In November 2024, my friend totaled my car. It was my only source of transportation, and now living almost two hours from my workplace and 30 minutes from any stores or other jobs, it has completely destroyed my ability to work and make a means of living.

I say this to say my girlfriend and I were absolutely desperate. We sold many belongings, put together all of what we had, and after surfing around a few lots for a few days and being turned down, ended up at Oak City Motors. They approved me almost instantly where others refused, and on the outside, it appeared that we were receiving a blessing from God. 2008 Mazda CX-9 for $5000. Keep in mind I signed the papers and drove off right after Christmas Day, so it was nothing short of a miracle.

Fast forward two weeks later, our car completely broke down. I gave it a test drive at the dealership and noticed absolutely nothing wrong besides some worn brake pads. I even had my mechanic check it for me (unfortunately after I’d already bought it), and he didn’t notice anything on the surface either. One night I noticed our transmission fluid was leaking, and after some short diagnosis the next day, the problem was unfortunately bigger than we could handle. He also mentioned that it looked previously worked on. If you can tell anything from the pictures provided, please let me know. Here I was again with no means of making an income.

I did the only thing I could think of and called the lot to see where they could help. Tim, the finance guy, offered to have me bring in the car for a free quote, so I did. He told me they would do everything in their power to help my problem. I waited nearly a month, constantly texting and calling for updates to no avail. Tim finally said he didn’t keep up with the garage and referred me to the manager, Macy. Within days, Macy would get back to me with an answer: a cracked bolt in the transmission and a shot torque converter. The entire transmission needs to be replaced.

Of course, I tried asking what they could do for me, as I’d only just bought the car. She got the car appraised at $800 and said I would not be approved for any other car on their lot. The repair shop she referred me to quoted me at $3000 for the entire repair, which I simply don’t have to give. I’m being rushed to make a decision and get the car off their lot now, even though I had to wait weeks just to get an answer. After a long pleading and back and forth, she tells me there was absolutely nothing they could do for me. They wouldn’t cover any of the cost of the repair, I couldn’t trade in, I couldn’t just cancel the deal altogether and give the car back at no cost.

I am now without a car and job, back to square one, with bills unpaid and running on late. This has been an absolute nightmare, and the only takeaway is that, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. My biggest issue with their business is that they refuse to acknowledge how damaging it can be to sell lemons, warranty or not, and proceed to offer little to no help when everything falls through. They are money-hungry and just as I’d imagine any crooked sales staff to be; once their job is done and their money is run, so are they. I had the car all of two weeks. It’s sick that they are taking people’s hard-earned money, knowingly selling low-quality vehicles, and ultimately ruining lives.

I am absolutely devastated and disappointed, and facing severe financial strain due to these circumstances. My GoFundMe is listed at $8000, for the entire cost of the car, but if I could even just get some money towards the repair I could possibly afford to get this issue solved.