Purchasing a used car is always a crapshoot. Purchasing one over 20 years old like I did is even more precarious. However, regardless of the age of the merchandise, if within 4 weeks of purchase the car requires over $1,400 in repairs, one would think it would be something the seller would be honorably responsible for; or at least a combination of the seller and the poor soul who bought it. Selling faulty merchandise to the general public then refusing to take responsibility for it seems a little less than good business practice, and would be a business to be avoided by honest people. Affordable Auto Sales in North Bend is such a place. Turns out the name of the business is correct, they have “affordable” cars to sell…to get off their lot. Affordability, however, one would think would tend to also run into the usage of the merchandise, not just the purchase price, but that seems to be where the law of honorability and the law of the used car salesman part ways. Honor, apparently isn’t figured into the purchase price of their cars. Unless, of course, you want to pay them an extra $750 for their “warranty”…”warranty” meaning a percentage of the repair costs to be determined at point of purchase…..yeah.

Contacting the used car lot proved fruitless; they wanted nothing to do with the vehicle any longer. ”We do not need any more cars on our lot at this time” was the answer I got when I asked if there was something we could work out together. They told me a sad little tale of a pickup they purchased for resale and two weeks into it, the engine blew and they had to replace it. “Cost of running a business” was what they said about this. I wasn’t sure why I got to hear a tale of their problem, that kind of information seems either a ridiculous thing to tell the public, or a lie. Either way, I knew where this conversation was going.

I still have the “car” that was sold to me under the guise of “a great little car! It’s got new tires!”. Sure the tires are new, the sad thing is up on the repair lift more than it’s on the road. When I do sell it I will be, no doubt, too up front about the issues the car has, but then again I’m not a used car salesman.

Yes, I should have taken it to a mechanic first; yes I should have considered the age of the car, but I was taken in by the new tires and the fresh coat of Armor All on the dashboard.


Moral:
If you have to buy a used car, steer clear of those one-off gravel parking lot “dealerships”. It they can’t afford the asphalt, they can’t afford the customer service. And a Southern accent doesn’t always mean honesty.