In May of 2012, I bought my first car. I am a woman, and I was only 19 at the time. I had just gotten a job and had a boyfried who lived in California. I needed a car to get back and forth to work, as well as be able to take me down to the Detroit airport so I could go to California. Being 19, I didnt have any credit yet and decided to go with Northpointe because they had a black Dodge Neon SXT that I fell in love with. I went in and worked with Jeff who put the car way above my pricepoint. Being 19, I couldn't afford 230 dollars a month for a car.
Jeff tried to put me into a car that I didn't want because it was cheaper, even after telling him it was not something I was interested in. He pushed. I got a second job and came back to purchase the Neon, test drove it and decided all was well. Because of my age, the bank REQUIRED a warranty of 5k miles or 6months whichever came first. 2 days, before I hit 6 months, 114 miles after 5k, I started having problems with the car. It would chug, shut off randomly and not restart. I thought it was engine related.
I brought it to my mechanic who tried the warranty and alas, the 1000 dollar warranty I HAD to have, was worthless. My fuel pump was bad. 350 dollars, no big deal. I get the car fixed, and fight for almost a year, fuel pump after fuel pump, tirods, wheel barrings, suspension, the pulleys on my engine. I understand owning a car cost money in maintenence, but for the 2000+ I sank into it before 1 year was up, was not gonna fly.
Now I've had the car with minimal issues, but the first year was rough. I will NEVER go back there again. As a 19 year old, moving out, getting married, starting college... a lemon was NOT what I needed and added unneeded stress in my life that caused a GERD flare up that to this day, has not gone down. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COST.
girahs
Kalkaska,#2Consumer Suggestion
Thu, October 22, 2015
Could you please send me your complaint in writing, signed . Taking Northpointe to court and can use all the help I can get to prove they are preditors !
FloridaNative
Palm Beach Gardens,#3Consumer Comment
Wed, August 06, 2014
You were scammed into accepting a auto warranty.
If you had read your contract, you would have seen that the auto warranty is OPTIONAL. The lender can not legally require you to purchase a auto warranty in exchange for an auto loan.
Yes, the finance people at the dealer will tell you that you need a warranty. And I have heard them say it is mandatory. However, when you actually read the contract, you will see that in the contract it says the auto warranty is optional. Next time, don't just sign it. Read it. If the contract doesn't reflect your negotiated deal with the auto dealership, then get up and walk out. You will be much better off.
As to whether the car is a lemon - wasn't this a used vehicle? The lemon law is for new vehicles, not used. There are exceptions to this rule so research your state's statutes to verify.
You are young. Don't pick up these bad habits where you expect the car dealer to maintain your vehicle after purchase (after any warranty period you may have purchased) at the dealers expense for the rest of your life. It isn't realistic. Research on how to buy a vehicle from a dealer and what scams to look out for - FTC(dot)gov is a good place to start your research.