DEARBORN, Mich. – A Dearborn woman is sounding the alarm after she says the car she bought stopped in the middle of the road and needed half a dozen repairs she wasn’t prepared for.
She reached out to Local 4.
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We got to the bottom of what happened and found it’s happening much more these days, and it should be a warning to everyone.
Bre’Anna Williams bought a Dodge Durango at the end of April.
She believed she was buying it from a wholesaler related to a local dealership.
But what she got is much different than what she prepared for.
Every morning, Bre’Anna Williams walks out her door, and the car she planned to drive is still sitting there. She doesn’t feel safe taking it out.
She says the wholesaler told her there was only one thing wrong with the car.
“Now, when I purchased the car, they said the only thing that was wrong with the car was a transfer case,” Williams said.
She was only given the title to the car, not any other paperwork.
As soon as she started driving it, the problems kept popping up.
“It turned off at the light, the turn signal stopped working, and the shift got stuck,” Williams said.
You see that moment here. She took it to get inspected.
There were multiple problems.
“When I got it inspected, they said that it was going to cost me at least $5,000 to get everything fixed on the car, and that’s more than what I put in,” she said.
She needed help, so she asked the wholesaler and wasn’t getting anywhere.
She reached out to the dealership, having been told they were connected. She wasn’t getting anywhere, so she reached out to me.
Local 4 called the dealership and the wholesaler.
This situation is much deeper and more common than Williams.
The dealership isn’t responsible after the car is sold to a wholesaler.
They mostly sell cars to wholesalers for parts, not for people to drive.
The wholesaler said he isn’t responsible once someone buys it.
“When you sit in here, how do you feel?” Local 4 asked Williams.
“Sad,” Williams said. “I have a full tank of gas, but sad. It’s a lot of emotions.”
A dealership expert tells me there’s been an uptick in wholesale activity like this, and people like Williams get caught in the crosshairs.
That’s why it’s important, before buying, to always take the car to a certified mechanic.
Additionally, a local expert tells Local 4 that consumers should always ask whether the title is clean, rebuilt, or salvage, and, if possible, verify the mileage.
They should also make sure the wholesaler is licensed.
Never hand over money without the title.
“I got played. That’s where the upset and embarrassment comes in,” Williams said.