What do you think the Auto finance company is planning? Should I get an attorney?

Question

Initially I told them to come repo the car, it is a piece of junk. It has not run the WHOLE time I've had it. They then offered to assist with repair costs, they said to get estimates on how much it would be to TOTALLY fix the car to look and drive brand new, by sending me a check, they also offered to re-write the loan and to give me my choice of a brand new car. But they said I had to make one more payment and that's it. So I made that. It took about a week to get all of the estimates, then a month went by and I waited for them to get back to me, they said we never got the estimates , even though they said they had. So I re faxed them. Then they said well, so much time has passed that we need another payment. This went on for about 4 more payment cycles. I did every thing they wanted and still no check to cover repairs. It took me a week to track any of them down via phone, they said is the car in the shop, I told them yes. Now they're saying they will send the check there to the shop. The amount of money that they are offering is about half of the necessary funds to cover the repairs, like I said, it DOES NOT run AT ALL. The repairs are expensive. I have already paid for a brand new engine. And I will be paying about less than half for the new transmission. What do you think these people are planning?

On top of it the person repairing it won't release the car unless repairs are paid for.

Answer 1

Sounds to me like they're stringing you along to get you to continue making payments on the car you bought and agreed to pay for.

Answer 2

So you borrowed money to buy a piece of junk car and now want to sue them even though they gave you a chance to help you out?  It's not their problem that you bought a car that broke right away.  They just want their money so pay them back or pay the consequences.  Take a little responsibility instead of wasting the courts time with frivolous law suits.

Answer 3

Its not the finance company's fault that your car broke down! You should have bought a warranty! then you wouldn't have any problems!

good luck!

Answer 4

Now you know the scam they are running.

They sell a car that is barely running

Get as much money from you as possible

the repo the car and sell it again.

Good Luck...

Answer 5

Make up your mind.  One minute you said you paid for engine and the next you said they won't release the car until I pay for it.  Sounds like they will repo it and the shop will have to put a mechanic's lein on the vehicle.  

Why didn't you just go trade it in before you spent all this money?

Answer 6

If they agreed to either fix the car or repair it, they need to honor that. Contact the state attorney general and let them know what is going on. They should be able to help at no cost. Notify them you are withholding future payments until they rectify the problem. I just hope you have kept some copies of all the contact messages between them and you.

Answer 7

This is a tough one.  I am a mechanic at local long-standing shop in S.C. and see this type of situation on occassion.  

First thing you need is some type of tangable evidence that they offered to pay the full price of repairs, or that they would re-write the loan.  If you do not have this, try to get it.  Recording a telephone conversation is a good way to do so -you don't have to tell them you are recording because you are an individual, not a business.

Secondly, since you had the vehicle partially repaired, they are going to say that it was an unnecessary repair, or that they would have opted to rewrite the loan rather than put so much into the repair.  Regardless, they are going to try to get out of paying anything, and their statements regarding the need for "one more payment" are solely for the purpose of getting your money.  If it had been me, I would have never sent them a dime until the car had been repaired or replaced.

A lawyer will not be able to help.  Your best bet is to finance a different car from a different lender, and simply walk away from the other one.  Send the loan company a letter called a "Cease and Decist" letter, requesting that they cease all contact via telephone and only correspond through the mail.  Eventually they are going to realize that they are chasing their tail, spending more money than the loan is worth, and will offer you a payoff that is about half of what you owe.  Finally they will write off the loan as uncollectable and your credit will be affected, but credit is not all that they try to make it to be.

Good luck to you.