I purchased a 2001 4Runner from webauto2009 on Ebay with the assurance that the vehicle had NO leaks. The salesman (Alex) told me the vehicle was gone over by his mechanics and found no leaks. I took him at his word as he had 100% feedback on Ebay.
After traveling to Pennsylvania to pick up the car, it looked decent for its age. I am not a mechanic and didnt see any leaks. After completing the transaction I headed home to Long Island for a 4 hour drive. I got the vehicle home and parked it until I could sell my current vehicle.
After selling my car, I tried to get the 4runner NYS inspected, but it failed because of a leaking brake master cyclinder. The valve cover gasket was also leaking as well as the radiator cap, but did not fail inspection because of it.
Toyota quoted me $3800 to replace the master cylinder as it has a ABS system and electric accumulator motor. Ridiculous price for sure. Webauto pretty much scoffed at me when I told him the issues and offerred me $250 to basically shut me up. They also accused me of extortion after telling him the Toyota price. After sending him the Toyota list of issues he offered me $375. I took it because I knew that was all I was going to get from him.
I know a used AS-IS car is a gamble, but there is a thing called honesty and disclosure. Did I expect a perfect vehicle? NO. There are always things to do to a used vehicle, but when a dealership sends you out with a vehicle that is potentionaly dangerous and does not disclose certain issues, there should be some kind of recourse. Please always get a 3rd party to check out your potential used vehicle especially from the places listed above. There are many aliases for these dealerships and when too many bad reviews show up, they change their name and create a new one. He is now fighting me on Ebay so my honest feedback won't be seen.
I find myself at a loss now as I try to find a way to affordably get this car safely on the road for my wife.