My wife and I drove 75 miles to Keystone Ford (301 Walker Road Chambersburg Pa) today to look at a couple of vehicles they had listed on Best Car Finder and Auto Trader. A little after 0830 this morning we were met by Sales rep Becky Taylor who spent the next couple of hours with us while we inspected and test drove 2 vehicles. The first was a 2008 Mercury Mariner Premier with 118,000 miles and the second was a 2005 Ford Escape Limited with approx 95,000 miles. Both vehicles were listed for $9900.00 and just barely within our budget. \r
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Becky showed us the Auto Check reports for both vehicles on her computer and even allowed us to inspect the vehicles while on the lift in their shop. Based on our visual inspections, test drives and Auto Check reports we selected the 2005 Ford Escape Limited. The auto check report for the Ford Escape was clean and showed no accidents or mechanical problems while the Mercury showed 2 accidents, had higher mileage and rust along the bottom of the inner door panels. \r
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The Escape had a few issues we detected such as an oil leak (oil pan gasket), broken heat shield weld, some scrapes on the front bumper, tires that were worn down (but still legal), and a slight glitch in the transmission at 35 to 40 mph. I pointed these issues out to Becky and suggested we would be wiiling to purchase the vehicle at the asking price provided the repairs were made. After some further discussion we agreed to buy the vehicle the way it was (with a warranty included) at a reduced price. \r
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During the drive home the vehicle began to choke out and hiccup on the highway. The check engine light came on, the emissions icon came on and the vehicle lost power on the highway. Imagine our surprise and frustration after just shelling out close to 10 grand for a vehicle that ""had no mechanical defects"" per the auto check report.\r
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I find it hard to believe that the dealership would have this vehicle on their lot for 2 to 3 months without having discovered these issues in house and have fixed them PRIOR to offering the vehicle for sale to the public.\r
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We nursed the vehicle home and contacted the dealership immediately. Becky forwarded our complaints and concerns to her sales manager Sam Cook who called me back within 30 minutes. \r
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After discussing the problems with our recently purchased vehicle, Sam asked us to bring the vehicle back to Chambersburg tomorrow 12/13/11 and he would have their shop ""fix"" the problems at no additonal cost to us. \r
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The question is; ""Will Keystone Ford really step up and do the right thing?"" I will be sure to relate all the details of this ongoing process as I get them so you the consumer may determine for yourselves whether Keystone Ford is worth your time or money. Stay tuned for the answer.....
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