Woman raises concerns over sale of car at used car lot
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CUMBERLAND COUNTY, PA (WPMT) — A woman is raising concerns about the car she purchased from a Cumberland County used car lot. She is planning to take legal action against the place that sold her the car, but in the meantime wants buyers to beware.
“Out of no where the vehicle stopped cold, lost power steering, started smoking,” said Christine Smith, owner of the vehicle. “She was able to get off he side of the road but it was dead.”
About six months ago, Smith bought a used Nissan Pathfinder from Clear Choice Auto Sales in Mechanicsburg for her 16-year-old daughter. Smith says, she knew it was a used vehicle and things could go wrong, but didn’t expect things to be as they are now. After brining her car to a dealership to get fixed, they discovered what appeared to be even more problems.
“I was told it was missing an emission sticker, the inspection sticker had been removed from another vehicle, and that it’s been tampered with and the vin number doesn’t match,” said Smith.
FOX43 called Clear Choice Auto and was told it would be days before we could speak to the owner. The man on the phone says things go wrong with used cars and the VIN number not matching must have been a mistake.
However, Smith doesn’t believe this was a mistake.
“You can see the inspection sticker was lifted in certain places here, but the biggest indicator here is these X’s up here is an indication that it’s been peeled on and off and put back on,” said Smith.
On top of the VIN number issue, the car does not have an emissions sticker, even though it was sold in Cumberland County which requires one. After discovering all these issues, Smith says even though her car will not pass inspection or have a valid inspection sticker, she’s decided to wait on getting any more work done on the car until she weighs all legal options moving forward.
“Part of me feels like, did I miss something? Should I have looked for something,” asked Smith. “But these are all things I make the assumption that because there are state regulations in place, they have to abide by those things and a reputable dealer wouldn’t sell a vehicle that they have not checked, monitored, run through every test before they sell it.”
Smith says she’s filed a report through the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. The Attorney General’s Office says since January 1, 2015, they’ve received 17 complaints about Clear Choice Auto Sales. The AG’s Office did not say if it has taken any further action against the used car company.
If you are planning on purchasing a used vehicle, The Office of the Attorney General offers these tips:
Inspect the car in the daylight and good weather conditions
Drive the vehicle before you buy it
Have a mechanic inspect the car before you purchase it
Look closely at the body of the car for rust or cracks
Make sure all mechanical parts, like headlights and windows, are working properly
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