ComplaintsforSt Louis Car Museum & Sales

• Initial Complaint

  05/22/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The company mis represented a vehicle.i was specifically told it was pristine, and had no rust, it was all redone 1 owner, ran great, that I would not be disappointed It was 30k.i purchased the car, paid shipping, upon arrival I had medical appointments. The 2nd day I drove the car, the gas gauge, the temp gauge didnt work. The car had rust every where. Even a hole all the way thru the trunk, and a major exhaust leak. My garage smelled of gasoline, I contacted the company within 68hrs of my purchase. They said I could sell it outright, meaning I'd have to be dishonest as they were to sell it, or return it for 24k. I told them I was heart sick that I couldn't afford to lose 6k on the car. I explained I'm disabled and unable to sell it outright, and not going to misrepresent the car. I had no choice but to return the vehicle. 1k in shipping fees to and from.i was simply trying to get some enjoyment in my life for whatever time I have left. I offered them to keep 2 to 3k for there work, and was shut down at 6 thousand dollars. So I've lost 7k including shipping. I'd like to get 4k back, I dont understand there unprofessional behavior when they misrepresented the car. I have 10 pictures, it was also leaking fluids on my garage floor. I dont want to write bad reviews or get nasty, but I dont appreciate being deceived either. I'm beside myself.thank you for any help given to this matter appreciate it.

  

  Business response

  05/29/2024

  To whom it may concern at the BBB,

  
  We received a complaint filed by *********************** on May 28th,2024 regarding the sale of 1968 **** Mustang Coupe we had advertised for sale listed at $32,900.  The car was advertised as a one-owner vehicle from 1968-2023, then purchased by the St. Louis Car Museum.  It was always garage kept, with an older restoration completed in 1985-1986 that included new paint, interior,and rebuild of the drivetrain and suspension. All original sales paperwork, factory warranty cards, service and restoration records were provided in photographs within the advertising.  Additionally, the Mustang was listed with 89 high-resolution images showcasing the car as a very well survived vehicle. 
  **************** had every opportunity to have the car inspected personally or professionally prior to purchase. We never used the words pristine or perfect in our description or verbal conversations.  This was a vehicle celebrated for its incredible history and single ownership care over the years,advertised as such being best described as a well-kept driver.  At which, it still performs wonderfully on the road today with excellent road manners, functional safety equipment, and even cold air conditioning.  

   

  Her claims of a couple gauges not reading accurately were only partially true, as upon return of the Mustang, we found her claims of the temp gauge being inoperable to be false. The fuel gauge does read incorrectly but this is common amongst older,classic vehicles because of aftermarket fuel sending units.  More importantly, this car has no major rust concerns or exhaust leaks.  Cars at this age will seep fluid as they arent driven and exercised as often as newer cars.  This leads to gasket shrinkage and sweating of fluids.  The pictures provided show the original, factory-applied red oxide primer used on all metal surfaces and underneath the seam sealer at jointed metal surfaces.  This is a factory gap sealer applied at the factory.  Her image shows the sealer had simply been pulled away exposing the primer underneath.  The inner wheel ***** show a black coating falling away, again showing only primer underneath.  We would stand behind this Mustang as having no major rust concerns.  In fact, it retains all original, date-stamped factory sheet metal. 

  
  More to the point of her dissatisfaction after the purchase became clear when she called to indicate she was a disabled person who struggled to get into/out of the Mustang due to a traumatic back injury that required significant surgery to her lower spine.  Although we feel bad about this ailment, this has nothing to do with us misrepresenting the car at all.  She simply made a claim about it being extremely uncomfortable and very much unusable to any degree due to the seating position.  We had already transferred the title and she found herself in a dilemma. We asked if she was able to sell it herself to avoid any great loss in monetary investment, but she stated she had no interest in trying to sell it privately,indicating her health would become a factor in that effort as well.  At that time, we told her we would be able to buy it back, but it would come at a reduced price considering we are a retailer. For instance, in the case of her own purchase,we reduced the price of the car from $32,900 to a final negotiated sales price of $30,000.

  
  We offered her $24,000 to purchase it back, a 20% reduction of her purchase price which is about the industry standard for rare cases like this.  She accepted this opportunity under her own power and authority, and we reverted our sale entirely which saved her from having to pay any sales tax.  Professional shipping costs are out of our immediate control.   That said, this entire transaction was concluded on April 18th,2024.  She has now requested an additional $4,000 reimbursement over one month later.  We feel the transaction has long been concluded and we have no intentions of sending her any additional funds.  We have since had the Mustang privately inspected and appraised by another 3rd party agent for a new client,who immediately purchased the car for its utmost quality and properly advertised characteristics.  Id be happy to secure a copy of this recent inspection for the BBB to review on their own behalf.  I have no further remedy to suggest satisfying this clients request.

  Customer response

  06/06/2024

  I didnt know I needed to respond to the BBB, ***************** responded to you with half truths, usually goes along with sales. I was specifically told by him "the car is pristine " theres no rust, you wont be disappointed,  all not true..so I lost 7 thousand dollars because I believed what I was being told. That's why I took the pictures, and it's not primer, its rust, a hole in the trunk also where you could see the ground, that wasn't replied to honestly either..I'm sick, they have since sold it again and made profit 3x ..is that considered good ethical business?

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