Reading up on some of the news happening around our island, I came by a story reported by KGMB 9 news about a family from Punchbowl who traded in their van and bought two cars, only to find them breakdown just a few days later.  The victim purchased a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipise and her mom bought what looks like to be a 1998 Nissan Altima.

The victim purchased their car from Deals on Wheels on Nimitz Hwy, which is a used car dealership right before Nimitz turns into H1.  She said that she has been paying a ton of towing fees, and her mechanic checked it out afterwards and told her it was going to cost her $3000 to fix.  She purchased the car for $10,000 after the trade-in.

The owner of the dealership said that he is not bound to help her out in anyway, but that he would send her car to his mechanic to check out and fix what he thinks is necessary.  The owner buys his cars from auctions and checks them out, but I’m assumming doesn’t do a thorough inspection of the vehicle.  In fact, when they opened the hood the car, the engine bay had some modifications for the 3 seconds it was on TV.  I quickly noticed a modified intake, but was not able to check what else was different.  People who modify their cars incorrectly oftentimes suffer the consequences of their car not working properly, and voiding their warranty at the same time.

The owner of the dealership did make a good point to bring your own mechanic to check out the car, but I feel that it is the duty of the dealership to make sure the car is in working condition and not to sell as is, unless you tell them what’s wrong with the car.  I understand the dealership wants to make money, but at the same time, the victim could have been involved in a severe accident due to a problem with a car.  It’s not just about making money, but selling someone something that is safe.

Now I’m more inclined to purchase a used car from a reputable dealership, ones that do thorough inspections, or even certifying the car which comes with a warranty that is given to a new car.  This ensures that the car is most likely safe, and also guarantees that problems will be fixed if a problem does arise.  Yes, you are more than likely to pay more for that vehicle, but I think safety and less headaches is worth the money.

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