Brand new guy with sad story .. get a hankie and read on

[woof]

Hi all, I just joined, first post ever . The reason I joined was because of the potential of this website tohelp me deal with my stupidity in buying sight unseen from a dealer via the internet and basically getting ..... 'd for being naieve (sp)? I searched for a long time nation wide lokking for a 2003, long bed, 4WD, 4 door, 373 gears, 6 speed, CTD. None of these requirements were optional, I finally found the truck fitting my requirements at Lithia Scion / Toyota in Springfeild, Oregon. I know now I could have gotten an independant inspecter to go see the truck but I didnt. I did buy the Carfax service which gave me a green light and buy back options. The description from the sales managers mouth were that he couldnt tell this truck from a brand new one. Now, I preferred an online purchase from a dealer over a private seller because I thought they had some responsibility for honesty and safety issues as well as all around knowledge and

commitment to maintainence checks ie. , basic stuff before re-selling a traded in vehicle. I had the truck shipped to me, Placerville Ca. It was caked with mud underneath, needed transfer pump, $400 of cleaning elect, connectors, now I need upper & lower ball joints, steering gear box, and the dealer when cleaning the electronics asked if the vehicle had been submerged??? Did I buy a flood truck that just wasnt totalled ? I will try to add pictures for you all to see. The air cleaner was gross and also fuel filter. plus the guy had backed into something and crimped the tailpipe to about 50% of flow. NONE of this was disclosed to me. The problem is shipping and/or time off work negates the free repairs. The ball joints and steering box are covered by their warrantee but only if done in their shop. Check out these pictures it will blow your mind what they sent to me for 25,000,00. I feel like such an idiot. Dan Kline is the sales manager and I would like everyone to know you dont buy a car from this place. The bed had been ripped and welded(poorly) too! oh yeah, there was no rear wheel well liners and the fuel filler neck was zip tied to the screw holes! no liner there. Lots of mud though Boy, after all this typing I feel better even if nobody ever reads this post. I'll come back here and read it just to get fired up again! HA. I'm sure it will be a good truck once the bugs are worked out, Thanks for listening.

 

[DHayden]

:{ :{ Sorry to see that, I would be chewing that guys ear off every chance I got. If the guy cant see the difference between a new truck and one thats been sunk in the mud past the frame rails, he shouldn't even be peddling used bicycles to circus monkeys.



Hopefully you got a bunch more pictures of EVERYTHING incase you need them for proof if it comes to that.

 

[KBennett]

First off welcome to the TDR. Sorry about the problems, it looks like the truck got stuck in the mud once in it's life and the dealer definitely didn't tell you the truth.



The air and fuel filters get dirty pretty quick on these trucks. I changed my filters regularly and they are always black. Your truck has a pretty strong drivetrain that can take a lot of abuse so I wouldn't worry too much about it.



Enjoy!

 

[24V-DSL]

Show these and more and tell your story to appropriate Oregon regulatory affairs agencies, starting with Attorney General, Hardy Myers.



I wouldn't set foot on ANY Lithia Motors property.

 

[Signal73]

Wow man. looks like it could have been a stolen truck bought by the ins. company or something. Kids take it out, beat on it bury it to the frame and leave it. :{

 

[amsoilman]

Welcome to the TDR! If it were me, I would get ahold of the BBB in Oregon, and voice my concerns to them. Then I would get on the phone and call the Lithia Scion / Toyota Dealer in Springfeild, Oregon and complain to the Owner or General manager, and let them know what you were delt. You may not get any help from the dealer, but at least it would help in your venting process!



How many miles were on this truck, anyway?



Wayne

amsoilman

 

[Jefff929]

I wouldn't set foot on ANY Lithia Motors property.

Welcome to TDR. You will likely get what you need to correct things here in the links from the main page and advise from folks who have been there. Also, don't rule out your local chapter if there is one, you may get help from folks payin' it forward. Congratulations on the '03 Oo.



I second the Lithia thing, Bunch of hippies down there that smell like the country fair! When I went looking for my truck I went down there to see if my dealer was giving me the straight poop. Well I'll NEVER go back.



#ad

 

[RottnDogue]

Welcome... . Whatever you do, don't let this go. There has to be something you can do about it.



Darren

 

[CRuth]

Sorry to hear that. Not ragging on you but paragraphs will help make your post much more readable. And yes, I agree, follow through. Maybe nothing happens but you'll feel much better knowing you tried.

 

[Cigar John]

Welcome to the TDR.

I've never seen a vehicle come through a dealer with out being

cleaned up and safety checked.

I'm worried now,Lithia just took over our local dealership.

 

[Paychk]

Go here for dealer ratings, Lithia doesn't do well.



http://dodgeram.info/survey_dealer/Dealers.htm

 

[GIT-R-DONE]

Woof, better change ALL the fluids, including the differentials, in case it was submerged. Not knowing the real history of the truck, change it all. As for the exhaust, a new 4" system would do wonders for the truck, after all, the BOMBing process is just starting ,... ... right? :-laf

 

[Joe G.]

I don't want to start an uproar or anything, but why didn't you look over the truck better before you bought it? I REALLY don't trust car salesmen!

 

[woodsrat]

You said that you got carfax and they gave you the green light i would use the buy back option. Before i would sit and worry about what may be wrong with the truck.

 

[DieselMinded]

you defently have a case... .

 

[Holysmokes]

car fax?

Im with woodsrat on this one. The only bad thing is (according to the dealer... so take it for whats worth) the dealer buys truck from auction. Truck has a clean title. Truck brought over from another state for auction. If truck is wrecked (for example on private property) and no police report is taken owner can fix it theirselves and no one is the wiser. They also said if truck is wrecked the BMV keeps record FOR THAT STATE. (example, truck in MI shows wrecked but title transferred to OH... no record of any accidents) I KNOW FOR A FACT MY TRUCK WAS HIT HARD. After owning it for a while I noticed overspray on top of cab. And yes,I ran a carfax. Came from MI at an auction in Detroit. I guess I'll live and learn.

 

[McLaughlin]

Can an insurance company do a VIN search for a claim? I suspect if the truck had been submerged there would be an insurance claim against it. If you asked your insurance company they might be able to find out. I suspect they would know or could find out since they would factor that into the vehicle's value if it was ever in a major accident and they were looking to total it out.

 

[wcjp]

The few people I know that have bought vehicles or had them serviced at Lithia have had issues.





Here's another Lithia statement of responsibility.



http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/1215/biz/stories/01biz.htm







December 15, 2005







Suit accuses Lithia of unfair trade

It says a Boise dealership convinced a man with dementia to swap his SUV for a cheaper Ford

Staff and wire reports

BOISE, Idaho — A lawsuit filed against a Lithia car dealership in Boise contends that an 82-year-old man with dementia who mistakenly turned into the dealership’s lot was persuaded to trade his new SUV for an economy car worth less than half as much.



"The case does not pass the smell test," Boise attorney Paul Fitzer, who is representing the family, told The Idaho Statesman. "The question is whether (the transaction) offends the senses, whether it is so unconscionable as to offend the ordinary person. "



The lawsuit, filed Monday by the man’s daughter and legal guardian in 4th District Court, says that Lithia Ford of Boise violated an Idaho law designed to protect consumers from "unconscionable contracts" by taking advantage of Frank Baxter’s "inability to understand, and other factors due to his age and dementia. "



The suit also alleges that the dealership should have realized Baxter, a World War II veteran, was not capable of making an agreement to trade vehicles because he was so disoriented a Lithia Ford employee had to drive him home.



The lawsuit says that Baxter was on his way to Peterson Toyota on Sept. 9 to have the battery checked in his 2005 Toyota RAV-4, which he had bought from that dealership less than a month earlier and had driven only 16 miles.









But he ended up at the Lithia Ford lot where he traded his $31,000 vehicle for a $15,000 economy car.



"They told him the deal (for a 2006 Ford Focus) was going to solve all his problems, and talked him out of taking the car elsewhere," said Fitzer.



A spokesman for Lithia said the company has tried to settle the dispute. Medford-based Lithia Motors is a Fortune 1000 company with 94 dealerships in 12 Western states. It had $2. 7 billion in sales last year.



"Lithia has been willing to resolve this issue from the beginning, and we are still willing to unwind this transaction; all we have asked is that Mr. Baxter or a legal representative sign the necessary paperwork," spokesman Dan Retzlaff said in a prepared statement.



Fitzer said the company has never offered to resolve the dispute. He also said that Lithia Ford has already sold the RAV- 4 that Baxter traded.



Fitzer said Baxter’s family was not aware he had made the earlier purchase of the Toyota. He said family members were trying to have Baxter’s license suspended at the time of the trade with Lithia Ford.



According to the lawsuit, Baxter called his son, Forrest, after the trade to tell him his Toyota had been stolen. Forrest Baxter noticed paperwork from Lithia Ford at his father’s home and called the dealership asking that the transaction be canceled. Officials at Lithia Ford refused, the lawsuit says.



Brett T. DeLange, chief of the consumer protection unit in the Idaho attorney general’s office, said that Idaho has no law that allows people to return a vehicle once they have purchased it.



But he added that because of Frank Baxter’s dementia, the allegations against Lithia Ford will "raise the eyebrows" of any court.



Fitzer agreed.



"I can’t imagine (the dealership) would want to take this to trial," said Fitzer. "The publicity is awful. "

 

[Nate]

Just looks like the truck has seen some time off road IMO. Maybe a farm truck. I wish my Jeep only got that dirty!

 

[Featherman]

Trust

Funny thing is I did the opposite. I would rather buy from an individual who can tell me about the truck as opposed to a salesperson who just wants to sell the truck!!!



I'm not saying an individual won't lie, but I'd rather take that chance.



Plus the TDR folks... ... ... ..... are/were an invaluable resource before I made my leap.



All that aside, go after them. It is not a pleasant experience buying a truck for 25k and having to spend another 3-6k to get it fixed!!! :{