Has some of you know I recently picked up a Subaru. I bought it from Frank's Service Station in Sayreville, NJ specifically from a mechanic named Angel. While the car had mileage on it, almost 200k, I was assured everything was maintained excellently, and that there was a new motor and tranmission installed by Subaru less than 10k miles ago. Not only was it not installed by them, the car had never seen a dealership since it was first bought and the engine and transmission were not new. I had test driven this car and did not notice any issues. After I hand him the money he tells me he was driving the car in the morning and noticed the rack and pinion might be leaking. I ask him to explain and he tells me if there is an issue I pay for the part and they will install it for free at Frank's Service Station.

I get this car home and I slowly start noticing more of his lies. Unfortunately I go away for a month right after buying it so I do not find them all out right away. One of the first things I realize is he lied when he said he didn't smoke in the car, we found cigar butts. This is not a big deal seeing has the car didn't smell and there was no marking anywhere on the car from it. Than issues start appearing, first I realize check engine light is malfunctioning. Frank's service station has a state inspection license so this must be how he passed the car. I know when I turned it on there was no light and when he was selling it he showed he how there were no codes. Now I realize like most of the car it is rigged. I later find out his paper work and story about Subaru is all lies and they did all the work at the shop. When I confront him he says he never told me or my dad Subaru saw the car and calls me a liar, then says it's our problem not his.


When I come home I try and drive the car, first I realize the clutch which I was told was brand new and I saw receipts for is acting up, which makes me think the receipts are not for my car. Then I see the engine which I assume was washed to mislead is leaking oil due to improper installation. When I realize this I go to Subaru to have them look it over, we find there is a license plate holding the engine to the transmission. When I question the mechanic at Frank's Service Station Angel tells me to go f myself, then proceeds to have his father yell at me over the phone saying I have had the car over a year it's my own fault. I have had the car two months at this point and under 3k miles. I have started driving this car but only after putting many hours and money into it, when I was told I was buying a car from a reputable shop.


This is by no means the first issue someone has had with the service station or this mechanic. I know most performance minded people won't go here but this is for anyone who might even come across it on Google. Not only are the people who work there horrible mechanics, but they will also rob you of your money. To date I have had to replace the headlight harness and bulbs, fog light, car speakers and headunit wiring, clutch slave cylinder, flush the cooling system, fix an exhaust hanger, and numerous other issues. I ask that any one who can avoid Frank's Service Station in Sayreville and it's workers not just for me, but for their own good.

 

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Wow thats just horrible business and ethical practice. I'm sorry to hear about that happening to you.

 

...why would you buy a 200 THOUSAND mile car and expect it to be any good?

saying it is on borrowed time is an understatement, and you bought it from a used lot to boot?

Horrible business ethics or not, man you need to stay away from those places, scammers, ALL of them..

 

you should not rush into things in life kid.

 

What ever happened to pre purchase inspections. Or even Carfax? A $50 pre purchase inspection at a dealer would have found everything you mentioned saving you a massive headache and tight pockets.

 

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Well said !

 

In general 200k miles is scary.
I have seen (and currently own) a 200k+ mile Supra/SC/GS's that lasted to 400k miles and beyond. One guy in Queens even pushed his past 600k miles!

Not sure how well subaru's hold up to that but for some cars it's not even a mid-life mileage. Hope you have something in writing that shows he lied about the car.

 

Did you not read he was assured there was a new motor and tranny

 

talk about bad luck. was this the winter car while your Z is in hibernation?

 

Subarus tend to act up past 100k. Everything starts to fail past 150k.

My GC Impreza is starting to **** the bed...

 

You can look at a motor for the most part and know if it has 10k or 200k miles on it. HUGE difference there, unless this car was SPOTLESS. Should have had another mechanic look at it.

Who buys cars from mechanics anyways? That is the worst idea because 98% of them will bs you and tell you how it is in perfect running condition. As this guy obviously did here.

 

Burn that mother****er down!

 

Regardless of if he should've gotten another inspection and this that and the other thing, the fact still remains that the shop was dishonest, rigged it enough that it would seem ok for just enough time for him to buy it. It was completely wrong no matter what.

 

Trust me it was inspected, test driven, and car faxed. I know members on here who have dealt with the mechanic before, and he use to be a trustworthy person. I know part of it is definitely my mistake and I don't expect the place to do the right thing. Truthfully I just hope that no one else gets screwed by this place, or by the mechanic Angel Cruz who does this alot. I know a decent amount about Subaru's issues and I was shown the paperwork stating the issues were fixed, unforunately it was not authentic. And yes my nissan was put away for the winter, the engine pulled, and the harness taken out, now it looks like I need to try and have it put back together asap. In the end I have learned my lesson, I just hope others will not have to learn how I did.

 

This is going to be another Dugan type of thread...

 

If you have all these issues documented by a licensed Subaru mechanic, you have a legitimate lawsuit and a real chance of recovering your money. Falsifying documents (such as the clutch) is obviously illegal, and using a license plate to mount a transmission is a safety violation.

My advice to you is stop posting on the interwebs ASAP and speak to a lawyer.

 

I call it ingenious!

Any pics? I'd love to see just how they even pulled this off.

 

The cheap fix for the problem is to drive it through the shop.

 

I like the idea above...