STONEWALLED: THEY REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY
by Craig Kimmel
Dear Craig: I purchased a new Mazda Protege. Around 32K I noticed a knocking sound in the front axle/wheel base when making right turns. I took the car to the dealership on 5 occasions but the problem was not remedied. An independent Mazda mechanic said that the factory had built a faulty front axle and that Mazda should replace it under the 50K warranty. My trip to the mechanics took me over the 50K mileage. I went back to the dealership (two more occasions) but got stonewalled; they refused to honor the warranty...
Cheap used car
by Gary Foreman
Dear Gary, I'm a struggling, hard-working single mother who is in dire need of a car, but I can't stand the thought of making car payments for 5 years because of my bad credit. I have $3,000 saved and I'm considering going to an auto auction. If this is not a feasible way to get a car, could you please tell me the best way to get one?
Messed Up Car Lease
by Craig Kimmel
Dear DebtSmart, I have a 2000 Ford Windstar van. I currently owe $20,150.00. My payments are $449 a month. At the time I took on these payments I could handle it, but now I cannot. I have tried to trade the van in on a cheaper vehicle, like a 10,000 or 11,000 vehicle. But the car dealers always come back telling me they can't do it unless I could put 3 or 4 thousand down. I already put 5 thousand down when I bought it! And now they want 3 or 4 more! NO WAY. Any suggestions? --Messed up in Texas
Car Salesmen: Here Come the Vultures!
by Craig Kimmel
Whenever I go shopping for a car, the salesmen are always on top of me like vultures! How do I handle the first contact with these salesman so I don't look like an easy target?
Car Dealers
by Scott Bilker
I know that you have used these examples to help people learn and to be aware but you have also just made every car dealer in the country a crook.
Make "Lemonade" from a Lemon
by Debra Vaughn
After browsing several dealerships in one day, I found two vans that I liked at two different dealerships. Here is how I got a van that is practically brand new for $8,999.00. The best part about it is, you can do it too!
Auto Lease
by Gary Foreman
I would like some advice on how to sell, trade-in or otherwise get rid of a car. The lease is up in 2004. The last car dealer I spoke to told me that I needed to wait for the lease to be up in order to trade down. He said...
Car Debt or Credit Debt First?
by Scott Bilker
Does it make sense to start increasing my payments on this loan? Isn't it fixed what I will pay on the loan? If this is the case shouldn't I start paying on the next highest interest debt (another credit card) instead? Thanks for any help!
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