Alexander Toyota ripoff, rude, don't buy Yuma Arizona

We bought an over priced 2000 Dodge Durango from "Alexander Ford" back in 2005. Everything for great for the first 3 or so weeks, then everything started going down hill. First problem was the AC went out... Which was a HUGE problem in Yuma. Of course we called the dealership and they offered no help since we didn't pay for some $5,000 limited warranty with them. So we took it to a 3rd party company, and got it fixed. A couple weeks later not only did the cloth covering the roof of the car just fall off (there was no notable damage when we bought it), but the same week our power searing went out AND the horn mysteriously quit working! Once again we took the car back to the 3rd party company to have it fixed. Now that was all within two months of having the car. About 6 month later, I noticed that the bumper had dropped and was hanging about 2 inches below the trunk door. We took the car into our mechanic to have it looked at and were told it looked like it may have been in an accident at some point and someone did a shotty job sticking the bumper back on. We checked CarFax and there was no report of an accident, it used to be a rental car... So that may have contributed to it.

Jamie,

Please understand, I'm not defending the dealer here...however, your situation underscores the importance of going over a vehicle with a fine-tooth comb BEFORE you buy!

A measly 5 or 10 minute test drive around the block is not good enough. Test every door, every electrical device, have someone check the exhaust pipe when you first start up the vehicle...make sure the power seats work, the windows, and so on...Drive it at low-speed in typical city driving, AND at moderate speed...AND at highway speed. Make sure there is no unusual shimmy or vibration. And your tires...? Well, if they were bald a week after you bought the vehicle, then they were bald when you bought it. Spending $75 to $100 at a local independant mechanic shop to have them check over a potential used car is money well spent.

All of these things could have easily been resolved before you bought the vehicle. How? Simple, you just refuse to buy before they're taken care of. You make the repairs part of the purchase agreement, (or have the dealer subtract the cost of repairs from the price of the vehicle, if they are selling it "as-is")

The dealer was basically saying that if you bought a new van, (or a used one that was CPO), you'd have a factory warranty...but of course, you'll end up paying a lot more. That's why a 4-5 year old van is usually a much better deal, as long as it's been carefully maintained and serviced.