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Van Devere Oldsmobile via eBay Motors

Akron, Ohio

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Charles of Hanover PA writes (3/12/03):
On 1/28/03 I purchased a used 1982 Chev Camaro that was advertised on the ebay web site. The ad stated that the vehicle was a low-mileage trade-in and that the vehicle ran fine. I took posession of the vehicle on 2/8/03 which was transported from Ohio to Pennsylvania. When I started the vehicle, the "check engine" light was on, the vehicle smoked and ran awful, shaking and no power.

I contacted the company the next day and spoke with a Mr Weiss and expressed my concerns at which time Mr Weiss said that it sounded like the oil sensor was bad and that the was an easy and cheap fix. I took the vehicle to a mechanic in Pennsylvania and after analyzing the vehicle I was told that it needed to be tuned up and the distributor rebuilt and the fuel injection system needed cleaning for a total cost of $900.00. The mechanic also stated that there was possibly other problems as the vehicle was smoking and shooting oil out from the valve covers.

The $900.00 was paid by me which I had no problems paying as the vehicle was 21 yrs old. After the work was completed I was then advised by the mechanic that there was possibly more damage to the engine then first reported. I recontacted Van Devere Oldsmobile and spoke with a David Hollingshead and explained the problem to him. He advised that I would have to get the vehicle checked at a cost of $300.00 dollars to me and then call him back and let him know what the problem was and how much the cost would be to repair.

After testing the vehicle the mechanic advised that 5 of the 8 cylinders were bad and that the engine basically needed to be rebuilt or replaced at a cost of $2700.00. I recontacted Mr. Hollingshead and explained the problem to him. He stated that he would contact the mechnaics shop and assured me that he would call me back and let me know what they had decided. He has not recontacted me and any attempts to contact him have failed.

I realize the vehicle is 21 yrs old but with the amount of damage to the engine and the way the ad was written I feel that in some way they were deceptive. When I started the engine for the first time I knew that there were problems.

A very difficult situation. Assuming the car was sold "as is" there is probably not much Charles can do.

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