Posted on 11/16/2010
We frequently get calls from folks looking to buy a used car or truck. They would like to have the vehicle inspected to find out if the asking price is right and if the new purchase will be a good fit for them. Over the years we have found that it is critical to have a used vehicle checked out before purchase, not after as several folks have done. Most people are honest and straight forward when selling a car or truck, but unfortunately there are some who are just trying to dump a junker off on an unsuspecting buyer. In fact, some of the worst cases we have seen involve foreign students who come here to study at CSU. We have seen some new students from overseas who have never owned a car sold a nightmare. So here is what we recommend: always, ALWAYS, have a used vehicle inspected before purchase. If the seller does not want to allow you to take it someplace for inspection, run, don’t walk away fro ... read more
Posted on 11/9/2010
From time to time we are asked to install auto parts that are purchased online from a store on the internet. Our experience has not been that good with this approach to parts purchases and a recent situation really reinforces this position. Our customer needed a new engine for his Toyota 4Runner and we found one online. The company is located in Colorado and we thought that the fact that it is in Colorado and not some out of the way place we never heard of, we would be okay in buying from them. Our concerns about online auto parts purchases include not really knowing the supplier, not knowing if the warranty will hold up, and not knowing if the part will meet the high quality standards we set for ourselves and our customers. Well, we should have listened to ourselves. The engine failed and the company refused to honor the warranty even though they never even inspected the engine. We are currently involved in an expensive legal battle to just get our $$$ back and it has taken its toll o ... read more