I recently had a bad experience with a used car dealer - which could have been much worse.
On Saturday April 14, 2012, I was looking through the auto trader looking for a recent model Lexus IS250 to buy and came across an ad that was posted by a dealer in the GTA area, ODYRBE AUTO SALES. The 2011 Lexus IS250 was listed at $29,995 and for a 2011, it sounded like a really good pricetoo good I thought, so I called the dealer and I askedthe salesman about the car and asked about several options (xenon lights and air conditioned seats in particular, so I would know what option package it had). He confirmed that the vehicle had these options and confirmed no less than twice during the conversation that the car was accident free and in excellent shape. However, before I would drive from Ottawa to Toronto, I wanted some assurance that they would sell the car for $28,000 and he said he would have to check with his manager and would get back to me. When I didnt hear back from him just before closing, I called back and spoke to the same or another salesman (neither gave their name to me) and he said they would take the $28,000. I asked him once again if it had ever been in accident and he said definitely not and reiterated that they were a UCDA dealer and could be trusted with the vehicles they had. I indicated to him we would make the trip to Toronto the next day (on Sunday) to see the car, which we did.
We arrived and were greeted by a man who indicated his brother would look after us; then a second man came by and said that his other brother would take care of us. Finally the third brother came by and showed us around the car. I asked once again if the car had ever been in an accident and he said no. I asked him about the xenon lights listed in their ad and the auto trader ad and the air conditioned seats that he or one of the brothers had confirmed were options on the car and he indicated the auto trader does their adds and he is not responsible for what the ad saysit was the responsibility of the auto trader. When I pressed him about the air conditioned seats the individual who answered the phone had confirmed, he just said the car doesnt have air conditioned seats. We took the car out for a test drive and for some reason the salesman who was in the backseat wouldnt let us take it on the highway, so we just drove it around close to the lot with the salesman. When we returned to the lot and subsequently went into the trailer office Moe (his card didnt have a last name on it) gave us his card and indicated several times over that they were a registered UCDA dealer and that we didnt have anything to worry about because they wouldnt risk their membership for a car sale. Again, I asked him if it had ever been in an accident and again he confirmed it had not been. We provided him with a $1,000 down payment and he was going to get the safety and e-test done the next morning and his brother would pick-up the original set of keys and the carproof paperwork and from the dealership that would show there are no accidents.
We decided to stay overnight and booked a hotel room for the evening. After breakfast the next morning we got a call indicating the car was ready and we headed over to the lot. We were met by two of the other brothers who indicated to us that the rear bumper had been replaced but nothing serious, just the bumper through insurance. I asked them to see the report and while reiterating it was just the bumper that had been replaced, he tried to get me to flip through the report rather quickly and distractingly. They showed me the section related to accidents and said see there are no accidents. I finally told one of the brothers that I wanted to read it myself and when I got to the Ontario section, there were two line items that indicated a total of $27K plus for insurance claims. Both the brothers said that isnt an accident, its just insurance claim, then one of the brothers, followed by the second pointed out the ownership shows branding None and if it was serious the branding would be rebuilt or salvage. He indicated to me that they just replaced the bumper and thats the way insurance works - they tell them how much the repair is and the insurance company just pays it. He said they have to bring it to Lexus (because it was under a Lexus lease - which it turns out it was not) and Lexus has to order a new bumper from Japan (according to the salesmen they replace all parts with brand new parts) and it takes 3 weeks and in the meantime they rent a car while waiting for the repair, a Lexus specialist technician needs to be paid, etc, etc. When I asked him how he knew it was just the bumper, he kept saying thats the way it works. I asked him if he was there or talked to anybody about the bumper replacement and he acknowledged that he hadnt but that was just the way it was done. I asked when he printed the carproof off and he said he just got it. I pointed out to him that the carproof was dated April 8, 2012 and this was April 15, 2012, so he knew or should have known about the $27K worth of insurance work before then to which he kept indicating there was no accident or the police would have been involved and they would have branded the car.
I reiterated to them that there is no way that an insurance company would not question a $27k plus bill for just a new bumper and this car has had serious work done to it and is not accident free as they were continuing to claim it to be.
This company is preying on innocent consumers by misrepresenting themselves, the cars and the knowledge they have of the cars - hard to tell the difference between curbsiding and these tactics, with the only difference is that they are using the UCDA and OMVIC brands to legitimize what they are doing.
They misrepresented the car is a serious way and lied and misled myself and my wife about the state of the vehicle.