Yuba City Honda

Review: I was sold a used car that had previous structural damage and this information was not disclosed to me.

My wife and I bought a used 2009 Honda Accord from Yuba city Honda in August of 2012. We needed a vehicle because my wife had just gotten in a major accident with our vehicle and it was totaled. We went to Yuba City Honda and found a 2009 Honda Accord with low miles (29k) and we test drove it and eventually bought it. During the process of the purchase my wife and I both asked if the car had any record of previous damage or been in an accident. The salesman repeatedly said no. He did not prove this by showing a carfax report. We trusted him, and we were still a bit "frazzled" from my wife's accident. We bought the car and also purchased the highest level of warranty, 5 year/100k mile. We wanted peace of mind for a safe car with no problems. We have owned the car with no major problems until now. On Saturday, 7/14, we went to a car dealership in Sacramento, Ca in hopes of buying a larger SUV vehicle and trading in the Accord. The salesman there, at [redacted] Chevrolet, came back in a few minutes with a CarFax report and said our 2009 Accord had been in an accident involving structural damage in November of 2011. He asked if we knew about this. I told him we had no knowledge of this and that this wasn't told to us when we bought the vehicle a year ago, even after we asked the salesman repeatedly. The [redacted] Chevrolet salesman said he couldn't give us fair market value for the Accord since it showed structural damage. He suggested I contact Yuba City Honda with the problem. The next day, Monday 7/15, I talked with the General Manager and two other department managers, and explained the problem. They said they had no knowledge of the damage when they sold it to me. I showed them a CarFax report showing the damage reported on November 2011. They claimed no knowledge of this report because they used a differnet service called Autocheck, which showed no damage reported. I told them I felt they were responsible for the car since they sold it to me, and that I wanted the situation resolved by means of a full refund of monies I paid into the car. This includes the $2000 down payment, and the total amount of monthly payments paid over the last year. This was $305.11 per month, for 11 months, totaling $3356.21. I felt I was owed a refund because I was sold a car with undisclosed damage that put me and my family at risk and danger for another serious accident. They refused my offer saying, "Come on, we both know you're not going to get that." I then asked them what they would offer and they told me they would look at the sales file and talk in a few minutes. They also asked to take the keys for the Accord to look it over for an appraisal. After a while we met back up and talked in an office, where they offered to pay me an amount of what they thought was fair current value for the car, $11,700. I asked if they would pay me for the lost monies of the $2000 down payment and the $3356.21 for monthly payments and they said no. I refused their offer, saying that I wanted a full refund so I could pay off the vehicle and be done with this situation. They again refused to do anything more than their first offer. I refused and told them I would explore my options and maybe consult with an attorney. Once they heard me say that, they said they were done talking and the conversation was over. I took my keys and car and left. Desired Settlement: I want Yuba City Honda to buy back the car, thereby paying off the balance of my loan at $16,859, so I am free and clear of the vehicle. I do not wish to own the car any longer and I do not wish to carry a balance at the bank and continue to pay for a car with previous damage that puts my family at risk.

Business

Response:

Business' Initial Response

I have received the complaint reguarding the issue of a vehicle sold to [redacted] .

I am sure that you have read the complaint and what Mr [redacted] wants in terms of financial restitution, I spoke with my General Manager [redacted]

And we have concluded that the vehicle did pass the safety check from the dealership safety inspection and also the Auto Check vehicle history report

And did not have any safety issues, we believe that we did not or would not deceive Mr [redacted] in any way.