When I arrived at Brandon Dodge, I told my salesperson, Roger, and the used car sales manager that I had two needs: (1) I needed something inexpensive, and (2) I needed something that would last me through grad school (at least two years). \r
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Roger and the used car sales manager talked me into looking at a 2005 Jeep Liberty with 127,000 miles, with the promise that they would sell it to me for $5000 plus my Camry, which included taxes. The used car sales manager also said that it would come with a warranty. I told them I had to think about it. The Blue Book said that the vehicle was worth $9500, so I returned to Brandon Dodge.\r
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Roger got called away to talk to a customer. A new sales manager came up and said that since Roger was busy with the customer, he would be working with me for a while. He presented me with a piece of paper saying that the price of the car was $5999. I told him that the other sales manager had promised me a price of $5000. He said that the extra $1000 was for the fees and taxes. I told him that I would buy the car for $5500, plus a new windshield, even though the original price I had been quoted was $5000 (which was to include taxes and a warranty). I also asked him about a warranty, and he said that the car would be sold ""as-is."" I said that I didn't want to get the car off the lot and take it to my mechanic and find out that something was terribly wrong with it, and the sales manager said ""We aren't that kind of dealership."" \r
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After an hour of waiting for my windshield to be replaced in Brandon Dodge's waiting room, Roger came to tell me that the shop at the dealership was already closed, and didn't open again until Monday. I was supposed to pick up the Jeep on Monday, but Roger told me that the part wasn't in yet, so I had to pick it up on Tuesday. Tuesday was Roger's day off, but he told me that I ""had a friend in the car business"" and he would come in so that I could pick up my Jeep.\r
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On Tuesday, I picked up my Jeep and signed my Camry over to Brandon Dodge. I drove the Jeep home. Ten minutes later, the car wouldn't start. I tried several times and it still wouldn't start. I had the maintenance guy in our building bring out the car jumper and he tried to jump the car. Unfortunately, we discovered that the problem was not the battery. I called Roger and left him a voicemail, but he never called back. Then I called Brandon Dodge and talked to a sales manager named Jeff Miller. Jeff said he would call me back.\r
An hour and a half later, I still hadn't heard from Jeff, and I went outside to try to start my Jeep again. Miraculously, it started, and I drove it directly to my trusted (AAA and BBB approved) auto shop. Once it got to the shop, it wouldn't start again. \r
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The owner of the shop called Brandon Dodge himself. He spoke to the repair shop first and asked if they had replaced the fuel pump. They said that they had replaced it, but they had taken it to a Mitsubishi dealership to have the fuel pump replaced (why they wouldn't just replace it in their own auto shop is beyond me). The owner of the shop then asked to speak to Jeff Miller, but Jeff wouldn't talk to him and said that he would call me.\r
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Jeff Miller never called me back (and I never heard from Roger again). A sales manager named Ron Hood called me and left a voicemail saying that the car was sold ""as-is"" and that since there was no implied warranty they ""cannot honor any repair"". He said I could call him on Thursday if I would like and left his phone number. \r
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My Jeep is currently at the shop, and they have discovered that it not only needs its fuel pump replaced but also needs its fuel line and tires replaced. I cannot believe that Brandon Dodge would sell me a car that needed $1400 in repairs when I told them that I was a student who knew nothing about cars and needed something functional and inexpensive. I trusted them and I shouldn’t have.
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