Buying a used car? Here are the things you need to do these before stepping on the lot

Boston 25 Consumer advisor Clark Howard warns stepping foot on a used car dealership without a plan could leave you with a huge bill and sometimes without a working car.

Used car purchase complaints are one of the most common calls Howard gets in his Consumer Action Center.

He says used car sticker prices often double or even triple without you knowing until after you drive off the lot.

Mechanical failures, expensive add-ons and sky-high interest rates leave new owners on the hook for much more than they can afford.

“The car started going downhill. It started shaking on me. Start pulling back from me,” Jennifer Hambrick said.

“Within 30 minutes or less. The transmission dropped,” said Jordan Sammons.

“I left off the lot with the car. Hours later, the check engine light came on,” Adriana Parks said.

All three car buyers went to three separate dealerships, each with similar problems.

Parks took the 2015 impala she bought earlier this year. After being told the issues were resolved, Parks took the vehicle home.

“The check engine light came back on hours later,” Parks said. “I told him I wanted my money back. I don’t feel safe driving this car.”

She was told all sales are final. We got the same answer when we called.

We took Parks car to Cooper Lake Automotive where owner Bill Rimmer looked it over.

“This car is in trouble,” Rimmer said. “The battery is bad.”

Rimmer said over all the car is safe, but the check engine light would prevent her from passing emissions.

“You can’t have any pending codes to pass the test and if we clear this code, it will have a pending code if we drive it around the block,” Rimmer said.

And it did.

“We called the dealership again and were told they would make the necessary repairs,” Rimmer said.

Within months of buying a used Mitsubishi, Jennifer Hambrick says it stopped running completely.

She was forced to use Uber every day just to get to work.

“I got five kids. It’s a struggle back both to and from work. It’s a struggle on where I stay, you know? So it’s a lot,” Hambrick said.

We spoke with the owner of the dealership she bought it from who told us his Google reviews speak for themselves but it was only we called that he gave Hambrick a different vehicle.

Jordan Sammons spent thousands on a rental car waiting for her dealership to switch out the transmission on the 2013 Ford Escape she bought earlier this year.

“So far, as of today, I have spent almost $2,500,” Sammons said.

When she called to get an update on the fix…

“She goes, ‘Make your payment and call me on Monday and I’ll give you an update.’ I can’t do that. I told you. So you want me to be out of work when we won’t be able not go anywhere? You want me to be able to sacrifice, possibly, losing my job?” Sammons said.

When we called the business, we were told a manager would get in contact with us. So far no one has called.

But now Sammons has gotten a new vehicle.

Mechanical failures aren’t the only issues these women faced.

Each of them financed at the dealership and have interest rates over 25%.

“Unfortunately, the people who get preyed upon the most by the used car dealers are the people who can least afford to do anything about it,” consumer attorney T. Michael Flinn said.

Flinn said potential buyers need to research businesses thoroughly before stepping foot on the lot.

“I think the most important thing is knowing what the price of the car should be,” Flinn said.

“Always do your research before going there. That was my first mistake,” Parks said.

Howard said there are two things you have to do before you buy a used car:

Get pre-approved for a loan at a credit union or a bank before you ever sat on a dealer lot. He says that will eliminate a world of problems with bad loans.

And make a deal before you buy any vehicle subject to you having it inspected by a mechanic of your choosing.

Parks told us she returned her Impala because she could not afford the insurance and car payments.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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