every car was marked up at LEAST 10k from the website.  I felt a strong urge to tell everyone walking in the door to check the website first.  Okay then the sale person was not only hitting on me but was pushing me towards a black on black 5 series outside.  06 around 14k.  He brings me the keys and guess what? The car doesnt start.  He told me and it made me giddy it was so funny.  "I know what happened, the last person wanted to see the interior lights and must have left them on!"  I own a BMW.  I drove to thier lot in my 3 series.  Never has that happened to me.  There is a timer for just such nonsense.  After a few moments the lights turn off by themselves.  I said nothing and watched him try to jump start this car to no avail.  A few salemen gather around watching and offering advice.  They used another 5 series parked next to it to attempt a start and another sales man says to me, "Why don't you get this one?"  lmfao!  I said, "Why? Because it runs?"  I was glad everything happened the way it did.  If it's to good to be true it usually is.

I feel very very sorry to this woman that felt into these people's ripoff . I couldn't pass this story without making a comment because I narrowly escape a ripoff from these people just last week 02-16-2012. I drove from North Carolina to go get an X5 from another dealership and upon getting there I was told the X5 was sold. Not wanting to leave Jersey without a car, my wife told me about this dealership that they had a 2010 GLK350 for 22k with low miles. I went to the dealership and I was also told the GLK350 was sold and they had another one and would work on me on it. This one was listed for $36k but the sales person told me he can get me in the same car for about the same price of the already sold GLK350 for 22k. That really sounded fishy. I know I am interested in deals but certain deals are too good to be true or there is a catch. Instead this time I went for one of their 2008 Range rover sport that caught my interest . The outside of the vehicle looked nice just the kind of vehicle I would see myself in and be happy about what I have gotten. We agreed on a price about 12k less than the listed price .Hmmmm that started to ring bells  and I did a more more look in the vehicle that's when I started seeing some issues with the vehicle I am not a mechanic or know much about cars but I have driven them long enough to be able to tell when certain things are not right. When i looked inside I can see the window controls wear structurally out of order that sounded suspect and other stuff that just were just not in place right or a poor job was done to fix them. For some one that has driven cars for a while and been ripped off so many times I have learned a good lesson to escape such situations anytime I find myself in them. Worst of I asked the sales person are there any other fees on top of the sale price of 25,999 we agreed to. Gosh i was suck when he gave me a sheet of paper with fees almost $3200 and this is excluding any sales tax or DMV fees. This is how i just left the dealership and told the guy i must be a fool to pay such ridiculous fees. Everyone should stay away from this dealership

By reading all of these comments, I feel in a sense it was your fault the car had so many problems, you should have brought along someone to check the car out because Ive made several purchases here with my husband who is a mechanic and we never had a complaint or a problem. My husband makes sure that everything is in good shape and we have had our first purchased vehicle for almost a year now and never had something go wrong. Hopefully you spoke with someone at the dealership because they really try and do their best and their team is fantastic.

Ok, I am on both sides of the fence.  I am a 20 veteren service advisor and I encounter this type of customer everyday.  I have customers that will buy the car for the status and then realize they cant afford it and to get out of it they complain of phantom noises to make the dealer keep the car for the time needed to go lemon law.  Some even go as far as to damage the vehicle and state they bought it that way.  I do not work for that dealer, I just could see right through this from experiance.  Also, when a repair estimate is too high this is the route the customer takes.  As dealers we are used to it, especially from young ppl like I'm sure this person is.  This is why there has been no resolution, the dealer proved what they had to, its buyers remorse and now shes pissed.  Seen it a million times.  Nature of the business.  Sorry to burst the bubble but I'd stake my life on it.

Ofcourse the next email will be the buyer stating she has proof etc, but I can make one phone call and get all the details.

One more thing, I am a single mother as well and if I had 25,000 to buy a car I certainly would NOT buy a high dollar car like that.  You ought to be ashamed.  I guess the status of the label and audio equipment in the hood was too irresistable.

One who has your number.

The dealership has not made an honerable attempt to rectify the situation. I was offered low end vehicles in replacement of what I purchased and continue to recived the run around as I patiently wait for a resolution. The vehicle was not damaged by me and I have documentation and proof that I faxed to the dealership complaining of engine issues only 3 days after purchasing it and experiencing two breakdowns. After bringing the truck back and being told it was a "BATTERY' problem yes, I drove it and it broke down again! I never recieved documentation stating it was only a dead battery after asking numerous times. The dishonesty of the dealership is what caused the problem to become larger. Yes, I personally took it to Open Road BMW myself and they most DEFINITELY did not say it was my fault and i'm pretty sure JMK didn't say that either. Open Road specifically told me the problem existed prior and another couple was told the same thing by a salesman at the dealership who was selling them an X5 the same time I was buying.  

As a salesman at the dealership I understand you are going to say what's necessary to make things seem differently than they are but if quite a few people are complaining about the same issues I think that says a lot! Being in the sales industry I completely understand the importance of working for a reputable company and maintaining a positive reputation. I really hope you can make things right and I can tell everyone how great you were and your reputation not be ruined with the dealerships name....you may go on to work somewhere else in the future. You seem like a decent person and I'm holding onto faith that you will put the Bull Shyt aside and conduct business accordingly.

I do not want to be difficult or make problems. I simply want the dealership to be honerable and right a a wrong. Honesty is the best policy and a good reputation is most important in sales.

Thank you for the contact information for the lawyer. I will definitely reach out to him or her as well. For those of you going through the same problem I suggest you contact Consumer Affairs as well and file a complaint if you haven't already.

Based on BMW service department reports the vehicle was damaged due to the negligence of the customer. The customer damaged the vehicle while driving, and failed to stop driving the vehicle which caused further problems damaging belt and engine of the vehicle. Unfortunately this vehicles engine went bad due to the customers failure to see the signs. We have reports from both Open Road BMW and JMK BMW service department verifying the fact that the customer was at fault. We have tried numerous times to help our customer. We are and will be more than glad to help out this customer if they are reasonable.

Ok im sick and tired of this company trying to get over on people. I purchased a car last year in cash. They played games with me not giving me my title for over a month. I then got an attorney to handle this situation. 21st auto group sold me a car that they didnt have the title too. Crazy isnt it. They received the title close to 3 months after the car was paid for. Im not advertising this attorney im only here to help.

His info is:

Jonathan D. Singer  Phone: (732) 646-5529
222 Schanck Road, Suite 201
Freehold, New Jersey 07728

Regardless if you use him or not, you definitely should consult with an attorney asap. 25k isnt chump change.

I posted my story as a reply to yours. It would help if we can cooperate. I'm considering to file official complaint to DMV to get their license pulled. Being in the lawsuit I have my hands tight but I'm sure 2 similar cases will look a lot stronger for the DA. What they do is criminal and should not be left as is. I hoped i was exception but it looks like this is regular practice at this place. I don't want to upset you but you will not see your money and your car without lawsuit. I paid 31K for the car, settled, they took car back but refuse to pay even if they have court recorded settlement.

I posted before about similar problem with the SAME dealership. I live in rural area with no public transportation and drive 35K-40K miles per year. I was tired replacing new cars after 3-4 years due to mileage. Car I bought was only 3 years old with low mileage and clean carfax. This was only my second time buying used car and first from not authorized dealer. I never had to go to a mechanic before outside of oil change. Mechanics rarely work after 7pm or on the weekends. It makes it hard to check the car with few mechanics for a single person with a full time job and long work hours. This dealership disguise as a Certified luxury pre-owned dealership and is located next door to a lot of reputable dealerships. A lot of new car dealerships in my area sell more then one car brand. This dealership has grand showroom and all cars are 2-4 year old luxury cars. I didn't even know they were not authorized dealers until I hit problems. It's not fare to blame the victim. Just because dealership think they can get away with breaking the law it doesn't mean they should. And it definitely doesn't mean you should say bad things about single mom and her choices. "Single" means that she doesn't have much time between work and kids not that she need your pity. Single also means that every time you go buy a car you need to ask someone to go with you to drive it back. It's very inconvenient. As a single person I understand all the inconvenience she now has to deal with. I bet if she was complaining about Chevy truck you would have felt more compassionate. It would have been a lot more appreciated if someone recommended what can be done. Lawsuit is only about compensation but this particular dealership has to be investigated. This summer US government repossessed their accounts for criminal actions. This is not your run of the mill poor used car dealership. But even for such an outrageous crimes there is so far no fix. This is coming from someone who been suing them for 2 years, won and still can't collect.

I feel very sorry for the victim. I was scammed by the same dealership in 2009 and I'm still in the lawsuit with them. Until I got into this situation I didn't know it's even possible. Car has frame damage, destroys tires after 5K miles, ride is painful and unsafe (you hit bump and change lane), car failed state inspection. Dealership refused to repair the car until I called the police and a lawyer. Check Engine was on every time after weeks in repairs. Only after I started a lawsuit dealership "approved" Ray Catena mechanics to fix Check Engine problems but fishtailing and shaking are still there.  It took dealership 70 out of first 145 days to get car fixed for state inspection but not for safe driving.  Once they kept my car for 5! weeks claiming car is in perfect shape and only in court I found that they made some repairs. I live in rural area with no public transportation, this was my only car and they refused to give me my money back after agreeing car was bad, promised replacement but never "found" one,  didn't provide replacements for most of the time car was at the dealership for repairs. I had to take loan from my 401K to buy a second car which I'm still driving.  After 2 years in court I got tired and settled with the dealership. I returned the car and now they claim that they do not "feel obligated to pay" the settlement price. We filed motions and cross motions but case is stalled. I paid 38K for the car and now don't even have the car!! Dealership is using my car, adding miles AND they already posted my car for sale despite the fact that they have no title, didn't pay for it, refused settlement and we are still in the lawsuit.... Please be aware that nothing was fixed and car is still shaking on the speed over 40mph and destroy tires.  Also dealership sells top of the line warranty with everything covered with $0 deductible. Guess what - I got rejection letter from Warranty Company with no explanation. I had to fight daily with the dealership to get basic warranty with $200 deductible but never managed to get my money back. Dealership use parts from the cars on the floor to "fix" cars for complaining customers so any car there has potential to have damaged parts from other cars. They don't keep any paperwork. Not when they take car for repairs or when they return it.I'm losing faith that I will ever get my money back. I think someone should bring criminal case against this scam dealership to protect other people. I was told that it's up to a Judge but as I'm learning court system doesn't care about justice.
To the victim: no way will you get your money back on your own. Find a lawyer and start suing them. That's the only way you can possibly get your money back. Also beware that they will drop your car in a month or 2 and will claim in court that it was you who made all the damage to the car. Take pictures, keep all the receipts and prepare to fight for 2-3 years.

... including a wide choice of brand-new models with less fancy names perhaps, but also a whole lot less trouble. Even though Germany exports some high-quality cars so far the SUV's from the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi fare worse than domestic and Asian SUV's with regards to comfort, reliability and safety and that despite costing considerably more than most of these. Sure they have lots of fancy options but those luxury appointments won't be of much use if the vehicle cannot move.

Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Chrysler, Mazda, Ford, even Hyundai SUV's are more reliable than those above and cost less to drive and maintain. With 25K down you could have purchased many of those brand new and driven off the lot with the peace of mind that comes with the full manufacturer warranty.     

It is common knowledge that used BMWs that are no longer under warranty are very expensive to repair and many have a poor reliability record. If you don't have a lot of money to maintain a car then look for one that has a good reliability record such as Toyota. To a buyer a $12,000 used BMW 750 is a great bargain. To the service department it is still an $80 -100k car with repair and maintenance costs geared to the wealthy first owner who obviously could afford to pay them. 

If you do decide to purchase a used BMW, Jag, Mercedes, or Audi at least buy it at an authorized dealership where you can get a certification and associated warranty. Don't buy it at a used car lot.

I am a single mom of two and do not have the financial resources to throw any money away.
- You had to use your fathers insurance to buy a $25K USED car because that is the only car you wanted, you spent another $500 to put in an amp and bass box.  Yet you don't have the financial resources to throw money away....well pull out the violin.

Really you can buy any car you want, but if you are going to spend this much money AND put in optional equipment don't throw down the "single mom card" taking about how you don't have the financial resources.

YOU CAN DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND STILL GET BAMBOOZLED!!!
I wonder how much homework you actually did?  Because while I am not saying that you were not ripped off, but if you were you let them do it.

First you were buying from a Sub-Prime lot and while I don't know specifically about this lot.  In general these type of dealers get vehicles one of two ways.  They either buy the dealer "rejects" that is vehicles that are traded in that the dealer does not want to sell, or they buy them from an auction.  Either way you can pretty much guarantee that they are not going to be in "excellent" condition, and going to have at least some issues.

In your original report it is impossible to tell that you had test drove the vehicle and had a mechanic look at it.  But if you did have a mechanic look at it, get a new mechanic.  Because while they are not going to rip out the engine it should be pretty easy to see that the brake lights and door handle weren't working.

Also as someone who is trying to come off as having limited financial resources did you look at the average cost of maintenance and fuel per year?  You are probably looking at around $5,000 a year in maintenance and fuel.  Since you spent $200 in gas in just 10 days of driving, I would bet that this estimate is pretty close(if not under).

When you buy a vehicle it is sold AS-IS, that means that the second you sign on the dotted line anything that goes wrong it is your responsibility.  Your only "out" would be if you have a written warranty that shows they would have responsibility over the repairs.

If you can't take it to your own mechanic for a full checkup prior to purchase, then don't buy it.
If you were going to pay cash, why did you go to a subprime dealership? They saw you coming.
I'm not saying it was right on their part, but you fell right into their trap.

BTW, just because you are a single mother, it does not give you a pass on doing your homework.
You took it to a mechanic after you purchased it - you should have done that before you purchased it. That is when you have the most power - don't let people take advantage of you.

As to the money, sue them. Get your contract out because from what you posted they have all of your funds and the truck too.

Of course I took the vehicle on a test drive. I actually drove it twice before purchasing and yes it was looked over but there is only so much a mechinic is allowed to do prior to the vehicle being your property. And yes, I also checked the CarFax report. I didn't have the 1st problem until the day I picked it up and I tried to cancel the transaction that day but was told it was not an option. After that I took it to another mechanic and that's when I found out about the major problems.

YOU CAN DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND STILL GET BAMBOOZLED!!!

You spent 25k+ on a car. Do you think it might have made sense to take it on a test drive FIRST and then have your own mechanic check it out in depth?

Where do you people come from?