http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/troubleshooter&id=8837095

Quote :

"RALEIGH (WTVD) -- A Triangle man bought a 4-wheel-drive SUV so he and his family could drive on the beach and go fishing. But when he got stuck in the sand and needed a tow, he learned that he didn't actually have the 4-wheel drive he thought he purchased. The Jeep Commander that Pete Oakley bought said right on the side, "Trail Rated 4x4." The vehicle order form states 4-wheel-drive and Pete said that's what he was told he was getting. "The salesman and the salesman's manager and the finance guy all told me it was four-wheel-drive," Pete said. After he bought the Jeep Commander from Hendrick Kia of Cary, Pete said he was excited to head to the beach and test out his new ride. "Paid our money to drive onto the beach, and soon as we left pavement, it sunk. After getting towed out, getting back to hotel room, I climbed up under it to see if it was malfunctioning or something, and that's when I realized there were no components to make it a 4-wheel-drive," Pete said. Then Pete headed back to the dealership. "He stated it was a typo that it should have stated 4-door. I could understand if it was on one sheet of paper, and if it wasn't on the Jeep or the other sheet of paper. Maybe a typo, plus, I was verbally told many times it was 4-wheel-drive," Pete said. The dealership attempted to remedy the situation, but Pete wasn't happy with their offer. "He stated he would buy the vehicle back for $12,000 which was payoff. Of course I told him I had more than $12,000 in it because I already made payments and I had a trade in," Pete said. Plus, what Pete really wanted was a 4-wheel-drive vehicle. With no resolution, Pete got in touch with me. I called the general manager of Hendrick Kia of Cary and they contacted Pete soon after. "They rolled out the red carpet when I went up there," Pete said. "They switched it out for a 4-wheel-drive for the same price." Pete now has his 4-wheel-drive SUV and he is ready to head to the beach. I left several messages for the general manager to see how the situation could have happened in the first place, but he didn’t get back to me. Pete said the explanation they gave him was that there was a typo in the paperwork and that it should have said 4-door, not 4-wheel drive. They didn't explain why the emblem on the Jeep stated 4x4 Trail Rated. Classifieds | Report A Typo | Send Tip | Get Alerts | See Click Fix"

10/5/2012 8:27:46 PM

bitches

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooQRxlChvMw

10/5/2012 8:56:59 PM

Yeah that's right my legacy can kick your crossovers ass offroading... Beotch


Cept on beaches... Fucking ruts.

10/5/2012 9:08:24 PM

I really wish they would rake or roll the beaches at the very beginning, too many idiots rut it so bad

10/6/2012 9:33:58 AM

buyer sounds like a total retard

10/7/2012 2:31:38 PM

I don't know anyone who would actually be willing to spend money to buy or even drive a Jeep Commander. Thought they had one of the worst reviews in its class and they killed them off since no one bought them... I'm just more amazed that they had another used model in 4wd to swap.

10/7/2012 4:29:39 PM

I like how you didn't even bother to finish your

10/7/2012 7:11:40 PM

So, do you think the previous owner put the "trail rated 4x4" badges on there as a poser move or to fleece the dealership? That just might be the saddest poser move yet if that's the case.

[Edited on October 8, 2012 at 11:26 AM. Reason : s]

10/8/2012 11:26:35 AM

wouldn't the lack of a 4wd selector switch or shifter give it away? are people really this stupid?

10/8/2012 2:59:39 PM

^many makes are AWD and have no selector, fwiw.

10/8/2012 3:09:33 PM

is that the case on a jeep commander?

10/8/2012 3:42:07 PM

if he had never owned a commander, and only had first-hand knowledge of vehicles without it, its moot

10/8/2012 3:50:27 PM

either way, he sounds like an idiot who didn't do any research at all before spending a significant amount of money

10/8/2012 7:53:41 PM

I really think that's an unfair statement to make. Most people that post in this section are well above average when it comes to car knowledge and would know 100 things to look for that the average person wouldn't think of. It's completely reasonable to buy a jeep (which by name and reputation are generally thought of as off road capable vehicles) with 4x4 badging and assume it is 4wd. Especially when several salesmen have assured you that it is 4wd. If anyone is an idiot here it's the dealership employees.

Calling this guy an idiot is like saying someone is dumb because they bought a new computer that the box and salesmen said came with 16GB of RAM and it only had 2. Sure, it's something that you can easily check for, but the average consumer who isn't technically proficient probably doesn't know how to check or wouldn't think about it until they got into a situation where they needed it and didn't have it.

10/8/2012 9:44:04 PM

I wonder if he calls the news when his 4x4 Commander gets stuck.

10/8/2012 9:45:08 PM

The article doesn't say that he got another Commander as a replacement.

10/8/2012 9:55:34 PM

2wd jeep commanders were not supposed to come with those "4x4 Trail Rated" logos. sounds like someone bought them and stuck them on there.

10/8/2012 10:02:25 PM

Also wheels are round.

[Edited on October 8, 2012 at 10:09 PM. Reason : while we're pointing out things that are completely obvious to everyone with an iq >75]

10/8/2012 10:08:22 PM

10/8/2012 10:12:07 PM

Some people are completely fucking ignorant to a fault. I had a college buddy swear left and right to me that his modded Mazda 6 had AWD. I laughed at him and told him he's wrong (though in the back of my mind knew the Mazdaspeed 6 was AWD). A day or two later when I was around his car I just quickly stuck my head under the rear of his car. As expected, no driveshaft or rear differential.

Some people...

10/8/2012 10:19:14 PM

what's the deal with those Jeep owners putting wrong stickers on their vehicles? I know a guy that has a Rubicon sticker on his Wrangler when it's not a Rubicon.

10/8/2012 11:28:03 PM

^haha


I think he's an idiot too... who doesn't at least test the major systems in a vehicle? That would have given it away immediately.

10/9/2012 9:46:41 AM

Knew a guy in high school that swore his 25th Anniversary Camaro had a V8. I tried multiple times to tell him it was a V6, and a crappy 3.1L at that. Even tried pointing out the intake runners and spark plugs.

10/9/2012 9:55:48 AM

^^^rubicon is more or less a 'sticker' option anyway (shenanigans)

[Edited on October 9, 2012 at 9:56 AM. Reason : -]

10/9/2012 9:56:07 AM

^^LOL


Last week I saw a Honda Pilot. On the tailgate under the Pilot badge the owner had added a VTEC sticker.

sigh

10/9/2012 10:40:28 AM

Didn't he look for the button or lever to put it in four wheel drive inside??????

10/9/2012 12:27:09 PM

this one is worse.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/dealership-accidentally-sells-va-man-an-suv-for-5k-less-than-it-costs-then-tells-police-he-stole-it-and-has-him-arrested/

Dealership fucks up paperwork, then pursues criminal prosecution of their customer over a civil matter, customer is arrested for stealing the vehicle.

10/10/2012 12:53:10 AM

^i bought a new truck once where the vin on the paper work was one from a different truck by their mistake. an hour after i left they called me and i drove back and signed new forms with the correct vin. so i bought 2 trucks for the price of one. maybe i should have called the cops and said they stole my second truck! hah

10/10/2012 4:30:21 AM

Quote :

"I really think that's an unfair statement to make. Most people that post in this section are well above average when it comes to car knowledge and would know 100 things to look for that the average person wouldn't think of. It's completely reasonable to buy a jeep (which by name and reputation are generally thought of as off road capable vehicles) with 4x4 badging and assume it is 4wd. Especially when several salesmen have assured you that it is 4wd. If anyone is an idiot here it's the dealership employees. Calling this guy an idiot is like saying someone is dumb because they bought a new computer that the box and salesmen said came with 16GB of RAM and it only had 2. Sure, it's something that you can easily check for, but the average consumer who isn't technically proficient probably doesn't know how to check or wouldn't think about it until they got into a situation where they needed it and didn't have it."

10/10/2012 8:47:21 AM

At the end of the day it is YOUR responsibility to know what you are buying, regardless of who you are buying it from.

10/10/2012 10:07:07 AM

Even with do-diligence, not everyone may have the necessary know how to make sure what they got is what they paid for straight out (reason why you'd hire a mechanic to check shit out for you if doing it privately), specially when the customer was told this verbally and was labeled as a 4x4 vehicle.

When a customer goes into an establishment like a name brand dealership like Hendricks, they have a level of expectation that they aren't going to cheat you (with some level of humility, yes car stealerships are rat bastards) as opposed to some random private person selling shit on CL. They are liable if they defraud a buyer and open themselves with a lawsuit, exactly what was avoided in this instance when the dealership "gave" him a replacement 4x4 for no extra cost.


Yes, I do agree with your statement that at the end of the day, its still your responsibility to do your research, but he is not the party at fault here. A contract was brokered between the two parties and with NC contract law, if anyone side is 1% at fault, in this case deception, then that party is 100% wrong.

10/10/2012 10:40:22 AM

Quote :

"With DO Diligence"

10/10/2012 11:01:15 AM

[Edited on October 10, 2012 at 11:09 AM. Reason : .]

10/10/2012 11:09:18 AM

[Edited on October 10, 2012 at 11:09 AM. Reason : .]

10/10/2012 11:09:18 AM

[Edited on October 10, 2012 at 11:09 AM. Reason : .]

10/10/2012 11:09:18 AM

Quote :

"Sawyer has filed two lawsuits accusing the dealership of malicious prosecution, slander and defamation, among others, and is seeking $2.2 million in damages, plus attorney fees."

pwnt

10/10/2012 11:09:18 AM

Quote :

"Yes, I do agree with your statement that at the end of the day, its still your responsibility to do your research, but he is not the party at fault here."

So you agree the buyer is partly at fault as well?

10/10/2012 11:39:01 AM

look, this guy was a moron. a 4 wheel drive vehicle will have a switch or shifter to change from 2x4 to 4x4. An AWD vehicle won't. He wanted to buy a 4WD vehicle. He should have tested out that 4 wheel drive before buying it.

I agree with NeuseRvrRat, this guy is stupid.

Yeah, the dealership should have caught that it wasn't a 4WD. Hell, running the VIN probably should have told them that. I can see how something like that could get overlooked at a dealership though, it's still the responsibilty of the buyer to not be a dumbass.

10/10/2012 11:54:08 AM

i didn't say that NC law didn't protect the guy, all i said is he's a tard and i'm sticking to that.

anytime you buy a 4wd vehicle, you should get it on some gravel or grass and make sure the 4wd works. this guy didn't even do enough research to know that the vehicle should have a 4wd selector.

guy just sounds like the stereotypical i'mma-go-buy-me-a-jeep-and-drive-on-the-beach tard. those folks are one of the reasons there are so few beaches we can drive on.

10/10/2012 12:25:51 PM

hey without all the sheep, how can those real 4x4 jeep owners make their $100 per tow on the beach when minivans and sentra's pull out of the parklot at the beach?

I mean its part of our economy.

10/10/2012 3:01:24 PM

I miss my jeep

10/10/2012 4:09:30 PM

Quote :

"look, this guy was a moron. a 4 wheel drive vehicle will have a switch or shifter to change from 2x4 to 4x4."

I don't know about commanders but I own a grand cherokee (WK) with the same trail rated badge as the one from the story. Mine does not have a 4wd selector (other than a 4-low switch) because the "quadra-drive II" system is full-time awd/4wd. I'm not sure if they even make a QDII without the 4-low option, but I could see the average person taking the salesman's word for it (or even being convinced that it's 4wd without a selector switch).

10/11/2012 10:31:16 AM

I saw an R-type Altima the other day.

10/11/2012 10:43:11 AM

Back in the late 90s I remember a Honda salesman bragging to me about the V6 engine the Prelude had.

....

Never trust car salesmen. They usually don't know shit.

10/11/2012 11:15:03 AM

^one of my mongoloid friends in high school swore up and down the prelude had a V6. Maybe he became a car salesman.

10/11/2012 11:41:21 AM

Quote :

"R-type altima"

COOL!

[Edited on October 11, 2012 at 7:05 PM. Reason : ]

10/11/2012 7:05:25 PM

Quote :

"Back in the late 90s I remember a Honda salesman bragging to me about the V6 engine the Prelude had."

Ive seen 4 cylinder accords with V8 badges on them.....

10/13/2012 8:14:48 PM

Not sure about the Jeep Commander, but my father in laws Jeep Patriot does not have a 4 wheel drive selector. (His did however, engage at the beach and he didn't get stuck)

http://www.jeep.com/en/4x4/

10/14/2012 3:17:53 PM

Any car should be able to drive on sand with no problems, but there's factors to consider. It all depends on the beach, type of sand, traffic flow and if there are huge ruts being the deciding factor; not only that, but human error plays a big part too.

10/14/2012 3:41:51 PM

Quote :

"^^^rubicon is more or less a 'sticker' option anyway (shenanigans)"

there are some differenes. 4.ten (fuking keys are not working on my komputer) gears in the diffs. 4:one in the tkase. disks front and rear.

this key6oard shit is going to drive me nuts.

10/15/2012 7:02:26 PM