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- Joined
- Aug 6, 2007
- Messages
- 6,520
- Age
- 49
- City
- Berrien Springs, MI
- Vehicle Year
- 2022
- Transmission
- Manual
- My credo
- If you can't go through it or around it, then go over it.
Having been ripped off on the last 2 SUVs I have bought since July 2010 I am not doing it with out help.
The first one I got ripped off on was a 1998 Expedition with 102,xxx miles. Carfax showed a clean GA title. It ended up being a stolen vehicle with a cloned VIN. I will say this, the owner of the dealership I bought it from made it right. he gave me my money back plus the $2600 I spent having the transmission rebuilt.
then there is the 1999 Chevy Suburban. I did check it out. I bought it from a well established Ford Dealership. They suckered me on this. It has 200,xxx miles but has reciepts for a new transmission and a new long block all work done at said Ford dealership. I paid $9000 for it because it is a rust free Suburban with a recent engine and transmission replacement.
the first problem is no heat (it was 102 degrees the day I bought it, how do you check the heat on a 100 degree day) which lead me to check the coolant level (at this point I have only put 32 miles on it) and it had no coolant...... odd, it had coolant in it on the lot. having an engine diagnostic done (not a scan but an actual emissions diagnostic) revealed blown head gaskets.
took it back to said dealership and informed them they had to fix it under Michigan lemon law.
3 weeks later I got it back and they claimed to have put a new short block in it. they kept it until lemon law expired.
long story short, I don't know what they did but they did not put in a new short block and now the engine will just die for no reason and it will be 45 min before it will start, always 45 min, the fuel pump has a high pitched whine, the oil pressure gauge shows past 80 psi the check engine light is on and give a bunch of codes........ oh and it now has a knock that gets worse every time I drive it ........ I have put 750 miles on it since I bought it and now can't drive it. BTW I did have it checked out by a shop in another town and I carfaxed it before I bought it.
I am stuck with a $325 a month payment and a $7000 estimate from yet another shop (local chevy dealership, my uncle goes to church with they guy and would have to deal with my uncle if he ripped me off, but I can't afford anything on his lot).
I do have the $7000 to fix the 99 Suburban. The problem is, I fix it then I am $16,000 into a 1999 1/2 Suburban with a crappy 4l60e, 2 busted door locks so the passenger doors don't open, the A/C no longer works and it still does not have heat. Figured that one out btw...... the previous owner says the heater hose burst and it over heated on the lot 20 min after he signed the papers on his new F250, leading to the blown head gaskets (they conveniently left that out)......
I can spend 5000 - 7000 on a either a 3/4 ton Suburban or an Excursion or a 5.4L Expedition with a 4r100. Which is what I plan to do.
Fortunately for me I bought the Suburban and the Lincoln from the same dealership. I have it in writing that they are reporting my payments to the credit bureaus and if I trade them both back in after a year and have a decent down payment they will give me what I made in payments and finance us through Ford Motor Credit on any new or certified used vehicle that we can afford.
but that leaves me with out a second car to drive because the Lincoln is Teffie's and the engine in the Sidekick finally died (at 278,xxx), plus I want a 3/4 or a 1 ton SUV. the 5.4L expeditions with a 4r100 are as good as a 3/4 ton Suburban.
So I need you help locating a Vehicle that will fit, Aslo I will only take advise and recommendations on vehicles from it on well established members.
The first one I got ripped off on was a 1998 Expedition with 102,xxx miles. Carfax showed a clean GA title. It ended up being a stolen vehicle with a cloned VIN. I will say this, the owner of the dealership I bought it from made it right. he gave me my money back plus the $2600 I spent having the transmission rebuilt.
then there is the 1999 Chevy Suburban. I did check it out. I bought it from a well established Ford Dealership. They suckered me on this. It has 200,xxx miles but has reciepts for a new transmission and a new long block all work done at said Ford dealership. I paid $9000 for it because it is a rust free Suburban with a recent engine and transmission replacement.
the first problem is no heat (it was 102 degrees the day I bought it, how do you check the heat on a 100 degree day) which lead me to check the coolant level (at this point I have only put 32 miles on it) and it had no coolant...... odd, it had coolant in it on the lot. having an engine diagnostic done (not a scan but an actual emissions diagnostic) revealed blown head gaskets.
took it back to said dealership and informed them they had to fix it under Michigan lemon law.
3 weeks later I got it back and they claimed to have put a new short block in it. they kept it until lemon law expired.
long story short, I don't know what they did but they did not put in a new short block and now the engine will just die for no reason and it will be 45 min before it will start, always 45 min, the fuel pump has a high pitched whine, the oil pressure gauge shows past 80 psi the check engine light is on and give a bunch of codes........ oh and it now has a knock that gets worse every time I drive it ........ I have put 750 miles on it since I bought it and now can't drive it. BTW I did have it checked out by a shop in another town and I carfaxed it before I bought it.
I am stuck with a $325 a month payment and a $7000 estimate from yet another shop (local chevy dealership, my uncle goes to church with they guy and would have to deal with my uncle if he ripped me off, but I can't afford anything on his lot).
I do have the $7000 to fix the 99 Suburban. The problem is, I fix it then I am $16,000 into a 1999 1/2 Suburban with a crappy 4l60e, 2 busted door locks so the passenger doors don't open, the A/C no longer works and it still does not have heat. Figured that one out btw...... the previous owner says the heater hose burst and it over heated on the lot 20 min after he signed the papers on his new F250, leading to the blown head gaskets (they conveniently left that out)......
----OR----
I can spend 5000 - 7000 on a either a 3/4 ton Suburban or an Excursion or a 5.4L Expedition with a 4r100. Which is what I plan to do.
Fortunately for me I bought the Suburban and the Lincoln from the same dealership. I have it in writing that they are reporting my payments to the credit bureaus and if I trade them both back in after a year and have a decent down payment they will give me what I made in payments and finance us through Ford Motor Credit on any new or certified used vehicle that we can afford.
but that leaves me with out a second car to drive because the Lincoln is Teffie's and the engine in the Sidekick finally died (at 278,xxx), plus I want a 3/4 or a 1 ton SUV. the 5.4L expeditions with a 4r100 are as good as a 3/4 ton Suburban.
So I need you help locating a Vehicle that will fit, Aslo I will only take advise and recommendations on vehicles from it on well established members.
