I, for one, know it is difficult to move on when you feel like you have made a mistake in the purchase of a vehicle. Old cars just always seem to create stress and heartache at some point in time no matter what the circumstances. However, Live, learn, and regret is no way to enjoy a vehicle. I spent "too much" on both my '60 Imperials, but recouping time, effort, and money was never the goal. The goal has to be finding a car you like and enjoy restoring/driving. It makes no sense, but I have enjoyed toiling away on my LeBaron, despite feeling I had "better" things to do with my time. My purchases did not involve tremendous amounts of cash, unlike my restoration! However, misrepresentation of a vehicle always leaves a bad taste in your mouth, nobody wants to feel the fool. I applaud Melissa and her efforts to find Eric a car. What a great wife Eric has!
There are always better cars that will come along and I kick myself for having bought what I did. However, certain cars seem to seek us out begging for salvation from neglect. Neglected cars need love the most and when you get your car up and running well it will be all the more sweet. Since it sounds like you are going to make a go of it I just wanted to voice my support. I always say: "Someone really needed to save this car, now why did it have to be me............
I have received several negative responses, both on the club list, and more so on my personal email about the choices and decisions we made when purchasing our car. Eric and I especially, both realize the mistakes we made during this process. However, by writing my warning to the club I was not asking for the negative feedback, but just wanting to help prevent somebody from making the same mistakes.
I have been doing some research on Country Classic Cars, and the more I dig, the more complaints I have found, including 2 at the Better Business Bureau in the last 36 months. I am pretty positive that this dealership is extremely dishonest, (more so than most) with no concern for the consumer. I am not trying to bad mouth someone because I screwed up. I simply don't want anyone else to have the same experience their as we have.
Eric and I will move on, and fix up our car to the degree that it was supposed to arrive. But that doesn't mean I am going to let them get away with what they did, only to rip off the next guy.
So thanks for the tips, and the nice words to get us motivated to get our Imperial drivable. And just know that we realize the mistakes we have made. Believe me, we won't be doing that again:)
I cannot fathom anyone buying a car close to 40 years old without looking at it PERSONALLY and DRIVING it. There is simply no substitute for an up close, first-hand examination of the vehicle and a good test drive. If the trip to see the car seems too expensive, then wait until a suitable vehicle closer and more convenient surfaces. All sorts of vehicles, including Imperials, come on the market.
Melissa should have sensed the storm flags flying on this particular car from the outset. When she first raised the notion of the purchase, she low-balled what she was willing to spend. Then she and her husband went after a car that was close to her budget and expected to get a first-rate vehicle at a bargain price. When trashing the dealer in her e-mail, she pointed out that the vehicle they bought had sat at the dealers a long time. Hey! Cars like this in first-rate
condition and close to budget prices don't sit around on lots for a long time. There had to be serious flaws with the car for it not to sell. One of life's simple lessons is that Real Bargains don't sit around unsold for long.
None of this excuses the dealer's actions. But it still takes two to make a car sale. Rather than venting spleen and rancor over this most unfortunate incident and writing to everybody under the sun and suing everybody else, my advice would be to learn from the school of hard knocks and move on. There are unscrupulous people in every profession; there are unscrupulous salespeople selling virtually everything. The point is not to be gullible and not to set yourself up to be a victim.
The important thing is that Eric and Melissa have their Imperial and can fix it up and make it the dream car that they sought originally. This will take time and patience, but there can be a great deal of pleasure and sense of accomplishment in such an
undertaking.
The school of hard knocks is a tough one, but the lessons learned there can be highly beneficial in every walk of life.
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