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report scam| Country | United States |
| State | South Carolina |
| City | Spartanburg |
| Address | 1434 Boiling Springs Rd |
| Phone | 864-814-3325 |
| Website | http://www.carolinaautoconnection.com/ |
Carolina Auto Connection Reviews
I purchased a 2001 Subaru Outback from Carolina Auto Connections on January 21, 2016. On the very day I took it home, it started having issues. Starting/running rough and overheating. I was sold the vehicle "as-is", however, the ad described the vehicle as being in great shape and that a 61 point inspection had been performed. The ad is copied and pasted below.
“The exterior has been well maintained and is in good condition. This vehicle appears to have been garaged. There are some minor dings and scratches on this vehicle. No signs of collision damage are evident on this vehicle. The interior is clean and in good condition. There are no known defects in this vehicle. All electrical and optional equipment on this vehicle have been checked and are in perfect working condition. The engine is mechanically sound and can be driven anywhere with confidence. The odometer reflects accurate mileage. Great, smooth shifting transmission. This vehicle has brand new tires. You will enjoy this vehicle like the owners before you. As always, it's been fully serviced, 61 point inspected, detailed & is ready to take you home in style!”
Hoping it was something simple, and inexpensive, I did have it looked over and had a few items addressed as It would be less troublesome than working with the dealer as they are rather far away form where I live. Unfortunately, the issues this vehicle has are anything but simple and I have been stranded on the side of the road on several occasions already. I emailed the salesman(Jim Hunsinger) and let him know the problems I was having and that I was less than 100% satisfied- which is what their dealership guarantees. I did get a response very quickly letting me know how sorry he was and that he wanted the owner to read my email. He said the owner wasn't in that day because he was sick, but that I would hear something from them the next day. I was never contacted despite sending several more emails.
At this point I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I had also still not received the title, which was supposed to have been mailed to me. I called the dealer to ask about this and was told the salesman I had been dealing with was no longer there. The person who picked up the phone was the owner, Joe Cahan. After I told him who I was and the issues I was having, he got very agitated and did not allow me to speak. He implied that I had filed the BBB complaint without trying to work it out with him first. Mr. Cahan said that he would usually his customers to bring the car back to be examined and he will see what can be done, but that he would certainly not be extending any such courtesy to me since I had filed a complaint about him. He said he would be sure to get that title right to me and hung up on me. That phone call took place on February 19th and I still have not received the title.
I did email Mr. Cahan after the phone call to let him know that I had indeed tried to contact his business several times and was ignored. I also attached all the correspondence between his salesman and myself. I asked him to please stand behind the claims his website makes about the vehicles they sell and to see if we couldn't come to some sort of resolution. I received a reply from him, telling me that he was honest, friendly, and easy to deal with unless he was attacked. I guess he meant that filing the BBB complaint constituted a full on attack? He said he would respond to the BBB complaint and hoped that I would respect the BBB's decision.
Mr. Cahan did finally respond to the BBB complaint with a story that was largely made up of lies. He claims his salesman offered me help and that I refused it. He said this offer was made when I called his salesman to complain about the vehicle. There was never any such phone call. I never spoke to the salesman over the phone after purchasing the vehicle. I only spoke to Joe Cahan and he certainly never offered any help. He only berated me and told me that he would not be helping me at all.
Take a look at their website. http://www.carolinaautoconnection.com/ See the claims they make about the vehicles they sell. Yes, I bought the vehicle "as-is" but unfortunately I trusted their claims that I was getting a roadworthy vehicle that had been thoroughly inspected and serviced. I paid a higher premium for this vehicle because I trusted that this was going to be a worry free process due to the claims made by Mr. Cahan's business. It is an older vehicle and I certainly wasn't expecting it to be perfect, but I was expecting to drive it for longer than a day before having issues with it. This vehicle can't be driven very far before it overheats and coolant explodes all over the engine. I have had several mechanics look at it. It has a head gasket leak. The estimates I have gotten for repair are 1,200 to 3,400 dollars. You should not have to put almost as much money into a vehicle as you paid for it when you have just purchased it from a dealer that claims to sell only the best cars that have been fully serviced and inspected.
There is also evidence that a "stop leak" product has been used on this vehicle. It is a product designed to stop or slow a head gasket leak. Most of the time it is not 100% effective and serves as a "band aid" solution until repairs can be made. I have no evidence, but after all the lies I have already caught Mr. Cahan in, I would not put it past him and his crew at Carolina Auto Connection to have doctored this vehicle so that it drove normally on the test drive. It was only a matter of time before the product stopped working.
I would tell anyone to be extremely cautious when purchasing a vehicle from Joe Cahan and Carolina Auto Connections. In fact, I would warn you not to shop there at all. Although I am sure that not every vehicle he sells is a lemon, do not put any stock in the guarantees his business makes. All of his claims are just empty promises meant to get you in the door.