Interesting dealer story

S

Sandy

Registered
I read this story today in Automotive News and Ward's Auto today:-
Seems a used car buyer bought a Ford Explorer at a Ford dealer, it was a used truck. It had 7,000 miles on it. It also had a SALVAGE TITLE. The buyer bought the truck and proceded to put on 200,000 (yes, two hundred thousand) miles over the next 8 years. When he no longer wants the truck he then files suit against the dealer for not telling him that it had a salvage title. His lawyer wins the suit for him. Under questioning he admits that he enjoyed the truck, and had no problems with it. What was the award to the truck's owner from the Ford dealer??
No fair if you read Automotive news or Wards Auto, Paul C. :)
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

My 40 day old purchase on my 98 Taurus has already cost me a transmission.. (AX4N-same as the Continental)....Went out on I-95 in cruise control, never seen anything like it...wonder what I can get?

te
94 Gen1
157k miles
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

Settlement on the 200,000 miles Explorer that he admitted under oath "was a good car, I enjoyed it" was $868,000.00
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

'Ya, but seriously, I think that there's really something wrong with the legal system, when a guy can keep a car that he knows has a Salvage Title and keep it for 8 years and put on 200,000 miles and say under oath that "it was a good car and I enjoyed it" and then sue and win $868,000.00 - - - AND keep the car!! Whoa.....
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

What's the breakdown on the damage awards compensatory/statutory/punitives/atty fees etc.)?

Remember, there are quite a few statutory penalties and strict liability crimes out there. The judge has no discretion in many of those cases. Thank your legislators. ;)
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

Settlement on the 200,000 miles Explorer that he admitted under oath "was a good car, I enjoyed it" was $868,000.00
Click to expand...



one hell of a resale value. why cant i buy a car like that
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

I don't know the breakdown, neither source printed it. Would be interesting!
 
RE: Interesting dealer story





one hell of a resale value.
[/quote]

What Resale ?? He STILL has the car!! :)
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

If it was me, I would be at least nice enough to give it back with 200K on the odo. So they can toss it off a mountain as they count the 800K they are losing.
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

Ya know......

Almost ever dealer has dozens of ways he takes advantage of the consumer. between selling cars KNOWN to be faulty, hiding accident info, jacking up intrest rates, adding various fees and costs, etc.....

I have little sympathy for the dealer. It may seem disproportionate in this specific case, but believe me...... If more of these types of awards were handed out, car dealers just MIGHT become more forthright and honest.
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

When I graduated High school my parents brought me a new ford escort gt in 1993. I had the car for 6 months when i guy hit me on the driver's side. The car was totaled I mean the driver's side was done nothing was salvagable from that side. Frame was pushed in a foot on that side. Anyway I sold the car to a guy at a junkyard with a totaled title (salvage title what evre they call it). He in turn took it to a dealership in Long Island that help him fix the car using my information on the warrenty from Ford. About a year after selling it I received a survey about how I liked my service on the 93 escort at the dealer in Ling Island. I sent a copy of the police report of the accident along with my bill of sale to ford as soon as I got the survey. They called and said they were looking into it, but never heard from them after that. Just hope they got the car off the road. Hate to see anyone get hurt while driving that car.
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

Joey, sorry to say, but you missed the whole point here.
Firstly, the dealer (whom you don't know, but obviously hate) doesn't get hurt one bit, for like any business person, he has insurance. That said, it's the insurance carrier who gets hurt. Enough "hurts" and once again they raise YOUR rates as wellas everyone elses! :( Now, what has happened herein, if you can look beyond your own personal experiences at a dealership is this:

A pressident is being established, that is a very bad one for any business. Here are the facts:

Man buys a used product, in this case it just so happens to be a truck. He pays cash for it and receives the title to it. Surely he looks at it. He sees that it says "SALVAGE". I assume he puts title away in vault. He procedes to use this truck 25,000 a year for seven years, putting on 200,000 miles. Obviously, heis satisfied with his purchase. At 9 years of age he seeks out a known lawyer who specializes in sueing car dealers. He sues. They win. The award is nearly $900,000. Guess what? He KEEPS the car!!! Under oath, he states that "it's been a good car" !!
Smacks of Fraudulent Law Suit, to me!

The thing here is not the truck, the dealer, but rather the fact that this guy & his lawyer used OUR legal system to defraud an insurance company of almost a million - and laughed about it. It's an abuse of YOUR legal system.

First the car dealer, and then maybe your neighbor's business and then maybe your business !!

Yes, the dealer was wrong to sell the car, and likewise, the buyer was wrong not to refuse the car when he got the title or take it back & then contact an attorney, if he could not get his money back. But to wait 200,000 miles later......8 years???? To state under oath, "It was a good car" and THEN sue for almost a mil?? The guy & his lawyer are equal creeps to the dealer, if not worse.
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

Sandy, I didn't see in that article where the guy knew immediately that it was a salvage title? Perhaps he financed it? Perhaps the title was wrong? There's statute of limitations for lawsuits, so I'm sure he had to show that he did not delay any extreme amount of time to file suit, and then consider that the suit probably took a minimum of two years, probably longer. Whether or not it was a good car really would be irrelevant -- would you be happy if you found out at some later date that one of your McLarens had a salvage title? I'm guessing unless we see the court papers, we don't have the full story here.

I've seen cases of dealers misrepresenting cars to consumers when I worked at a law firm. I don't actually remember any of the cases going to trial as we settled, knowing full well the dealership was at fault, not the consumer.
 
RE: Interesting dealer story

Yes, Sharon you raise several valid points. The only one that I do know the answer to is that the customer did pay cash, so he in fact had the title in his possession from the beginning. My wife just finished being a Petit Juror and the acident case she was on revolved around a car accident that happened in 2000 - so yes it does take two, sometimes 3 years to go to trial. Granted. Lastly yes, we probably do not have the full story, but blindfolded one can tell when they are in a fish store, too!

I am not taking the side of the dealer, don't misunderstand....I am not. But if I found out one of the McLarens had been wrecked, I sure would not wait 8 years & drive the heck outta it during that time, and say under oath that I was happy with it & that it had been a good car, and proved it by keeping the thing, too. 2+2 here is not adding to 4.

I'd say he was certainly entitled to 100% of his money refunded, maybe 2 times over.....but a Mil ?? Serious accident cases with injuries don't bring a mil, in many cases.

I don't know - wish I had all the facts to read.
 
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