I contacted Wares Auto Sales regarding a 1991 Toyota MR2 with only 50,000 original miles, clean, no defects and “incredibly rare”. I spoke to the owner and asked a few questions including the validity of the miles. He assured me the car had no defects and he was NOT going to come down on the price of the car. \r
I called Wares Auto again about the car and spoke to Sale Rep . She confirmed the car was “clean” and the owner would not budge on the price. The CarFax Report came back clean. There were no gaps in the miles or reported damage to the car. When I spoke to the Sales Rep about the logistics of purchasing the car since I am 6-7 hours away, she suggested that I “Wire Transfer “the money since she cannot hold the car for me and she has 4 people interested in the car. Still feeling a little skeptical, I requested that she send me additional pictures. I wanted pictures under the car and I wanted to know about any rust or leaks. She called me and openly disclosed the radio had been pulled from the car in an attempt to fix it however, they could put it back in and the owner would take $100 off the price of car. She sent me pictures as requested and openly pointed out even the smallest of blemishes on the body and interior and confirmed there was no rust under the car. I told her I was making hotel and trailer reservations and would be up on Friday. Since they would only take a money transfer for the full purchase price (which I was NOT willing to do!) and they wouldn’t take a down payment to hold the car, I wanted assurance the car would be there after I drive 6 hrs. She advised me she told the other potential buyer that it was “SOLD”. \r
We spoke again the day before I was to drive to Michigan confirm the amount of the cahiers check I needed to bring and provide a copy of my insurance. When I as about 45 min away I called Wares. When the Salesperson came out she immediately mentioned the air conditioner wasn’t working and she was having them charge it. They recommended we go to lunch but I told her I would like to see the car after driving 6 hours. The blemishes she took pictures of were minor in person. As I looked at the engine valve gasket appeared to be leaking. The mechanic assured me it was easily fixable and might just need to be “snugged up”. Even though they just charged the air conditioner, it still wasn’t working. When I pulled out of the dealers lot to test drive the car, I immediately heard a noise coming from the tires. I drove down the road for a second opinion. The uneven wear on the back left tire was obvious. As we stood back from the car we could see the back left tire wasn’t straight. Knowing we drove such a long distance the Service Manager at Traverse Motor Toyota allowed us to put the car on a lift to look under the car. It was obvious the car had major issues and was not what Wares Auto advertised when they said there was “no mechanical or electrical issues with the car”. The frame in the back of the car (where the engine is) was miss-matched and not the original frame. The left back side, with the bad tire, showed signs of repairs to the axle and components. Even more shocking was the amount of fluid that was leaking under the car that was not identified by the Rep in our phone conversation or in any of the pictures sent to me. It was unclear if the fluid was coming from the valve gasket the Mechanic said “needed to snugged up”, the transmission case or the rear axle where there was obvious previous damage. This business was deceitful in advertisement and direct conversation and allowed me to drive 750 miles round trip and spend $600 to travel to Traverse City Michigan. The sales Rep later sent me an email saying she got fired over the deal. I found out it was just another lie when I called two weeks later and she answered the phone! Don’t waste your time!\r
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