Volkswagen of Salem

Should've trusted my instincts the day I went to buy my car, as there was an uneasy feeling about the Salem Volkswagen Lithia Dealership in Salem, OR. But didn't have the energy to keep shopping elsewhere.

BIG MISTAKE. Like another customer, they promised only one hit on my credit report. (There were three.) They claimed it was a "soft hit" and wouldn't touch my FICO. Also a lie.

My score dropped. Now, the car. It's a $13,000 lemon. The engine shakes and ticks.

When you accelerate there's a wheezing noise. The dashboard rattles. It's a 2014 car with only 17,000 miles on it. I said either fix it (per their 60-day warranty) or buy it back.

The sales manager wrote up a document promising to buy it back if I wasn't happy after they tried to fix it. They put me in a loaner for a week, ignoring my requests for a status update. During that week, the sales manager mysteriously left the company with no explanation, ignoring my emails and messages. Finally I called and was told the car was back and allegedly they couldn't find anything wrong but claimed they'd fixed the dash.

As I drove off, I noticed my gas tank was literally empty on fumes. It had been 3/4 when I dropped it off. They said it had gone to a Kia dealership 70 miles away (140 roundtrip), but they put over 200 miles on the car. And as I said, returned it empty.

Today the engine is making even worse noises. Ticking and vibrating. The dash is rattling. I'm furious.

Personally I've only driven it 100 miles since buying it 30 days ago. I've already made a car payment, gave them $3000 down, and have been paying insurance on it. Now the sales manager how made promises (in writing) is gone. The car sounds like crap.

Looking up the 2014 Kia Soul, I discover MANY consumers talking about the same problems with this car with minimal miles on it, so I know it's not my imagination. I'm going to call Lithia Corporate on Monday. I also see many complaints about them with misrepresentation and sales fraud, where they abandon you once you've paid.

Do not buy a car at any LIthia, particularly Volkswagen of Salem. And definitely don't buy a Kia!