| You hear them on the radio and TV everyday. | | | | advertising a repossession sale, cream puffs, |
| Some have outrageous ads and sales gimmicks. | | | | etc... They will lie about the origination |
| "Push, pull or drag your trade in for $4000 | | | | of cars just like in a recent Carfax ad. Oh |
| minimum trade", "Best price in the world!" | | | | that was just a little fender scratch |
| "Best bumper to bumper warranty ever - we | | | | (complete repaint from a 50mph accident) or |
| cover everything." "Repo'd car sale today." | | | | new upholstery (due to a flood and complete |
| Bet you didn't know that these ads can be and | | | | submersion). These repossession sales, like |
| usually are very misleading and can be | | | | Repo Joe, do a media Blitz and claim they |
| illegal. | | | | have all repossessed vehicles for a great |
| | | | buy. When in fact they probably don't even |
| According to Leslie Anderson, AAA, Misleading | | | | have one repossessed car that is for sale. |
| advertisements and deceptive marketing from | | | | Most car dealers get their cars from either |
| car dealers has been on the rise in recent | | | | trades or local auctions. |
| years. Car dealers, due to a struggling | | | | |
| economy are resorting to grey market sales | | | | Regardless of what they claim they most |
| tactics and ads. Many of these ads are | | | | likely do not know the vehicles history. You |
| either borderline or even illegal in nature. | | | | can't even rely on Carfax 100% as many |
| With all the publicity in recent years of | | | | vehicles are repaired without full salvage |
| scams and illegal business activities by | | | | disclosure or even any repair history. A |
| businesses from every state you would think | | | | carfax report is only as good as the |
| most states would have toughened up their | | | | information that is actually entered into the |
| laws and started to crack down on bad car | | | | system. Before you rely on that Carfax or |
| dealers. Only one state, New York, has | | | | what the dealer says is the cars history |
| really done anything. | | | | listen to this - Tennessee attorneys Frank |
| | | | Watson and David McLaughlin charge that |
| There are laws already on the books that make | | | | Carfax's ads promise more than it can |
| many of these advertisements and such | | | | deliver. "Carfax fails to disclose the |
| illegal, but few states will even look into | | | | limitations of their database," says Watson. |
| these activities. In New York, if you run a | | | | "People think they have a little insurance |
| Push, Pull or Drag sale the odds are you will | | | | policy on their Carfax report, and it's just |
| get fined. The thinking behind New Yorks | | | | not accurate," says McLaughlin. Carfax is an |
| laws is that if you promise someone a set | | | | online company that searches databases for a |
| figure for their vehicle it should not be | | | | vehicle's history, claiming to be "your best |
| factored into the discount or markup of the | | | | protection against buying a used car with |
| newer, replacement vehicle. This is | | | | costly, hidden problems." But, critics say |
| deceptive advertising. Yet I hear these same | | | | when it comes to many accidents, online |
| ads, with even higher amounts promised on the | | | | reporting companies fall short. A |
| radio and TV in North Carolina and South | | | | class-action lawsuit against Carfax claims |
| Carolina all the time. Then there's the | | | | the company doesn't have access to police |
| matter of expressed and implied warranties. | | | | accident data in 23 states. |
| | | | |
| Expressed and implied warranties are actually | | | | This article should be a wake up call to car |
| covered under federal laws. Every car dealer | | | | buyers to be more on the alert to car dealer |
| must have a federally approved warranty | | | | scams, lies and untruths. It should also be |
| disclosure placed in the window. This is to | | | | an alert to states from Oregon to Florida |
| show if a warranty exists and what is | | | | that more needs to be done to curb bad car |
| actually covered. This was done as there was | | | | sales tactics. Most car dealers aren't small |
| too much discrepency in the past with car | | | | mom and pop organizations. They are large |
| salesman blurring the line of what is really | | | | million or billion dollar companies that will |
| covered and what isn't. On a recent drive | | | | do anything to make a dollar. Even crossing |
| from North Carolina to South Carolina I saw | | | | the line or blurring what is legal and what |
| 11 used car dealerships that did not have | | | | isn't. And according to one big dealer in |
| these in the windows - at one we found they | | | | Charlotte, North Carolina whom didn't want |
| were in the glove compartment. When we asked | | | | his name or dealership mentioned for obvious |
| the salesperson why it wasn't in the window | | | | reasons - "its all about that bottem line and |
| he said it wasn't necessary. In New York, | | | | if we get caught, thats what our lawyers are |
| every car dealer you drive by or visit will | | | | for. Per another car dealer, "it's a buyer |
| have these prominently displayed. | | | | beware market: Buyers must beware and be |
| | | | detectives too. |
| Then you have the usual lies - car dealers | | | | |