RIGHT OFF THE BAT I WAS USHERED INTO THE OFFICE OF DAVE SEWELL. HE HAD ME FILL OUT PAPER WORK FOR FINANCING. HE SAID HE HAD ANOTHER "APPOINTMENT" AND HAD ANOTHER SALES WOMAN, ELENA, TAKE OVER FOR HIM.

I NEVER GOT TO SEE THE CAR, BUT SHE WAS TRYING TO HELP ME GET THIS CAR. WE NEGOTIATED PRICES AND THIS IS WHERE I FOUND OUT THAT THIS SCION SAT ON THEIR LOT FOR THE LAST 45 DAYS. IT BECAME OBVIOUS THEY WANTED TO SELL THIS CAR ASAP. WE FINALLY AGREED ON A PRICE AFTER SHE WENT BACK AND FORTH TO HER FINANCE "MANAGER" DONALD. SINCE I WAS NOT PLANNING ON BUYING A CAR THAT DAY, I DID NOT HAVE THE AGREED DEPOSIT WITH ME WHICH WAS $500.

MY ROOMMATE WAS OUT OF TOWN THAT WEEK, SO I TOLD THEM I WOULD BE BACK IN A WEEK WITH THE DEPOSIT AND MY ROOMMATE SO I CAN PICK UP THE CAR. UPON ARRIVING, I QUICKLY REALIZED THE CONVERSATION I PREVIOUSLY HAD WITH GARDEN GROVE HYUNDAI HAD CHANGED. THEY WERE ASKING ME FOR AN ADDITIONAL $500 DEPOSIT WHICH I DID NOT AGREE TO. THEY HAD TWO CONTRACTS PRINTED UP ONE WITH A $500 DEPOSIT AND ONE WITH A $1000 DEPOSIT. AFTER A LONG DEBATE ABOUT WHAT WAS SAID AND NOT SAID I WAS FED UP AND WANTING TO WALK OUT WITH NO CAR. THEY FINALLY AGREED TO THE ORIGINAL DEPOSIT OF $500. THE FINANCE MANAGER, DONALD, WAS SHORT AND TEMPERMENTAL WITH ME AND DID NOT EVEN SHAKE MY HAND WHEN THE DEAL WAS FINISHED.

WHILE ALL THIS WAS GOING ON, MY CAR WAS ON THE ROOF GETTING "WASHED." THAT WAS A LIE JUST LIKE THE DEPOSIT WAS A LIE. MY ROOMMATE AND I ACTUALLY PARKED NEXT TO MY NEW CAR WHEN WE ARRIVED. THEY LIED AND SAID MY CAR WAS GETTING WASHED. I RECEIVED MY CAR DIRTY AND WITH NO GAS. INSPECTING MY NEWLY PURCHASED CAR, I NOTCIED THAT THE FLOOR MATS WERE MISSING AND THE KEY THEY HANDED ME WAS DAMAGED. WHEN I PUSHED THE LOCK BUTTON ON THE KEY FOB THE BUTTON FELL OUT ONTO THE GROUND. I ASKED THE SALES GIRL ELENA ABOUT THE KEY AND SHE WAS VERY SMUG WITH ME AND SHRUGGED HER SHOULDERS AND TOLD ME "ITS A USED CAR." IT DOESNT MATTER IF THAT CAR WAS A GEO METRO OR A MERCEDES, I WAS STILL MAKING A MAJOR PURCHASE AND THEY DIDNT CARE HOW THEY TREATED ME. THAT CAR HAS SAT ON THEIR LOT FOR 45 DAYS. THEY HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO ORDER A NEW KEY AND DIDNT BECAUSE THEY DIDNT WANT TO PAY FOR A KEY. THEY GAVE ME A DIRTY CAR WITH NO GAS AND A BUSTED KEY AFTER TRYING TO RIP ME OFF ON THE FINANCING OF THE VEHICLE. GARDEN GROVE HYUNDAI HAS COMPLETELY RUINED MY FIRST CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE.

I WISH THE STORY HAS ENDED THERE. THREE WEEKS AFTER I BOUGHT THIS CAR IT BROKE DOWN ON ME OFF BAKE PARKWAY IN LAKE FOREST, CA. THE CLUTCH WENT OUT ON ME WHERE I COULD NOT GET MY CAR INTO GEAR. I TRIED TO SHIFT THE CAR INTO FIRST GEAR AND IT WOULD GRIND THE GEARS. EVERY TIME I TRIED TO SHIFT, IT WOULD GRIND. I CALLED AAA AND HAD THE CAR TOWED BACK TO GARDEN GROVE HYUNDAI. THEY HAD GIVEN ME A 30 DAY WARRANTY WHICH THE CAR WAS STILL COVERED. IT WAS IRONIC TO SEE MY CAR BEING TOWED ON A FLAT BED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE "GARDEN GROVE HYUNDAI" LICENSE PLATE STILL INTACT. ELENA CAME OUT TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON AND SAW MY CAR AND SAW ME AND TURNED AROUND AND WALKED BACK INTO THE DEALERSHIP OFFICE. WHILE I WAS IN THE OFFICE, DONALD QUICKLY WALKED PAST ME AND IGNORED ME AS WELL AS THE REST OF THE SALES DEPT. I WAITED FOREVER IN THE LOBBY WHERE NOONE WOULD HELP ME. I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO WALK OVER TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND FIND OUT WHY IT IS TAKING FOREVER TO TAKE MY CAR INTO SERVICE. I WALKED UP TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND ONE OF THE SALES ASSOCIATES TO HEAR THEM HAVING A PERSONAL CONVERSATION AND NOT DISCUSSING MY VEHICLE STATUS.

THE SERIVICE MANAGER, DAVID WAS SOME WHAT OF A HELP. I EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO MY CAR AND HOW THIS HAS BEEN THE WORST CAR BUYING EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. HE SEEMED EMPATHETIC. HOWEVER, IT TOOK ABOUT THREE TIMES OF PLEADING BEFORE I REALLY GOT ANYONE TO LISTEN. NOONE REALLY WANTED TO FIX MY CAR AT FIRST. THEY SAID AT FIRST IT WOULD TAKE ONE DAY THEN THREE TO FIX IT. THEN THEY SAID THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY CAR, THAT IS MAGICALLY FIXED ITSELF THE NEXT DAY AND IT WAS DRIVING FINE. THEY CLAIM THAT THEY "BURPED" THE LINES TO MY CLUTCH SYSTEM AND THE CAR WAS BACK TO NORMAL. ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY THINK AIR SOMEHOW GOT TRAPPED INTO THE LINES OF THE CLUTCH PISTONS AND THAT IS WHY I WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. I DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT CARS, SO I BOUGHT THIS BS. AND I HAVE THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS OF WHAT THEY "FIXED" ON MY CAR. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AGREED TO GET ME A NEW KEY AND ADD FLOOR MATS TO MY CAR TO MAKE UP FOR THE HORRIBLE SERVICE I HAD RECEIVED. I NEVER RECEIVED A NEW KEY, HOWEVER I DID GET THE FLOOR MATS. I WANTED TO WRITE A LETTER TO GARDEN GROVE HYUNDAI'S GENERAL MANAGER. GETTING CONNECT TO HIM WAS JUST AS IMPOSSIBLE AS GETTING MY FIXED. I CALLED ASKING FOR THE GENERAL MANAGER. I COULD NOT GET THROUGH. EVERYTIME I CALLED, HE WAS IN A "MEETING" I HAD A CO WORKER CALL FOR ME SO I WAS ABLE TO GET HIS NAME. I WANTED TO WRITE THE LETTER, BUT AT THIS POINT I WAS SO MAD I JUST WANTED TO GET MY CAR BACK AND FORGET THIS HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE. SO I THOUGHT...

SO HERE I AM THREE MONTHS LATER. I HAD TAKEN MY CAR OUT DURING MY LUNCH BREAK AND IT DROVE FINE. A FEW HOURS LATER I HAD TO RUN AN ERRAND, AND WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE I NOTICED THAT IT BECAME HARD TO SHIFT. I MADE IT TWO STREETS FROM WHERE I STARTED AND THE CAR RUMBLED AND SHOOK WHILE I WAS AT THE RED LIGHT AND MY CAR STALLED. ONCE AGAIN I COULD NOT SHIFT MY CAR INTO FIRST GEAR. THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM IS HAPPENING AGAIN TO ME!
I COULD NOT MOVE MY CAR OFF THE ROAD. I WAS STUCK AT THE RED LIGHT AND PEOPLE ARE HONKING AT ME AND FLIPPING ME OFF BECAUSE MY CAR BROKE DOWN IN A TURN ARROW LANE. I SAT THROUGH THREE RED LIGHTS BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO FORCE MY SHIFTER INTO FIRST GEAR TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD. I DROVE IN LOW GEAR FAR ENOUGH TO PULL OFF THE ROAD WHILE SMELLING MY CLUTCH BURNING, WHERE I CALLED AAA TO COME ONCE AGAIN AND TOW MY CAR.

I CONTEMPLATED TOWING THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE OF THE BAD EXPERIENCE I HAD WITH THEM. I DECIDED TO HAVE IT TOWED TO DR IMPORT AUTOMOTIVE, IN FOUNTAIN VALLEY CA. A DIOGANISTIC WAS DONE THIS AFTERNOON AND IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CLUTCH WAS INDEED BAD AND IT SEEMS THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY RESOLVED. IF THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED CORRECTLY THE FIRST TIME, THE CLUTCH WOULD HAVE NEVER WENT BAD ON ME THREE MONTHS LATER. I BELIEVE THAT THE CLUTCH WAS TEMPORARLY FIXED BACK IN JANUARY JUST TO GET ME OUT OF THE DOOR UNTIL THE WARRANTY RAN OUT. SO NOW TO FIX MY VEHICLE IT IS GOING TO COST $1600 TO FIX ONTOP OF THE COST OF THE VEHICLE ITSELF. AND I HAVE OWNED THE CAR FOR ONLY 4 MONTHS.