Certified Pre Owned Automobile

[wfleitz]

I purchase a "Certified Pre-Owned" 2004 Saab from Village Saab in Acton, MA on October 8, 2005. I was told that the car had passed Saab certification which is describe by Saab as

"And not only must the Saab be in excellent mechanical condition at the onset, but it must meet high visual standards as well."

However when I brought the car home I found that paint was peeling of the lower side panel. Also I noticed the left body panel out of alignment which led me to conclude the car was in an accident and was poorly repaired.

I then brought the car into the local Saab dealer in Virginia (where I live) and the service manager told me that (1) the panel and front end had been damaged at one point and (2) had been repainted poorly. In the case of the panel, he pointed out that it had not even been painted completely. The car was guaranteed to meet an 110-point check. Included in the checklist are several standards related to the condition of the body and this car clearly does not meet those standards.

I initiated a complaint with Saab USA because I felt that the car did not meet the standards for which they would designate a car as certified pre-owned. Saab USA told me that this matter could only be handled as a dispute between buyer and seller. Therefore, I again contacted Village Saab but they continued to deny that there was anything wrong with the car. The salesman went so far as to suggest that the paint peeling was a manufacturer defect. This is an absurd suggestion as I have already had a Saab service specialist show me that these parts had been replaced and repainted poorly.

I feel that Village Saab have treated me with disrespect and an unwillingness to discuss a resolution to the problem. I continued to pursue this issue with Saab USA because it is through the Saab USA Certified Pre Owned program that I found this car. They have also stonewalled and have virtually told me "tough luck."

I just cannot believe that anyone would describe a car with paint peeling off as "high visual standards."

My question is, what legal recourse do I have to solve this issue and how would I pursue legal action against Saab? Thanks very much for any information you can provide.

 

[seniorjudge]

Sue everyone who caused you damage.

 

[cjbrown929]

quality is job one hundred and fifty two

It sounds like the only thing Saab certified was that the car was "pre-owned". This car should have never made it past the initial check, which all certified pre-owned cars SUPPOSEDLY go through to weed out lemons and cars that have had significant damage from accidents.

At the Toyota dealership I worked at, Toyota would send out a team of auditors (one TOUGH group of inspectors) every three months to ensure compliance with their standards. They would've laughed, and then got angry, if a vehicle such as the one you bought was brought to them for inspection. See if you can contact the team for Saab that audits dealerships for compliance. Judging by their response, you might have to pretend that you are considering buying a certified Saab, not one who has and is VERY upset. Ask the team what their standards are, especially for wrecked cars and write down their answers for when you sue.

A copy of the 110 point inspection your car went through will obviously be very important.

 

[dallas702]

Now there's a guarantee for ya: "certified pre-owned". "....Yes sir, I can absolutely guarantee you that this car is "pre-owned". In fact, I'll even certify it."

LOL!!!!

Geez, a Harvard MBA couldn't come up with one as good as that.

Love it!

 

[cjbrown929]

OP: I emailed Saab's "certified preowned" site and invited them to check out the freeadvice forum to see how their lack of response to your problem will likely lead lots of people reading the post to cross Saab off their list.

I read their glowing review of how cars are selected and reconditioned and found it greatly at odds with reality.

 

[wfleitz]

What would you do?

Thanks very much for your replies. I am curious how would you deal with this situation? Is this worth pursuing? Is there any law against them falsely advertising the quality of the certified car and then allowing customers to be duped such as myself? Could anyone recommend the best approach to take?

Thanks!

Bill Fleitz

 

[InsuranceLadyAZ]

Thanks very much for your replies. I am curious how would you deal with this situation? Is this worth pursuing? Is there any law against them falsely advertising the quality of the certified car and then allowing customers to be duped such as myself? Could anyone recommend the best approach to take?

Thanks!

Bill Fleitz

Was there a warranty, or did you purchase it as/is? Also, did you see the vehicle before you bought it? I'm only asking because you're in VA and the car came from MA.

 

[wfleitz]

The warranty is a 6 year/100,000 mile warranty (a 2 year/50,000 mile extension of the standard new car warranty)--however, the Saab dealer in Virginia told that this warranty isn't going to cover the paint and body problems because they are the result of a previous accident. It seems to me that any issue that might arise with the car could conceivably be blamed on the "accident" leaving me with a worthless warranty.

I saw the car before completing the paperwork but it was raining the day I flew to Massachusetts to pick it up plus the paint issue was along the bottom edge of the body which is not very obvious. Perhaps I should have had an independent mechanic check it out first but I was relying on "truth in advertising." I would have never bought this car had it not been classified as a "certified preowned" vehicle. If the car doesn't meet those standards (I have the list of 110 points and the car doesn't pass on those points relating to the exterior), then aren't I entitled to a legal remedy? Isn't this a case of false advertising?

Thanks again.

 

[shell007]

OP:

At least get a report on the vehicle from www.carfax.com. All you need is the VIN# to check out the past history of the car.

It will at least give you some more knowledge and maybe more leverage.

 

[wfleitz]

The dealer provided me with a Carfax report on this car. It was clean.

 

[cjbrown929]

Don't buy "Sob"

The OP's dealings with "Sob" should send a clear message to all considering buying a Saab, especially a certified pre-owned model...DON'T DO IT!

The company took this person's money, a person who based his purchase at least in part on the manufacturer's grandiose claims. These claims, and even worse, Saab's response to a customer's righteous complaint appear to be 100% BOGUS.

Saab doesn't back its claims...tell a friend!

 

[wfleitz]

Next time I will "Google" the dealership

I should have Googled the dealership name Village Saab. If I had I would have found this web site:

http://www.villagesaabsucks.com

Not a bad idea. I think I might try the same thing....

 

[cjbrown929]

Like my momma used to say, "If you don't have anything NICE to say, you belong on a 'villagesaabsucks' site!